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Razor Sounds is a science and technology show where we take you behind the scenes and bring you up to speed on some of the most exciting new science and technology around the world. Join Emma Keeling and Dr. Shini Somara as they discuss their most thought-provoking stories.
30 Episodes
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Scientists have managed to launch rovers on the Red Planet, but what will it take to get a human on the surface? Could their bodies survive the rigors of the seven-month journey plus the seven minutes of terror it takes to enter, descend and land safely on the surface of Mars? And could their minds cope with the isolation and the myriad psychological challenges they would be faced with? Find out more on this special Mission to Mars Razor podcast. Go to https://stories.cgtneurope.t...
The natural ecosystems we depend upon are in crisis globally, with around a million species at risk of disappearing from the wild. Penguins feed in the ocean and breed on land, so they face dangers in both places – more than half of penguin species are threatened with extinction.In this Razor Podcast special, our correspondent Sylvia Rowley takes a trip to the picturesque southeastern coast of Australia to learn more about the work of the conservationists trying to protect the little penguin....
It’s long been known that fish swim in schools to protect themselves from predators, but could there be another reason? This week on the podcast, Shini Somara talks to Iain Couzin, professor of biodiversity and collective behavior at the University of Konstanz. His team has been placing robotic fish among schools to study the animals’ energy consumption. Couzin explains what we can learn from this study and why it could have real-world benefits for humans. [05:39]. Finally, in what’s ex...
This week we look at a revolutionary new cancer treatment. Emma goes to Portugal to talk to Rita Fuore about how she realized injecting tumors into zebrafish could help doctors make more informed decisions about which cancer treatment is best for their patients [01:33]. In science this week, Frankie finds out how people’s mood can influence the efficacy of COVID19 vaccines and Emma explains why scientists are close to discovering new techniques to reverse the damage done by motor-neuro...
This week on the RAZOR Podcast, Shini Somara and Emma Keeling hear about a revolutionary new therapy that could challenge the aging process. Glenn Jeffery from University College London has been working on a way to slow down the aging process by focusing on “recharging” mitochondria. His team has been using red light therapy on fruit flies and has started to move into human trials [04:42]. We speak to evolutionary biologist Nick Lane who explains why mitochondrial therapy could be ...
It's the final Razor podcast of 2020! In this episode Shini Somara and Emma Keeling look at what would happen if Covid-19 took hold in animals. Emma spoke to Tony Goldberg, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Wisconsin in the U.S. Goldberg has been studying the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases in nature and explains the dangers of covid-19 moving back into animal populations [02:03]. In what’s exciting us in science this week, Shini explains how you can ta...
This week on the podcast Emma Keeling and Shini Somara look at a magical mushroom that can be turned into insulation material for our homes. Emma visits Biohm, the company behind the innovation to find out how they came up with the idea and why this idea could revolutionise the construction industry [01:30]. We learn how owner Ehab Sayed came up with the idea for the company and why he’s trying to change an industry that’s traditionally been very slow to adapt to green technology [07:0...
This week on the podcast Shini Somara and Emma Keeling look at hair loss as a potential Covid-19 symptom. A leading hair loss clinic in London has recently reported that a number of patients suffering from temporary hair loss also experienced COVID-19 related symptoms three months prior to seeking treatment. Emma Keeling spoke to an administrator at the clinic who also tested positive for Covid-19 in March [01:03]. Rali Bozhinova, a trichologist at the clinic, also gives a possib...
This week on RAZOR, Shini Somara speaks to mechanical engineer Richard Johnston, a professor at the Materials Research Centre, Swansea University to find out about a collaboration between jet engineers and Egyptologists. Their work gives a detailed look into the past and promises great innovations in the future. Johnston explains how analyzing ancient mummies can lead to advances in mechanical engineering, including how jet engines are designed [03:30]. He also tells us how the collabo...
This week on Razor Sounds we look at a company that’s looking to revolutionise the way we try and feed the world. Entocycle is a biotechnology company that farms Black soldier flies to convert their larvae into protein that they use to feed livestock. Emma Keeling spoke to founder and director Kieron Whitaker who explains how he came up with the idea for Entocycle [01:39]. Emma also takes us on a tour through the facility and tries a cookie made from larvae! On what’s exciting u...
