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Material World

Factual: Science & Nature

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines. Each week, scientists describe their work, conveying the excitement they feel for their research projects

Material World: 07/06/2012

07/06/2012

BBC Radio 4 - Material World, 07/06/2012

Legionnaires' bacteriology, why Venus is good for science and the true illusion of stripes

Why the bacteriology of Legionnaires' disease makes it so hard to detect, why the Transit of Venus is good for science and the truth behind the illusion of stripes.

Quentin Cooper looks at the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Scotland. He speaks to leading bacteriologist Professor Hugh Pennington about the causes of the disease, its history and why Legionnaires', one of the world's most dangerous bacterial pathogens, is so hard to detect. 

We look at the transit of Venus. Venus passed between the earth and the sun earlier this week - and won't do so again for over 100 years. Observed in past centuries this phenomenon is credited with helping devise methods to navigate the earth's oceans, but it is also helping us now to detect distant planets that we cannot see. 

And we catch up with 'So You Want to Be a Scientist' finalist Val Watham. After a lot of hard work analysing the results, Val can finally shed some light on whether horizontal or vertical stripes are more flattering.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

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