From batteries to distant worlds
Unexpected Elements
BBC
4.4 • 570 Ratings
🗓️ 13 October 2019
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nobel prizes this week went to a range of discoveries that you might be familiar with, in fact you might be using one of them right now – the lithium ion battery. The scientists credited with its Invention got the chemistry prize. And the tantalising prospect of life on other planets plays into the physics prize win.
We see what salamanders have to offer in the treatment of arthritis.
Human life expectancy has been increasing for decades. In many developed countries, we can now expect to live into our 80s, and it isn’t uncommon to live to 90 or even 100 years old. But eventually our bodies fail, old age is undoubtedly a clear indicator of approaching death. This fact annoyed 79 year old listener Bill, who emailed in to set us the task of seeking out the secrets to a longer, healthier life. Bill has a personal target to live to 200 years old, so can he do it?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Oh, hello. You have chosen a BBC podcast, but before you listen to it, we thought you might |
| 0:04.7 | like our podcast too. You might. You might. It is called Sightracked with me, Nick Grimshaw. |
| 0:09.2 | And me, Annie Mack. And we talk about the week in music. All the news, all the cultural |
| 0:14.0 | happenings in the UK and beyond. And great guests. And it's on BBC Sounds. Yes, where you can |
| 0:19.7 | also enjoy lots of playlists, music mixes and |
| 0:22.6 | live radio, everything from my six music breakfast show to Radio 3 Unwind. But obviously start |
| 0:29.2 | with our podcast, sidetrack. Obviously. Obviously. So if you like music, listen on BBC |
| 0:33.7 | Sounds. This is The Science Hour from the BBC World Service with me, Roland P's. |
| 0:38.7 | And in half an hour, the crowd science team will be seeking the ingredients for a long life. |
| 0:44.0 | One has to do with an active lifestyle. |
| 0:47.4 | Second, with healthy eating. |
| 0:49.8 | And third, well, a very social lifestyle. |
| 0:53.2 | That's one recipe. Let's do that again, that's one recipe from Costa Rica, |
| 0:58.4 | but is it enough to sustain you to 200 years of age? |
| 1:02.6 | Because that was the challenge for Jeff Marsh. |
| 1:05.1 | Before crowd science on science in action, we've got swept up in Nobel Fever because |
| 1:10.5 | it's that time of year. |
| 1:12.7 | So, the Academy has today decided to out-dial 2019-year-Niton-year-old |
| 1:16.5 | year's Nobel Prize in Chemis. |
| 1:20.5 | Gemensatimps to John B. Good Enough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino, for |
| 1:30.8 | up-upvickling of lithium-ion batteries. |
| 1:35.4 | And how salamanders may have the secret to fixing dodgy knees. |
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