On this week’s episode of the RAZOR podcast, Shini and Emma look at a group of researchers studying our sewer system to better manage the COVID-19 outbreak. Emma speaks to Dr. Monica Ghandi, an infectious disease expert from the University of California in San Francisco to hear the evidence for wearing face coverings and a hypothesis on how facemasks can work in a similar way to vaccines in fighting COVID-19. Sewers4COVID is a collaboration of researchers from Greece, Spain, the ...
Today we’ll be looking at women in Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics [STEM]. Not too long ago, we interviewed two young women making massive strides in the STEM arena. Michelle Hicks and Inge-Sarah Andersen both work in traditionally male dominated areas, and we wanted to get a take on their experiences in their fields. We interviewed them on international women’s day earlier this year and thought we’d like to share that discussion with you here on the podcast. We talk abo...
1On this episode of the RAZOR podcast we look at a company that's revolutionising food waste. CGTN America correspondent Mark Niu tells us about his visit to Treasure 8 - a company using a drying technique to make food last longer. Niu explains how the technology works and why he was intrigued by the process [06:01]. He also tells us about the difficulties filming this story during a pandemic, and the precautions he had to take while doing the story [08:30]. Niu explains why he th...
Today on the RAZOR Podcast we Emma and Shini revisit one of our most popular stories. Back in Episode 13, Emma spoke to us about the anthropause: the worldwide slowing of human activity, which has led to many animals venturing further afield as people retreated inside. During that story we played you a clip from Professor Jim Smith from the University of Portsmouth. He explained to us why the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster gave us a lot of insight into how animals beha...
This week on the RAZOR podcast Emma Keeling dives deep into one of our most popular stories over the past year. One New Zealand boss had changed to a four-day working week even before the virus spread, and he said going back to our old ways after the pandemic would be a wasted opportunity. Businessman Andrew Barnes tells us how moving to a four-day working week has helped his business become more productive [01:50]. Andrew tells us how he came up with the idea to move to his company to a four...
Today on the podcast we look at the lasting effects that COVID-19 can have on our brains. Emma Keeling talks to professor Robert Stevens from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Maryland. Stevens describes a “secondary pandemic” where we could be struggling with the after-effects of COVID-19 long after we think we’ve recovered [02:02]. Only a slightly lighter note, Shini Somara talks to professor Robin Beaman, a scientist at James Cook University. Professor Beaman is part of the The Nippon Founda...
Today on the Razor Podcast Emma and Shini look at how the animal kingdom has responded to the covid-19 pandemic. You might have noticed more wildlife in your garden, parks and even in urban areas. That's because of what scientists are calling the anthropause: the worldwide slowing of human activity, which has led to many animals venturing further afield as we retreated inside. Emma talks to Dr. Chrstian Rutz from the University of St. Andrews to find about the origins of the ...
Today on the Razor Podcast we look at life after Covid-19. How we are going to put society back together and continue to our lives after the disruption of lockdown. Our first story looks at the aerodynamics of Covid-19 in airplanes. The airplane industry has been hit particularly hard by Covid-19. With planes grounded all over the world, the question has become how do we restore airplane travel without spreading the virus all over the world. Shini spoke to Professor Qingyan Chen who rec...
Today on the show Emma and Shini are joined by another Razor team member. Over the course of the Razor Podcast we have covered topics by reporter Jo Colan, and on this episode she updates us on some of your favourite Razor episodes. The repurposing of drugs or treatments originally used to treat other diseases is common in science and it's happening even more now. Jo came across an example of this when researchers working to find a universal anti-venom to snake-bites received an u...
Today on the Razor Podcast Shini talks to Louis Koizia from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London about mixed-reality headsets that are helping to keep doctors safe while treating Covid-19 patients. Louis explains why these headsets are vital to treating the disease and enforcing the principles of social distancing under very difficult circumstances [01:30]. Shini also shares her adventures with mixed-reality headsets and tells us why it's taken this long for them to finally catch o...
