Dragonfly on Titan, Retreating Glaciers, Surge Testing, Acoustic lighthouses

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Now that NASA engineers have successfully flown a helicopter remotely on Mars planetary scientists are exploring how to use the technology elsewhere. Marnie Chesterton talks to Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle, from Johns Hopkins University who is working on a mission to fly a drone, called Dragonfly, above Titan, one of Saturn's moons. A new report that has measured the state of over 200 000 of the world's glaciers has just been published. Bob McNabb of the University of Ulster explains why it's not good news as glaciers are melting at a faster pace than before. He says it could have a particular impact on people who live in low lying areas. At the start of April cases of the South African variant of SARS-Cov 2 were found in a number of London boroughs. In order to stop the further spread of these variants, a programme of surge testing was announced. It’s just come to an end and Marnie finds out from Public Health England’s regional director for London, Professor Kevin Fenton, how it worked. Birds aren’t very good at adapting to human additions to the landscape, particularly tall buildings. Could extra sonic elements - so-called acoustic lighthouses - help? From William and Mary University in Virginia, Timothy Boycott and John Swaddle joined Marnie to explain how these can make a difference.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself.
0:03.7	My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts.
0:08.4	I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with a leading journalist, experienced
0:12.2	pundits and the biggest sport stars.
0:14.3	Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the players'
0:18.5	mouths.
0:19.5	But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sport world.
0:25.0	What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to
0:28.8	dedicated sports fans across the UK.
0:31.2	So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more.
0:41.5	You have downloaded the podcast version of BBC Inside Science first broadcast on the 29th
0:47.3	of April 2021.
0:50.3	Top science fact I learnt this week, coronavirus transmits 19 times more effectively indoors
0:55.9	compared with transmission outdoors.
0:59.0	As many parts of our lives open back up, we're thinking of rebranding as outside science.
1:04.8	Not for us, the poorly ventilated studios, welcome to my backyard.
1:09.7	In the next 30 minutes, we're dishing up some outdoorsy science too, as we meet the
1:14.2	scientist who's measured the ice lost on over 200,000 glaciers.
1:19.9	We'll also hear about acoustic lighthouses, the latest invention that might help birds
1:24.6	that don't look where they're going.
1:26.8	As a bird flies, it's largely looking down into the side.
1:30.4	It's like someone texting while they're driving.
	...

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