Plant Science, Composting and Mosquito Repellents

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

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

4.6 • 958 Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2006

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week we go green as Alison Smith discusses how algae get their vitamin B12, Tim Upson reveals the science behind composting, Heather Gorringe and Richard Fishbourne dish the dirt on what worms get up to in your compost heap, and John Pickett talks about natural mosquito repellents. Sticking with the insect theme, Nigel Franks describes how the first example of animal teaching has been found in ants, while in Kitchen Science, Derek is itching to reveal how ants lay chemical trails to their food. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0	Live from the BBC The Naked Scientists.
0:07.0	Well a very good evening to you.
0:08.0	Welcome to this week's edition of The Naked Scientists with me, Dr Chris Smith and
0:11.7	with Dr Catani. Hello. This evening, Mosquito Meckers.
0:16.2	When you go out in the evening on a summer on a summer's night, do you become a sort of involuntary
0:20.9	component of a bug banquet.
0:23.2	In other words, do mosquitoes home in on you
0:25.2	like flat flies around a proverbial?
0:26.9	Why do they do that?
0:27.7	Well, we have in the studio tonight
0:29.2	the guy who has discovered some of the molecular reasons for that. John Pickets from Rothamst did
0:34.0	research. Good evening John. Good evening. John will be telling us later
0:36.7	essentially how they've done this piece of research which has enabled them to
0:40.0	identify what the substance is oozing out of your body are that attract mosquitoes to you,
0:44.4	so we might be able to come up with better mosquito baits and possibly better mosquito repellents.
0:48.8	Also moving on, plants and methane, how Venus flytraps work, and also genetically modified crops and why your cabbage goes soggy if you don't
0:56.4	add some bicarb to it.
0:57.4	Allison Smith is from Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge.
1:00.3	Good evening Allison, thanks for coming in.
1:01.5	Hello. And also why algae might be the answer to Vitamin B12
1:06.1	shortages in the future.
1:07.6	Yes.
	...

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