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BBC Inside Science: Animal experiments, Bees and diesel, Sense Ocean, Readability of IPCC report

22/10/2015

Animal experiments, Bees and diesel, Sense Ocean, Readability of IPCC report

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, Animal experiments, Bees and diesel, Sense Ocean, Readability of IPCC report

Latest stats shows UK scientists used fewer research animals last year. Or did they?

With fewer animals used in UK science, are scientists producing weaker science by following the 'three Rs' (replace, refine, reduce) of ethical animal research?

Animal experiments 
Scientists are changing the way they measure animals used in research. The most recent Home Office report not only shows the numbers of animals used, it also grades how much each animal suffered. Dr Sara Wells from MRC talks to Adam about this new measure, and also the fact that the overall number of animals used in 2014 has declined for the first time in years. 

Bees and diesel 
The polluting power of diesel has been getting a lot of press recently. Now, new research has shown that the volatile nitrogen oxides in diesel exhaust (NOx) are preventing bees from finding their food flowers. The diesel chemically alters some of the most common floral scent compounds, rendering them unrecognisable to bees and other insect pollinators. The effect adds to the suite of environmental factors impacting bee survival.

Sense Ocean 
Adam visits the National oceanography Centre in Southampton where they are working on Sense Ocean - A big Europe-wide project which is monitoring what is in the world's oceans. Professor Matt Mowlem, is Head of the Ocean Technology and engineering group, and he is in charge of making sensors, which measure the chemical and biological nature of sea water from small platforms and vehicles. 

Readability of IPCC Report
A paper in Nature Climate change last week scored the IPCC Summary for Policy Makers report, very low for 'readability', Adam discusses the trade-off between writing science that is right, and writing science that is understandable. 


Producer: Fiona Roberts.

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