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Unexpected Elements

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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.

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Unexpected Elements: The Latest Science from Biosphere 2

Discussion & Talk

Biosphere 2 Research Facility in Oracle, Arizona

05/12/2015 GMT

The Latest Science from Biosphere 2

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, The Latest Science from Biosphere 2

The latest climate change science from Biosphere 2, an earth science lab in Arizona

The latest science from Biosphere 2; Air pollution in the 21st Century; Altering embryonic genes; The Landscape Evolution Observatory; Cuba’s unique health system; Memorising art

Biosphere 2 is an Earth systems science research facility; a mini model of the Earth where scientists can carry out controlled experiments in different environments. It is located in Oracle, Arizona and is now part of the University of Arizona. Originally it was built to house an experiment designed to see if humans could survive on another planet. The experiment attracted much media attention and involved eight volunteers locked away in the sealed environment for two years, relying entirely on it for their survival. But this grand experiment did not go quite according to plan, so now Biosphere 2 is instead being used to model different ecosystems; scientists are carrying out controlled experiments to see how our planet – Biosphere 1 – might respond to a changing climate. Jack Stewart visits the facility to witness the science taking place.

Unbreathable: The Modern Problem of Air Pollution
The shock news three months ago that Volkswagen had used defeat devices to circumvent emissions tests in the United States, has again highlighted the continuing environmental problem of air pollution. Traces of pollutants coming out of tail pipes may seem to be little more than a nuisance, but it can actually be a matter of life and death. One expert has estimated that this deception by Volkswagen has contributed to the deaths of 59 people in the US; their lives shortened by the damage nitrogen oxides have done to their bodies. And a further 130 lives are at risk over the lifetime of the vehicles if nothing is done about it. As well as from vehicles, air pollution also comes from other sources, such as fires and agriculture. Roland Pease looks into what can be done to clean up the air we breathe.

Gene Editing
Should scientists be allowed to alter the genes in embryos? New techniques now exist to edit embryonic genes, but the implications of this research has been ringing alarm bells and this week hundreds of scientists and bioethicists have gathered in Washington for an international summit on how far this technique should be permitted. The BBC’s medical correspondent Fergus Walsh reports from the meeting.

Biosphere 2 - Landscape Evolution Observatory
Jack Stewart takes a look at another Biosphere 2 experiment. It is called LEO or the Landscape Evolution Observatory. This is a new addition to the earth’s science laboratory, not something that dates from the time of the Biospherians.  Dr Luke Pangle, a hydrologist at the University of Arizona, is his guide.

Health in Cuba: Prevention Better Than Cure
Cuba is not a rich country but it has free, universal healthcare and some impressive health statistics. In the first of two, special Health Check programmes from Havana, Claudia Hammond investigates how despite spending just 4% of what the United States spends on their healthcare, Cuba manages to have lower rates of infant mortality and similar life expectancy. Is it the focus on prevention that is the key? And could other countries learn from the Cuban experience?

Memory and Art  
How good are you at picturing a work of art in your mind? If it is the Mona Lisa or Monet’s Water Lilies then perhaps it is easy. But if you go to an exhibition of unfamiliar paintings how much do you really remember afterwards? A new exhibition called An Imagined Museum, at Liverpool Tate, is asking visitors to imagine what would happen if art was destroyed and is also challenging them to memorise the works in the exhibition. Claudia Hammond went to have a go herself and to meet the curator of the exhibition, Darren Pih and Dr Luca Ticini, who is a cognitive neuroscientist from Manchester University.


(Photo caption: Biosphere 2 Research Facility in Oracle, Arizona © Jack Stewart)


The Science Hour was presented by Claudia Hammond with comments from Smitha Mundasad, Health reporter, BBC News 


Producer: Deborah Cohen/Helena Selby

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