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BBC Inside Science: La Palma volcano; wind energy in the UK; origins of SARS-Cov2; Formula 1 safety

10/06/2021

La Palma volcano; wind energy in the UK; origins of SARS-Cov2; Formula 1 safety

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, La Palma volcano; wind energy in the UK; origins of SARS-Cov2; Formula 1 safety

La Palma volcano; wind energy in the UK; origins of SARS-Cov2; Formula 1 safety.

Geology under the La Palma volcano. As gas prices soar can wind energy keep the lights on in the UK? Bats in Northern Laos carry coronavirus close to SARS-Cov2. F1 safety.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee the path of the lava that has been spewing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma since Sunday 18th September. Dr Rebecca Williams of Hull University is an expert on the geology of the Canary Islands and tells Gaia Vince that eruptions are regular events on the islands. 

There's been much discussion about where we are going to get our energy from in the UK. Gas prices are soaring, a fire has knocked out a key power cable, and the weather has affected the amount of power that can be generated from our wind turbines. And to meet our climate targets we're going to become ever more dependent on renewable, and variable, sources.  Tom Butcher from the Met Office talks about wind forecasting. He says that the winds have been between 10% and 20% lower in intensity this summer. 

Professor Deborah Greaves, of Plymouth University and Head of the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub, explains how the UK is planning to increase the number of wind turbines, moving into deeper waters. 

A team from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, investigating bats in caves in Northern Laos, has found bats that are infected with a coronavirus that’s genetically almost identical to the one now causing Covid in humans. Lead researcher Dr Marc Eloit discusses what they have discovered and how coronaviruses could move from bats to humans. 

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had what looked like a very serious crash at their recent Formula 1 race in Italy. Max Verstappen’s car landed on top of Lewis Hamilton’s,  but amazingly Hamilton got out unscathed. The safety features on these cars which can travel at more than 200 mph, are very sophisticated. Nick Wirth, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering who has many years experience of engineering in the F1 world, describes the Halo which saved Lewis Hamilton's life.

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La Palma volcano; wind energy in the UK; origins of SARS-Cov2; Formula 1 safety

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