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Factual: Science & Nature

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Home Planet: 08/02/2011

08/02/2011

BBC Radio 4 - Home Planet, 08/02/2011

What was the cause of the green ring seen around the Moon?

Plants and animals are going extinct at a frightening rate all as a result, we're told, of human activity. But has anything disappeared in recent years without human intervention?

On a clear night the Moon can dominate the sky. Mostly an almost eerie white, it can also take on a reddish or even golden hue. But, one Home Planet listener wants to know, was the cause of the apple green ring she saw around it one winter's evening? 

Continuing the astronomical theme, you ask why does the light in January seem that bit clearer than murky December days? Also, what is the likely impact of growing fields of Elephant grass on British farms? And can the panel name any species that have gone extinct in recent years where their disappearance cannot be attributed to human activity?


On the panel this week are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford of Cambridge University; Professor Andrew Watkinson, Director of Living with Environmental Change and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London. 

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

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