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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: El Nino

Drught caused by El Nino

23/05/2015

El Nino

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, El Nino

El Nino is a weather event that happens every five years yet it is hard to predict

El Nino causes droughts, floods and has even been linked to an increased incidence of war. It's a weather event that happens every five years yet it is hard to predict.

El Nino is a weather event that happens every 5 years. It leaves Europe largely unscathed but causes havoc around the southern hemisphere. El Nino causes droughts, floods and has even been linked to an increased incidence of war. And yet it is surprisingly hard to predict. Adam speaks to Professor Adam Scaife, from the Met Office, about unpicking the science from weather chaos.

Mind Reading Robotics
Using thoughts to control robotic limbs via brain implants is something scientists have been developing for years. But up until now the robotic movements have tended to be clunky, or jerky, as the user had to think through the movements need to complete a task step by step. Now, scientists have developed a way of controlling the robotic arm through the power of intention alone. A patient with paralysis has been able to shake hands, drink, and even play rock-paper-scissors using this new method. Richard Andersen from the California Institute of Technology explains this new development.

Colour Constancy
That dress: earlier in the year pictures of a dress went viral and it divided families. But does it matter if you think it's blue and black or white and gold? Researcher Brad Pearce tests it out on Claudia Hammond.

Snakes
Dr Rhys Jones, star of BBC Televisions Wildlife Patrol talks to Adam about the origin of snakes. A recent paper from a team in Yale hypothesises a common ancestor with tiny hind legs and nocturnal habits. Adam questions why 3400 species of snake have evolved to not have legs, when millions of other animals find them so useful.

Optogenics - shedding llght on the brain
Biologists are using light to explore the brain - and to alter it. Roland Pease meets some of the leading players in optogenetics, who use light-sensitive molecules to take direct control of neural systems in worms, flies, and maybe one day, humans. For some, it's a way of exploring the interplay of electricity and chemistry as neuron talks to neuron in complex brains. For others it opens the way to future therapies for conditions like motor neuron disease, in which dying nerves bring about paralysis, and epilepsy, brought about by runaway oscillations in brain waves. 

Hits in the Genes 
Can popular music trends be spotted through scientific analysis? A team of researchers believe they have worked out why and when there are peaks and troughs in popular music, and why for instance the 1980s were so dire. Click is joined by the lead researcher, Matthias Mauch, who brings along his guitar to demonstrate.

Science Hour was presented by Claudia Hammond with comments from Victoria Gill. 

Producer: Rami Tzabar

(Photo: Drought in Colombia caused by El Nino .Credit: Getty Images)

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