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BBC Inside Science

La Palma volcano; wind energy in the UK; origins of SARS-Cov2; Formula 1 safety

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.51.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 September 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Thousands of people have been forced to flee the path of the lava that has been spewing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma since Sunday 18th September. Dr Rebecca Williams of Hull University is an expert on the geology of the Canary Islands and tells Gaia Vince that eruptions are regular events on the islands. There's been much discussion about where we are going to get our energy from in the UK. Gas prices are soaring, a fire has knocked out a key power cable, and the weather has affected the amount of power that can be generated from our wind turbines. And to meet our climate targets we're going to become ever more dependent on renewable, and variable, sources. Tom Butcher from the Met Office talks about wind forecasting. He says that the winds have been between 10% and 20% lower in intensity this summer. Professor Deborah Greaves, of Plymouth University and Head of the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub, explains how the UK is planning to increase the number of wind turbines, moving into deeper waters. A team from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, investigating bats in caves in Northern Laos, has found bats that are infected with a coronavirus that’s genetically almost identical to the one now causing Covid in humans. Lead researcher Dr Marc Eloit discusses what they have discovered and how coronaviruses could move from bats to humans. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had what looked like a very serious crash at their recent Formula 1 race in Italy. Max Verstappen’s car landed on top of Lewis Hamilton’s, but amazingly Hamilton got out unscathed. The safety features on these cars which can travel at more than 200 mph, are very sophisticated. Nick Wirth, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering who has many years experience of engineering in the F1 world, describes the Halo which saved Lewis Hamilton's life.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to tell you why I love podcasting.

0:04.5

I'm Sasha Johansson, I'm an Assistant Commissioner for the BBC,

0:08.1

and I work on making podcasts. My real passion is discovering unbelievable

0:14.3

unheard stories and working with the biggest stars who can really bring those stories to life.

0:20.0

I love the whole process of making podcasts from the spark of an idea to hearing the final edit.

0:26.4

There's nothing like it.

0:27.6

What makes BBC podcast special is that we're working for you,

0:31.0

so whatever we commission has to reflect the things that you care about and love,

0:34.9

wherever you are in the UK. So if you like this BBC podcast, there's so much more to discover.

0:40.4

Have a listen on BBC Sounds.

0:42.4

Hello, hello, fireworks and devastation from the canaries.

0:46.9

But what's the reason for the geological upset? I'll be finding out.

0:51.5

As energy prices spike can wind, meet the challenge?

0:55.4

More clues about the origins of Covid with a new discovery in bats.

1:00.9

And can it ever be safe to crash a car at 200 miles an hour?

1:08.2

There's thick black dust settling on my shoulders.

1:11.5

You can feel it in the air.

1:13.6

And all the time you can hear the volcano rumbling in the background.

1:18.4

It's an ominous sign of just how dangerous this is.

1:22.2

You can't have missed the spectacular images from the erupting volcano on the island of La Palma

1:27.8

this week. After a number of seismic swarms, the authorities began evacuations on Sunday morning,

1:34.5

and eruptions began just hours later. Fortunately, no lives have been lost,

...

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