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BBC Inside Science

Rugby and the brain

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.51.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2021

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Victoria Gill talks to Professor Damian Bailey who's leading research at the University of South Wales into the potential risks to brain health in contact sports players, from impacts to the head and body sustained during play. His latest study found that over the course of a 31 game season, the brains of members of a professional rugby union team underwent measurable changes, particularly the forward players who sustained most tackles, knocks and falls. The findings may help to identify why professional players of some contact sports are at an increased risk of dementia later in life. Also in the programme: How food waste may help with the development of a more sustainable generation of batteries, with Imperial College chemist Magda Titirici. Professor Titirici was awarded this year's Kavli Medal by the Royal Society for her research on new sustainable energy materials. The bones of people who died in 79 AD during the eruption of Vesuvius have revealed in extraordinary detail what the citizens of Herculaneum ate, and how the diets of men differed from those of women in the town. With bioarchaeologist Oliver Craig of the University of York. How the babbling of baby bats is comparable to babbling in human babies. Both are about learning the skills of communication, according to zoologist Ahana Fernandez of the Museum of Natural History in Berlin.

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 and I work on making podcasts.

0:11.1

My real passion is discovering unbelievable on her stories and working with the biggest

0:16.9

stars who can really bring those stories to life.

0:20.1

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

0:26.0

edit.

0:27.0

There's nothing like it.

0:28.0

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

0:32.6

has to reflect the things that you care about and love, wherever you are in the UK.

0:37.0

So if you like this BBC podcast, there's so much more to discover.

0:40.6

Have a listen on BBC Sounds.

0:42.6

Hello, you lovely curious minded people.

0:44.9

This is the podcast edition of BBC Inside Science, originally broadcast on the 2nd of September

0:50.2

2021.

0:51.2

I'm Victoria Gill.

0:53.0

This week we're fastidiously following professional rugby players through every tackle, bump

0:57.7

and knock of a season to find out how that repeated ruff and tumble affects their brains.

1:03.4

We're travelling to Costa Rica to eavesdrop on baby bats and find out the secrets encoded

1:08.3

in their babbling.

1:10.9

In the pups of Sackup Expinierta, the purpose of babbling is really to learn song from

1:17.5

adult bats.

1:18.5

So while they are babbling, they are imitating adult tutors.

...

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