BBC Radio 4 has a series called “Great Lives”. The latest episode focused on the man who was probably the greatest evolutionary biologist in the second half of the 20th century, Bill Hamilton. His scientific papers are rather difficult to understand, being largely mathematical. But his ideas, in particular those leading to his theory of [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘BBC’
28/10/2009
THE GATHERING OF THE KNOT
Red Knot are rather unprepossessing waders, but at certain times of the year they gather in enormous flocks. The BBC’s programme Autumnwatch recently had an item on this amazing spectacle. [Unfortunately, neither video will work outside the UK...] Here’s an extract for UK readers: Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham has written a blog in which he reckons [...]
05/05/2009
OVERFISHING AND GEOLOGY
November 2007 Two items on this week’s excellent The Material World (Radio 4). Both items look at the past, present and future of their subjects. There’s also a brief reminder of last week’s discussion of bombardier beetles. Click on “listen again”.
23/04/2009
EUROPE 1.8 MY AGO – BBC GETS IT WRONG?
November 2007 Giant hyenas, giraffes and sabretooth cats roamed around Southern Spain 1.8 MY ago. A great collection of fossils have been unearthed at Fonelas in Granada. BBC article. Scroll down the BBC page – what’s wrong with the picture of the sabretooth? Highlight from here to the bottom of the post to read the answer: The upper canines [...]
22/04/2009
SPOT THE MISTEAK
October 2007 This story appeared on the BBC website and the national press today. What’s wrong with it? My 9-year old daughter spotted it straight away (which is obviously more than the journalists did!). Clue: you’d only have to change one letter to get a more likely explanation. “Visitors to a Somerset stately home have been warned to [...]
22/04/2009
BBC STUFF
September 2007 A lot of you would like to get a job working with the BBC Natural History Unit. Here is a link to a set of blogs their journalists are writing during some of their projects. And there’s a weekly BBC podcast of natural history programmes you can subscribe to.
20/04/2009
CALEDONIAN PINE FOREST
March 2007 Very interesting Radio 4 programme about conservation in Scotland, around the Caledonian forest. Shows you the various sides to this particular issue. Listen again here. And while you’re there, here’s a good programme from 2006 about the badger cull/TB issue here.
20/04/2009
TRIPPY STARLINGS
March 2007 When you were all babies, the amazing sight of millions of starlings swirling in the sky before roosting was a daily occurrence in British cities. With the catastrophic urban decline of this species, that’s all changed. This spectacular BBC video shows starlings roosting in Somerset reed beds.
20/04/2009
GETTING ZOO ANIMALS TO MATE
March 2007 Radio 4 programme about the difficulties faced by captive breeding programmes, in particular for the white rhino. Can be downloaded as MP3.
20/04/2009
SAVING GORILLAS
March 2007 BBC ”From Our Own Correspondent” piece about re-introducing orphaned gorillas into the forest in Gabon.
