The UN’s COP26 summit is due to start this Sunday, and it’s pretty clear to most of us that climate change is the most serious threat to our health. Of course it’s a physical threat, especially to the vulnerable, due to extreme weather events like heatwaves, storms and fires, which are increasingly frequent and intense.
But we mustn’t neglect the ment ... Show More
Jun 2020
The World Is Constantly Running Out Of Helium
Encore episode. Helium is the second-most common element in the cosmos, but it's far rarer on planet Earth. As part of our celebration of the periodic table's 150th birthday, correspondent Geoff Brumfiel shares a brief history of helium's ascent, to become a crucial part of rocke ... Show More
13m 24s
May 2023
Should We Care About the Finite Supply of Helium?
Helium is the only truly non-renewable resource, and it's essential for things like MRI machines and nuclear reactors, but should we be worried? And, we turn air into food, so why can’t we get carbon to leave the atmosphere – or helium to stay? In this episode, Cosmos Science Jou ... Show More
7m 54s
Oct 2019
S1E2 - Episode #2 - Oxygen
This week Fergus, Carys and Joe discuss oxygen, the third most abundant element in the universe by mass. Listen to find out about oxygen bars, fire and the ozone layer! Plus a look at science "In The News", the return of "Science Fact or Science Fiction?" and a new game called "S ... Show More
28m 20s
Mar 2016
Noble Gases (Ar, Ne, Kr, Xe)
Neon, argon, krypton and xenon: Laurence Knight investigates their uses, from the blinding light of the arc welder's torch to the dying trade of the neon sign-making. Professor Andrea Sella explains how an alumnus of his home University College London - Scottish chemist Sir Willi ... Show More
29m 38s