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Science In Action: Geysers on Enceladus

Saturn's moon Enceladus, covered in snow and ice, resembles a perfectly packed snowball in this image

31/07/2014

Geysers on Enceladus

BBC World Service - Science In Action, Geysers on Enceladus

Gigantic geysers erupting in Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, could be a sign of life

Geysers on Enceladus; Malaria Drug Resistance; Bionic Plants; White, Brown and Beige Fats

Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, could be the most habitable place to live in our solar system outside of Earth. Scientists have identified 101 gigantic geysers erupting and think they could be a sign of water from an underground sea reaching the surface. Dr Carolyn Porco is the Leader of the Cassini Imaging Team from the Space Science Institute in Boulder.

Malaria Drug Resistance
Drug resistance to artemisinin, an anti-malarial drug, has spread in border regions of Asia and it is heading westwards towards Africa. It is the third time significant resistance has developed against an anti-malarial drug and each time it has emerged from the Cambodia-Thailand border.  Professor Nick White from the Mahidol University in Thailand and Oxford University in the UK and Professor Mike Turner, from the Wellcome Trust, join us to discuss the issue. 

Bionic Plants
Synthetic particles can infiltrate into chloroplasts, cells within plant leaves, and enhance photosynthesis, a process by which plants convert light into energy. The nanoparticles can enable living leaves to perform unnatural functions, such as detecting the presence of pollutants.  Professor Michael Strano, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, sheds light on the development of these bionic plants. 

White, Brown and Beige Fats
Previously, scientists have not been able to measure or distinguish between white and brown fats. Now, with the identification of the different surface proteins that are present on the different type of fat cells, scientists should be able to distinguish between, measure and target these.  Dr Siegfried Ussar from the Institute for Diabetes and Obesity at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum in  Munich, says the research could give insights into obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

(Image: Saturn's moon Enceladus, covered in snow and ice, resembles a perfectly packed snowball in this image from NASA's Cassini mission © NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

Presenter: Jack Stewart
Producer:  Ania Lichtarowicz

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