Unexpected Elements

Covid -19 origins


Listen Later

Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Market is associated with many of the first cases or Covid- 19, but data on precisely how and from where the virus might have first spread has been difficult to find.

However a re-examination of the earliest samples collected from the market seem to pinpoint where the virus first showed itself. Sydney University virologist Eddie Holmes says this evidence will be crucial in determining which animals may have initially passed the virus to humans.

Humans are known to have passed the Sars-Cov-2 virus to other animals, including cats, mink and deer. Canadian researchers have recorded the first incident of a modified form of the virus passing back from deer to humans. Virologist Samira Mubareka from the University of Toronto explains the implications.

Chernobyl, the site of the worlds worst nuclear accident is back in the news as the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a stirring up of nuclear material when troops entered the site. Ukraine has a number of nuclear reactors, Claire Corkhill, professor of nuclear materials at Sheffield University explains the potential risks from the current conflict and safeguards in place.

And we hear from Svitlana Krakovska Ukraine's representative on the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change, on her thoughts on the prospects for climate action and scientific progress in The Ukraine.

Also, If you took a fly into a really tall elevator and let it out at the top, would it still be able to fly? And what’s the absolute highest an insect could possibly go? It’s a question that’s been bugging CrowdScience listener Chee for a while, but presenter Alex Lathbridge is on the case.

He discovers that when they’re not buzzing around your lunch, insects can be routinely found flying high up in the atmosphere travelling from A to B. There are also ground-dwelling bumblebees living in the mountains of Sichuan, China that have demonstrated an ability to fly at altitudes higher than the highest point on the planet.

But leaving aside how high insects DO fly, how high COULD they fly if given the chance? Alex explores the theoretical limits of insect flight with the help of a bit of biomechanics – before contemplating the ultimate heights of the International Space Station where the mystery of whether a fruit fly will fly in zero gravity is finally answered.

Image: Disinfection Work At Wuhan Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, China 4 March 2020.

Credit: Zhang Chang / China News Service via Getty Images.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Unexpected ElementsBy BBC World Service

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

333 ratings


More shows like Unexpected Elements

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,708 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

881 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,040 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,541 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,810 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,827 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,056 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,021 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

614 Listeners

Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

Nature Podcast

762 Listeners

Ask the Naked Scientists by Dr Chris Smith

Ask the Naked Scientists

78 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

960 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

433 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

415 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

819 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

824 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

739 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

248 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

354 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

475 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,155 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

762 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

110 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,636 Listeners