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THE MATERIAL WORLD
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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Quentin Cooper reports on developments across the sciences. Each week scientists describe their work, conveying the excitement they feel for their research projects.
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LISTEN AGAIN 听30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"For me science isn't a subject, it's a perspective. There are fascinating scientific aspects to everything from ancient history to the latest gadgets, outer space to interior decorating; and each week on The Material World we try to reflect the excitement, ideas, uncertainties, collisions and collaborations as science continues its never-ending voyage into the unknown".
Quentin Cooper |
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| Artist's impression of Earth's magnetosphere (credit: NASA) |
Paleomagnetism
The earth's magnetic field has decayed approximately five per cent each century since the first accurate measurements began in 1840.
If this trend continues then the magnetic field could either reverse or disappear sometime this millennium.
It wouldn't be the first time. The magnetic field has reversed in the past - each time millions of years apart.
To gain a greater understanding of the decline in the strength of the magnetic field, researchers have gone even further back in time, studying听the period between 1590 till 1840.
Professor David Gubbins of Leeds University and Professor John Shaw of Liverpool University,听join Quentin Cooper听to discuss how they used old sailing ships' logbooks in their analysis of the changing strength of the earth's magnetic field.
The Language of the Piraha
听
Professor Dan Everett of Manchester University first encountered the Piraha people, a tribe of Amazonian Indians, in 1977.
He has revisited the tribe many times in the ensuing 30 years to study their singular language.
The Piraha language has a very simple syntax, but its verbs have forms numbering 216.
They have no words for numbers or colours, and no understanding of abstract concepts.
Prof. Everett believes that the Piraha language doesn't conform to Noam Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar: the idea that all languages share the same principles of grammar.
Ian Roberts, Professor of Linguistics听at the听University of Cambridge, isn't convinced by this.
Quentin Cooper chairs as they debate the theory. |
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