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BBC Inside Science: Higgs Boson; Neutrinos; Antarctic echo locator; Rainforest fungi; Alabama rot

23/01/2014

Higgs Boson; Neutrinos; Antarctic echo locator; Rainforest fungi; Alabama rot

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, Higgs Boson; Neutrinos; Antarctic echo locator; Rainforest fungi; Alabama rot

Tiny particles and the huge and hugely expensive experiments needed in order to find them.

Neutrinos and supersymmetrical particles. Dr Adam Rutherford asks what's the next big tiny particle in the post-Higgs world? Plus, is Alabama rot behind recent dog deaths?

The Higgs boson has been discovered, providing the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle for the Standard Model of particle physics, a description of how the universe works. But what physicists haven't found yet, which they should have, are supersymmetry or SUSY particles. Roland Pease attended a recent meeting of top physicists, and shares with Adam Rutherford the latest discussions about where to look next.

The history of neutrinos is littered with interesting characters. It was Wolfgang Pauli who first suggested their existence. Pauli was so unsettled by his proposal that he bet a case of champagne against anyone being able to discover these "pathologically shy" particles. Since then, scientists have built ever more elaborate experiments to try and detect these particles. Ray Jayawardhana, Professor of Astrophysics and author of a new book "The Neutrino Hunters" explains more about the most abundant particle in the universe.

This week's Show Us Your Instrument is a tool used to help scientists measure the glaciers in the Antarctic. Julian Dowdeswell, a glaciologist from the University of Cambridge, uses an echo-locator to look at the dynamics of large ice masses and their response to climate change.

Fungi, not viewed favourably by gardeners, can be good for rainforest biodiversity. Dr Owen Lewis from Oxford University tells Melissa Hogenboom that plots sprayed with fungicide soon become dominated by a few species at the expense of many others, leading to a marked drop in diversity.

A mysterious illness killing dogs has been in the headlines this week. David Walker a veterinary specialist, says that although it's not clear what's causing the disease, people should not panic.

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