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Description
Adam Rutherford talks to astronomer Tabetha Boyajian at Louisiana State University about the weird star that's perplexed astronomers since its discovery two years ago. KIC 8462852 has the unique ha...bit of intermittently and sometimes dramatically dimming and then brightening. Some scientists even suggested vast alien megastructures around the star might be the explanation. After twenty months of almost continuous observation, Professor Boyajian has much more information about what the star is doing. But the big mystery hasn't gone away. BBC News science correspondent Jonathan Amos joins Adam to share some highlights in space exploration for the coming 12 months. Zoologists and engineers at the University of Oxford are developing an app that identifies one species of mosquito from another by analysing the sounds their rapid wing beats make. Graihagh Jackson visits Marianne Sinka at the Zoology Department to listen to her collection of mosquito songs. Did the widespread introduction of the food additive trehalose fuel the emergence of epidemics of virulent Clostridium difficile in hospitals from the early 2000s? Microbiologist Robert Britton tells Adam about the evidence his team has gathered and published this week in the journal 'Nature'.
Metadata describing this Open University audio programme
Series: Inside science
First transmission date: 04-01-2018
Original broadcast channel: BBC Radio 4
Rights Statement: Rights owned or controlled by The Open University
Restrictions on use: This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages.
Duration: 00:27:54
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Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker
Contributors: Adam Rutherford; Tabetha Boyajian; Jonathan Amos; Graihagh Jackson; Marion Shinker; Robert Britton
Link to related site: BBC Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09k0nkf
Keyword(s): KIC 8462852
Subject terms: Louisiana State University;
Production number: 229524
Videofinder number: 229524
Available to public: no