logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2022
17m 9s

Butterfly and eye implant

Bbc World Service
About this episode
<p>S2 Ep 29. Not all butterflies are colourful. The transparent wings of the longtail glasswing butterfly may hold the key to more effective eye implants. This could be of huge benefit to people with glaucoma - the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Get in touch: www.bbcworldservice.com/30animals #30Animals</p> 
Up next
Jan 2022
Insects and mobile phone
S2 Ep 30. Smart phones could become even smarter – thanks to ants, beetles, moths and spiders! A multi-animal special episode, marking the season 2 finale. Patrick explores what could be an insect inspired phone of the future! There’s the story of the fire ants and bark beetles a ... Show More
20m 51s
Jan 2022
Slug and surgical glue
S2 Ep 28. From goo to super glue! Slug slime may hold the key to mending wounds without stitches or staples. Scientists have developed new adhesives based on the properties of slug slime, that are as sticky as any glue, stretchier than a rubber band and aren’t toxic to humans. Th ... Show More
17m 35s
Dec 2021
Dragonfly and sky spy
S2 Ep 27. The amazing agility of a dragonfly leads to the creation of a new spy drone. Their four wings can move independently of each other, enabling them to fly forwards, backwards, sideways, up and down and suddenly stop and hover like a helicopter. This caught the attention o ... Show More
15m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Metamorphosis: Blowflies and dazzling disguise
Blowflies may be some of the most reviled insects on the planet, but as Erica McAlister discovers, they are central to the surprisingly long tradition of forensic entomology and how there's more than meets the eye in the distinctive structural colour of the morpho butterfly wing, ... Show More
27m 13s
Feb 2022
The bionic eye that’s obsolete
Imagine receiving the latest medical implant that can partially restore your vision, now imagine the technology behind your implant no longer being produced or supported. That’s what happened to about 350 patients around the world, as the medical start-up company behind a particu ... Show More
44m 7s
Feb 2021
S4 Ep308: Savage Butterflies & Exploding Head Syndrome
Did you know that some butterflies are straight-up a**holes? Yup! They’re not just fluttery angel bugs, some of them are total backstabbers! Kathleen just got a subscription to a science website so she’s about to melt your face with some blazing Butterfly Facts! Then, Bethany dis ... Show More
1h 26m
Nov 2021
Un implant cérébral pour redonner la vue aux aveugles ?
Vous le savez, la technologie joue un grand rôle dans le domaine de la santé, qu’il s’agisse du remplacement d’un organe, du traitement d’un cancer, mais également pour restaurer nos sens. Récemment, des chercheurs espagnols ont tenté de redonner la vue à des personnes aveugles g ... Show More
2m 23s
Nov 2020
The butterfly effect & making predictions
In this episode of Thick & Thin, we discuss the butterfly effect & the concept of small things making a big difference (or not!). Can the flap of a butterfly's tiny wing in one part of the world create a hurricane in another? Listen and decide for yourself. // Follow me on IG: in ... Show More
49m 21s
Jun 2021
The Science of Vision, Eye Health & Seeing Better
This episode I describe how we see, meaning how our eyes focus, convert light information into electricity the rest of the brain can understand and how our brain creates the incredible thing we experience as “sight”. I also describe how we can train and support our visual system ... Show More
1h 46m
Jun 2021
La technologie peut-elle redonner la vue aux aveugles ?
Avec des progrès technologiques toujours plus importants, le domaine de la santé est de plus en plus performant, au point de permettre à des aveugles de retrouver la vue ! À défaut de voir parfaitement comme avant, un français de 58 ans atteint d’une maladie génétique dégénérativ ... Show More
2m 13s
Sep 2023
Metamorphosis: Drosophila melanogaster, hoverfly
Dr Erica McAlister uncovers a treasure trove of remarkable insights from the insect world including the innocuous flies that are Drosophila melanogaster. More is known about these flies than any other animal on the planet, as a model for human genetics. And the hoverfly that argu ... Show More
27m 15s
Jul 2014
Wind Beneath My Surgical Wings, Part 1
Can science give us the wings we've always envied in birds? Can plastic surgery elevate us to a higher human form? In this episode, Robert and Julie discuss Joseph Rosen's posthuman philosophy and ponder what we'd have to do to transform arms into wings. Learn all about it in thi ... Show More
22m 55s