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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.

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Unexpected Elements: Alzheimer’s Research Drug Failure

Discussion & Talk

cropped_brain2.jpg

03/12/2016 GMT

Alzheimer’s Research Drug Failure

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, Alzheimer’s Research Drug Failure

Hoped for breakthrough in treating of Alzheimer’s disease dashed with a dug trial failure

Alzheimer’s disease drug failure; Style Transfer on Facebook; Smart Bandages; Automatic Speech Analysis; Mind Reading; From Supernovae to Hollywood

Adam Rutherford talks to Alzheimer’s researcher Dr Tara Spires-Jones about news of a failed drug clinical trial into Alzheimer’s Disease treatment by the drug company Eli

Style Transfer on Facebook 
Anand Jagatia talks to Facebook’s Yann LeCun, about Style Transfer, a new technique enabling users of smart phone cameras to produce an image in the style of a famous painting.

Smart Bandages
British researchers have developed a “smart” bandage that could help burns sufferers in spotting infections earlier.  Roland Pease investigates.  

Automatic Speech Analysis
Paula Hidalgo-Sanchis and John Quinn describe how the UN initiative Pulse Lab Kampala is developing a prototype that makes it possible to conduct analysis of public discussions on the radio across Ugandan English, Luganda and Acholi.

Mind Reading
Could it be possible to broadcast our thoughts directly from our brains without the need for speech?  Gaia Vince meets the scientists who say they’re getting close to being able to read minds.

From Supernovae to Hollywood
The Science Hour talks to Nathan Sanders the astrophysicist who gave up studying exploding stars to apply his maths to Hollywood stars in the movie business and who leads the Quantitative Team at Legendary Pictures.


(Photo caption: Alzheimer’s brain.  Computer graphic of a vertical (coronal) slice through the brain of an Alzheimer patient (left) compared with a normal brain (right) © Science Photo Library)


The Science Hour was presented by Gareth Mitchell with comments from Melissa Hogenboom of BBC Earth


Producer: Colin Grant

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