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Science In Action: New Planet Hunting Mission

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12/04/2018 GMT

New Planet Hunting Mission

BBC World Service - Science In Action, New Planet Hunting Mission

NASA's new planet hunting mission is about to launch

NASA's new planet hunting mission. Also more snowfall in Antarctica, Tasmanian devils at greater cancer risk and Texan longhorn cattle genetics

NASA’s latest exoplanet hunting mission is due to launch on April 16th.  This mission will look for Earth-like planets closer to home than the previous Kepler exoplanet mission.  By looking at stars hundreds or light years away and not thousands, scientists will be able to use ground based telescopes to learn more about these rocky planets.

More Snow in Antarctica
Scientists have compiled a record of snowfall in Antarctica for the last 200 years and have found that snowfall has increased by about 10% over the last century.  This extra snow has slightly slowed the effect of global sea level rise.  Science Correspondent Jonathan Amos explains more about this story and others presented at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna.

Tasmanian Devils at Greater Risk of Cancer
Scientists writing in the journal Cancer Cell report that they have identified the sources of the two transmissible cancers that are killing Tasmanian Devils and threatening the survival of the species.  It appears that the cancers originated in two different animals – one male and one female.  The team is now looking to see if new human cancer treatments will work in the Tasmanian Devil population, so far the lab tests are promising.

Texas Longhorn Origins
Roland Pease meets a scientist who is using genetics to find out how the famous Texas longhorn cattle evolved and who originally brought them over to the Americas.

Picture: NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), shown here in a conceptual illustration, Credit: NASA

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz

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