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Unexpected Elements

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

The news you know, the science you don’t.

The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.

The Science Hour

Unexpected Elements: Inbred Gorillas

Inbred Gorillas

11/04/2015

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, Inbred Gorillas

Claudia Hammond investigates concussion in sport and asks, will science stop play?

Science comes head to head with sport as evidence grows about the vulnerability of our brains to the blows, knocks and shocks of our favourite games.

Concussion
Science comes head to head with sport as evidence grows about the vulnerability of our brains to the blows, knocks and shocks of our favourite games. Claudia Hammond investigates.

Gorilla genome
Scientists have discovered inbreeding has actually benefitted mountain gorillas by removing many harmful genetic variations. They are also genetically adapted to living in small populations. The authors of the findings, published in the journal Science, said it is the first project to sequence whole genomes from mountain gorillas.

Why computers forget
Artificial ‘brains’ struggle to be good multitaskers as they experience ‘catastrophic forgetting’ when learning new skills.  Developing their neural networks in a modular fashion, like humans have evolved, may be the key to improving their memory.

Rosetta
As Rosetta closed in on Comet 67P in 2013, UK astronomer Matt Taylor was chosen as its Project Scientist – overseeing the complex manoeuvres the probe had to make. The Philae touch down was spectacular, but as Matt Taylor told Jim Al Khalili, making the most of Rosetta’s visit to a remote wanderer in the solar system has meant nail-biting decisions.

Alien life on Europa
Europa is one of the few places in our solar system where life could exist. It's believed to have an ocean up to 100km deep, ten times as deep as any ocean on Earth, which could contain twice as much water as our entire planet. All the conditions for life may be met, somewhere in those dark waters.

Ultra Haptics 
Researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK have devised a system to make touch screens more sensitive, using ultrasound waves to produce haptic feedback. With this technology you do not even need to touch the screen. Project supervisor Sriram Subramanian, explains how digital devices can be controlled by letting your hands hover over the virtual knobs.
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Science Hour was presented by Roland Pease with comments fom Melissa Hogenboom.

Producer: Alex Mansfield

Photo: Researchers were concerned the small gene pool of Virunga mountain gorillas could harm their long-term future 
(credit: Getty Images)

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