Phosphorus: Essential to All Life But Are We Running Out?

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

Science Radio, Engineering, Naked Scientists, Natural Sciences, Technology, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness, Medicine, Science

4.6 • 957 Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2016

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you've followed environmental stories over the years, you'll know this tune. Scientists have long been singing off the same songbook when it comes to fossil fuels, deforestation and pollution. But drum not often banged is the dwindling supply of phosphorus. It's is an essential element for all life. It makes up our DNA and all organisms need it for energy. It cannot be replaced, there is no synthetic substitute. In other words, without phosphorus, there is no life. This week on the Naked Scientists, we investigate whether we're running out of phosphorus for fertiliser and what we can do... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0	I have you loud and clear.
0:03.2	Hello.
0:04.2	Hello.
0:05.2	Welcome.
0:06.2	Science.
0:09.2	And that is the same physics, medicine, nature, space, time, brain, life, the universe.
0:16.5	Today the element that's essential to all life, we're asking could the great
0:21.0	phosphorus shortage leave us hungry, We'll be investigating how much is left,
0:25.8	how we might strip it out of human sewage, and what happens when supply doesn't meet demand.
0:32.0	Plus in the news we'll be learning how to hide a secret
0:35.4	message with a fizzy drink, a double-o-7 style, we'll be getting up close and
0:39.3	personal with the cuddle chemical oxytocin and the transit of mercury.
0:44.4	What does it all mean? I'm Katani.
0:46.8	And I'm Greg Jackson and this is the Naked Scientists.
0:50.7	The Naked Scientists podcast is powered by UKfast.co.uk.
0:55.0	UK.
1:00.0	Around one in five people will have a severe episode of depression at some point in their life
1:07.6	but the current drug-based treatments we have can take weeks or months to work if they work at all.
1:14.0	More than a decade ago, scientists discovered that the animal anesthetic ketamine
1:18.0	had a powerful antidepressants
1:19.0	anti-depressive effect, but the side effects, including loss of sensation, paralysis, hallucinations and out-of-body
1:26.0	feelings have limited its use.
	...

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