Science in South Africa Special

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

🗓️ 25 November 2007

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, we bring you the highlights of the Naked Scientists trip to South Africa. We explore what life is like in the poor regions of Johannesburg, and how the frightening reality of HIV and AIDS offers a silver lining in prevention research. Plus, In a journey through our evolutionary history, we come face to face with the two-and-a-half million year old Taung child, one of the most important human ancestor fossils ever found. Also, we find out why a moon like ours is rare in the universe, how opals get their colours and how mice choose a mate by smelling their wee. And in kitchen... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0	Stripping down science, the naked scientists.
0:06.0	Hello, welcome to this week's naked scientist.
0:08.0	That's with Dave Anseld.
0:10.0	Hi there.
0:11.0	And Ben Valsler.
0:12.0	And with me, Chris Smith, now it makes a change because we're actually all in the same place this week
0:16.0	rather than being in separate hemispheres and separate cities but coming up this week
0:19.0	how scientists have found a way to see the lung damage that's done by passive smoking and it really is real.
0:24.8	Also why a moon like ours is quite rare as planets go and why this might affect our prospects of
0:29.8	finding advanced life elsewhere in the universe and also how scientists have solved the
0:34.4	mystery of how to sniff out your ideal mate. It's all down to smelly chemicals in
0:38.5	your urine would you believe and at least that is if you're a mouse and that's all
0:41.4	on the way. Ben.
0:43.0	Also this week we're bringing you an insight into life and science in South Africa where Chris and I spent
0:47.6	this week visiting Johannesburg.
0:49.6	We'll be retracing the evolution of humankind, thanks to spending a morning amongst the remains of our ancestors,
0:55.0	some of these are 3 million years old.
0:57.0	Plus, we find out what life's like in a shantytown and the frightening situation of HIV in South Africa
1:02.8	where 50% of the population are destined to become infected with the disease.
1:06.8	But it's not all bad news because for this week's kitchen science
1:10.0	we'll be hearing how you can throw your voice over 50 meters just by standing in front of a large metal dish.
1:15.6	So David, can you hear me over there?
	...

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