Today on the Razor Podcast Shini and Emma look at the origins of Covid-19. Allegations that the coronavirus may have escaped from a laboratory, or even been created, are part of an info-demic of misinformation. Razor producer Neil Cairns spoke to Susan Weiss who has been studying coronaviruses for most of her career. He started off by asking if she believed that the coronavirus was created in a lab. She says that it’s highly unlikely that this is the case [01:20]. She tells us why she h...
In today’s episode of the Razor Podcast we look at how science is fighting COVID-19. In our first story, Shini Somara tells us how understanding aerodynamics can help us better understand how COVID-19 spreads. Shini speaks to Bert Blocken about his study, which has mapped the flow of particles we breathe out to see how they are affected by rapid movement. Blocken explains why countries around the world have issued different advice on social distancing [02:03]. We also learn why cy...
Today we’ll be looking at women in Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics [STEM]. Not too long ago, we interviewed two young women making massive strides in the STEM arena. Michelle Hicks and Inge-Sarah Andersen both work in traditionally male dominated areas, and we wanted to get a take on their experiences in their fields. We interviewed them on international women’s day earlier this year and thought we’d like to share that discussion with you here on the podcast. We talk abo...
Human beings have been fascinated by Mars for centuries. Since 2012, NASA's Curiosity Rover has been traversing the red planet to see if it could support microbial life. In today’s episode Emma went to speak to the ExoMars team who are attempting to search deeper with the Rosalind Franklin Rover which will be launched to Mars in 2022. At the core of this mission to Mars is the Rosalind Franklin Rover. An autonomous machine that is going to be traversing the landscape on Mars and gatheri...
A fair portion of discarded electronics ends up in landfills and that ends up harming our planet. A recent UN report found that we’re throwing away more than 48 million tons of electronics a year. The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Sciences in Zurich have developed a wood-derived material which is an alternative to traditional plastics and polymers. Shini Somara speaks to Gilberto Siqueira, the lead scientist at the facility, to find out more.Siquera explains how this new technology ...
One of the reasons we need more trees is because of photosynthesis. This is the process through which plants make their own food, but it’s also how they help us get rid of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It's a vital process, but one of the misconceptions about it is that it's just about plants creating oxygen, which isn't the case. It's about plants taking energy from the sun, and storing it chemically. Today on the Razor Podcast, Shini goes to see a new technology that takes ...
Every year there are around 1 million amputations globally – that’s one every 30 seconds. But not everybody can afford a bionic limb or even a basic prosthetic. One scientist wants to change all of that. Emma went to speak to a professor at Glasgow University about a new technology that could be revolutionary for amputees – a prosthetic arm powered by solar panels that also gives tactile feedback like a real limb. Emma speaks to double-amputee Corinne Hutton about her challenges, and ho...
On this episode of RAZOR we delve deeper into our DNA and take a closer look at who we really are. Shini and Emma look at how we map and understand our DNA and why it's not as clear-cut as you might think. The Human Genome Project was one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by science. An international team of scientists spent 13 years mapping our genetic data; pinpointing and laying out the sequence of all our genes. However, there is a problem. Seventy percent of its first...
On today’s episode of the RAZOR Podcast Shini and Emma look at the most cutting edge issues in science today. How can something “be” and “not be” at the same time? To answer this question, Shini went to talk to Winfried Hensinger, a professor of Quantum Technologies at Sussex University. Hensiger is at the forefront of developing quantum computers and does his best to explain what quantum mechanics is [01.52]. Professor Hensinger also shows Shini some of the technology they ...
On today’s episode of the RAZOR podcast Emma and Shini discuss the development of a new snakebite anti-venom being made in Liverpool. The World Health Organization calls snakebites one of the world's priority neglected tropical diseases. Up to one hundred thirty eight thousand people die every year from snake bites due to a drastic global shortage of anti-venoms. Our reporter Jo Colan goes out to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to talk to a group of scientists taking steps to addres...
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