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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: Comet 67P

Discussion & Talk

Comet 67P

25/03/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, Comet 67P

Comet 67P; Sat-Nav brains; Octopuses; Mars; Medical Exoskeletons; Japanese Macaques; Split-Second Decisions

67P was the first comet to be reached by probes. During the mission, lots of photos were taken and they have given an insight into how the surface changes as it orbits around the Sun.  Back on Earth, researchers have been mapping the brain activity of people driving around London. The results revealed that using a Sat-Nav changes how your mind works.  We turn to octopuses to see if these creatures could be the key to understanding an alien mind.

As we dream of sending humans to Mars, the psychological problems of such a mission loom large.  Claudia Hammond ponders the most important social qualities required for the mission.  For Japanese macaques, their social circles dictate who catches what from whom and new research suggests this could also be applied to the spread of human diseases.

Gareth Mitchell hears about a new hand-mounted exoskeleton for surgeons. And as the pace of technology moves at ever greater speeds, how vulnerable are we when making split second decisions?  Kevin Fong reports.


(Photo caption: European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe Philae lands on the comet 67P © ESA/ATG medialab)


The Science Hour was presented by Roland Pease with comments from Victoria Gill BBC Science Reporter


Producer: Graihagh Jackson

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