Brainwaves

BBC Radio Scotland
  • 4.7 (3)
  • TECHNOLOGY
Brainwaves

Pennie Latin explores the science behind our everyday experiences and speaks to key scientists working in Scotland.

  1. 03/18/2020

    Beautiful bogs and precious peatlands

    With the battle against climate change never far from many of our minds this week, 6 years on from when Brainwaves first visited, Pennie Latin returns to the Flow Country in Caithness and Sutherland to remind us how that much-maligned, but globally rare, feature of the Scottish landscape: the peat bog might be crucial as a carbon sink. Because it is now deemed so precious a group called ‘ The Peatlands Partnership’ has been formed with the aim of applying to get the Flow Country designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If it successful then the area will rank alongside the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef as one of the most important natural sites in the world but, could this precious landscape itself be in danger of the effects of climate change? We'll be discovering how new research hopes to find out.

    28 min

  2. 03/11/2020

    How ready are you for the VR revolution?

    How comfortable are you with virtual reality? We're not just talking about gaming but across your life and your family's life? With virtual reality being developed in just about every area of our lives Pennie Latin weighs up the value of VR. There's no doubt VR is a powerful tool and results from research into the potential for using VR to treat mental health issues like schizophrenia and anxiety are looking very promising but how worried should we be about that power? Does the fact that VR can be so immersive and engaging mean it also needs to come with a warning? Pennie will be visiting Oxford University to try out some of the latest immersive therapies for herself plus she'll join a primary school in the Highlands to see VR being piloted in an educational setting. So on balance will we love or loathe the prospect of a VR saturated world...listen to find out!

    28 min

  3. 03/04/2020

    Dinosaur Hunting with Steve Brusatte

    Who doesn't love dinosaurs? Dr Steve Brusatte certainly does and his knowledge, story telling and passion for the subject are utterly infectious. In this Brainwaves Pennie Latin joins Steve in his Edinburgh laboratory to discuss the 5 fossils which best capture his love of the subject together with a flavour of a story which lasted over 180 million years then ended so dramatically with a mass extinction. Among his chosen 5 fossils Steve discusses the Sauropod trackways he discovered on the Isle of Skye, Scotland's Jurassic Park, in 2015 and the extraordinary fossil of a Zhenyuanlong which he first saw in China and is a brilliant example of a feathered dinosaur.

    28 min

  4. 02/26/2020

    In Search of the Competitive Edge

    Top para-cyclist Karen Darke MBE won silver in London and gold in Rio now she's trying to make it to a third consecutive Paralympic games in Tokyo but its a tough challenge. So Karen's enlisted the help of Williams Advanced Engineering to see if they can bring a Formula 1 approach to maximising her performance this summer. In this Brainwaves Pennie Latin joins Karen behind the scenes to see just what science and technology can offer our elite athletes.

    28 min

  5. 02/19/2020

    Professor Lesley Yellowlees MBE - her life in 5 objects

    Professor Lesley Yellowlees CBE has an extraordinary passion for life and for her work as an inorganic chemist. A leading figure in the fields of spectroelectrochemistry and solar energy research Lesley's also a pioneer - she was the first female head of Chemistry and then of Science and Engineering in Edinburgh. She was also the first female president of the Royal Society of Chemistry and is a passionate champion for diversity in science. In this fun, fast talking and hugely engaging conversation Lesley chooses 5 objects which capture her fiery character; love of family, food and travel, and the work that drives her so much.

    28 min

  6. 01/29/2020

    Poo, jobbies, stinks and why they matter!

    How often do you do a number '2'? Seriously! And do you know how often your friends and family members have a poo? No? So how do you know if you're normal and what does a well functioning gut system mean when it comes to our toilet habits and our health? Pennie Latin goes on a frank and fearless journey to find out more about the human gut system. Along the way she talks to Kevin Whelan, Professor of dietetics at King's College London, about what normal is when it comes to going to the loo. Dr Alan Walker, principal investigator at the Rowatt Institute in Aberdeen, shows Pennie how they're using an artificial gut to research how microbes in our gut interact with the food we eat and she takes a tour of EnteroBiotix where faeces from healthy donors are processed to make a radical treatment for c difficile infection. Pennie also manages to persuade a family to keep a 'jobbie journal' for a week so they keep account of the regularity and consistency of their toilet habits. Bold, brave and utterly fascinating, join us for an irresistible slice of everyday science which impacts each and every one of us!

    28 min

  7. 01/22/2020

    Deep ocean exploration with Bathynaut Dr Jon Copley

    Pennie Latin joins marine ecologist and deep ocean explorer Dr Jon Copley for a fascinating insight into his extraordinary world. Jon is a 'bathynaut' (someone who has gone deeper than 200 meters under the ocean) who specialises in researching hydrothermal vents deep under the ocean. His watery office is a small acrylic bubble capable of diving to incredible depths which allows him to explore, observe and research the amazing array of life which inhabits the half of our world which is covered by water more than 2 miles deep. In a single drop of sea water there are a million bacteria, and a bath tub of water, says Jon, will give you as many life forms as there are stars in our galaxy! Unfortunately as well as finding new species Jon is also witness to man's impact on the deep ocean environment and finds evidence of human rubbish even thousands of meters under the sea. So join Jon and Pennie as they dive deep into the subject of oceanography, you'll hear some remarkable stories and discover species which will take your breath away but there's a few thought provoking lessons along the way too.

    28 min

  8. 01/15/2020

    A shocking story of postnatal PTSD

    Gill Skene didn't know what was wrong with her after the traumatic birth of her daughter, she just knew she wasn't depressed and she wasn't behaving normally. Flashbacks and paranoia culminated in a moment when Gill realised she was capable of attacking her husband after he came between her and her baby, she sought help and was diagnosed to postnatal PTSD. In this moving and thought provoking Brainwaves, Pennie Latin hears from Gill and her husband, Mark, then sets out to investigate what we know about a mental health condition which is estimated to affect 30,000 women in the UK each year. Along the way Pennie discovers its not just birth mothers who are vulnerable to stress following a difficult birth, clinical staff are also presenting with PTSD. Pennie asks how much we know about the condition and what can be done to identify and support sufferers.

    28 min
See All (87)

Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Pennie Latin explores the science behind our everyday experiences and speaks to key scientists working in Scotland.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio Scotland
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2020
  • Episodes
    87
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2020
  • Show Website
    Brainwaves

More From BBC

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada