Search for episodes from Planet Earth with a specific topic:

Latest episodes from Planet Earth

How plastic pollution may harm marine life - Planet Earth Podcast - 14.09.30

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2014 10:16


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: Tamara Galloway, Matt Cole and Ceri Lewis of the University of Exeter talk about their research on the effects of fragments of plastics from food packaging, drinks bottles and even facial scrubs on marine wildlife.

The evolution of the British peppered moth - Planet Earth Podcast - 14.08.19

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2014 9:49


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: Ilik Saccheri and Arjen Van 't Hof of the University of Liverpool describe how the British Peppered Moth changed from peppered to black during the Industrial Revolution in northern England.

Tidal energy, turtle mating habits - Planet Earth Podcast - 13.03.12

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2013 19:53


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: a look at the potential to generate up to 20 per cent of the UK's electricity from tidal energy; and why understanding the nuts and bolts of turtles' sex lives could help protect those most at risk.

Our ancient ancestors, deep sea worms - Planet Earth Podcast - 13.02.19

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2013 19:02


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: why textbook illustrations of our early ancestors may have to be re-drawn; and why underwater canyons contain a wealth of life, including some rather ugly-looking worms.

Using Genetics to Save the Ash Tree - Planet Earth Podcast - 13.02.05

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2013 20:43


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: decoding the ash tree's entire genetic sequence to produce a strain which is more resilient to ash dieback; the challenges of extracting biofuels from algae; and the latest news on Planet Earth Online.

earth tree genetics genetic strain algae biofuel planet earth podcast planet earth online
Avian pox in UK great tits, top conservation issues - Planet Earth Podcast - 13.01.22

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2013 19:45


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how a virus brought to the UK by insects poses a worrying threat to the country's great tit population; and which new technologies could affect global biodiversity in 2013.

Climate tipping points, basking sharks, primates - Planet Earth Podcast - 13.01.08

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2013 19:55


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: why understanding where plankton congregates can help us protect basking sharks and other marine creatures; how primates planning ahead tells us about our own intelligence; and how to predict dangerous climate tipping points.

Planet Earth Podcast highlights from 2012 - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.12.26

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2012 25:33


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: a look at some of the highlights from 12 months of the Planet Earth Podcast, including: a hairy crab; earthquake monitoring in Turkey; air quality around London before the Olympics -- and early disease detection; Europe's oldest cave art; what the first creatures to walk on land looked like; and seabirds.

Citizen science projects, plants and greenhouse gases - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.12.11

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2012 20:10


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how you can get involved in any one of the wealth of UK citizen science projects that have taken off recently, and why a little-known gas given off by many trees, ferns and mosses, could be contributing to global warming.

Bat calls, weather balloons, telomeres and ageing - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.11.27

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2012 22:03


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: an online tool to identify bats is helping to protect them, and it could make a scientist of us all. Also, an audio diary from a researcher from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science who's on the Isle of Arran in Scotland; and why there's more to ageing than telomeres.

Solutions to urban flooding, peatland carbon storage - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.11.15

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2012 18:35


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: a look at potential solutions to urban flooding, and why scientists are so keen to measure carbon dioxide flow through the UK's Norfolk Fens.

Unique plants in Bristol, contraceptives and fish - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.10.30

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2012 20:30


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how conservationists are using science to help protect rare plants found only in Bristol's Avon Gorge, and are feminised fish changing wild fish populations?

Man-made salt marshes, ground heat, storms - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.10.19

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2012 21:50


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: why salt marshes are so important, but are difficult to recreate; how storms are made; and why the ground beneath our feet could provide decades of natural heating.

Future-proofing forests, noisy gannets, Antarctica - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.10.03

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2012 20:13


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: the steps scientists are taking to make sure the trees we plant today can cope with tomorrow's warmer climate; tracking gannets to find out how environmental change might affect them; and a tropical Antarctica.

Forecasting solar storms, fish personalities - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.09.18

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2012 21:18


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: why accurately forecasting solar storms is becoming increasingly important; and how understanding how fish shoal could interest economists.

Early tetrapods, upland rivers, North Anatolian Fault - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.09.04

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2012 19:16


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: what the first creatures to walk on land looked like; the connection between the biodiversity of upland rivers and the ecosystem services they provide; and in an audio diary from Turkey, a University of Leeds researcher on the North Anatolian Fault.

Bees and sex, acid rain's legacy, cold water corals - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.08.14

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2012 21:19


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: sex and the survival of honey bee colonies; why rivers are still recovering from the legacy of acid rain; and collecting coral from the Atlantic seabed.

Early African dairy farming, seabird migrations - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.07.31

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2012 18:44


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how dairy farming in Africa 7000 years ago led to the speedy evolution of the gene that lets us digest milk; and how climate change could be having a detrimental effect on seabirds and fish in the Southern Ocean.

Brown water, bats and streetlights, plant methane - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.07.18

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2012 20:35


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how browner drinking water presents problems for the water companies; the effect of street lighting on bats and their commuter routes; and how ultraviolet light makes plants emit methane.

Urban heat, ancient cave art, bold birds - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.07.05

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2012 21:06


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: a look at how urban heat islands will alter under climate change, and how these changes might affect your health, as well as our railways, roads and energy supplies. Also: why Europe's oldest cave art might not have been painted by humans at all.

Bees, nanomaterials, and methane on Mars - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.06.19

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2012 20:55


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how knowing exactly which bees pollinate which crops may help us grow food more sustainably; and a look at the effects of tiny particles called nanomaterials on the environment and our health.

Medical diagnostics, the value of nature - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.06.06

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2012 19:02


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: a look at how technology designed to measure air pollution may soon be used to smell disease on a patient's breath; and the steps British researchers are taking to put a value on all the benefits of nature that we often take for granted.

Cold water corals, meteorites, new greenhouse gases - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.05.23

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2012 20:23


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - scientists describe why the planet's least understood but most diverse species of coral is under threat. Also, what the meteorite strike that wiped the dinosaurs out would've been like; and why co2 isn't the only greenhouse gas we should be worried about.

Drought and record rainfall, indoor avalanches - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.05.10

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2012 20:20


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: researchers explain why, despite record rainfall, England is in drought. Later, how scientists are using indoor avalanches to figure out where to put buildings and roads. Finally, news of ice loss in Antarctic, and the benefits of bat dung.

Microscopic plants, using volcanic ash for dating - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.04.25

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2012 18:00


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - we take a closer look at tiny marine plants, which underpin the entire marine food chain and play a vital role in the Earth's climate. Also, how scientists are using volcanic ash called tefra to tell how people may have responded to rapid environmental changes in the recent past.

Fungal threats, hydrothermal vents, green buildings - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.04.16

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2012 19:45


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, how fungal infections could threaten our food security as well as the planet's amphibians; work under way to understand the ecosystems around the hydrothermal vents in the Southern Ocean; and how it's people, not buildings, that use energy.

Air pollution, dwarf elephants and water footprints. - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.03.27

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2012 20:32


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, Richard Hollingham hears about new air-quality monitoring that could help mitigate the effects of bad-air days; the effect of climate change on Mediterranean dwarf elephants; and exactly how many litres of water it took to make his morning coffee.

Invasive signal crayfish, shags, night-shining clouds - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.03.14

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2012 20:34


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: Richard Hollingham finds out why the American signal crayfish is driving out one of the UK's native species; in our latest audio diary, Hannah Grist from the University of Aberdeen talks us through her research on European shags; and what noctilucent clouds tell us about our changing climate.

american university uk european shining signal clouds aberdeen invasive crayfish shags planet earth podcast planet earth podcast richard hollingham
River Thames pollution, Arctic freshwater bulge - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.03.05

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2012 20:47


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, Sue Nelson goes to the River Thames in central London to find out why nitrate pollution has trebled since the 1930s. Later on, she talks to a researcher about an unusual freshwater bulge in the Arctic, and asks if we should be concerned. Finally, we hear a round-up of some of the news from the natural world.

Testing satellites on Earth, hedgerow wildlife - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.02.17

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2012 21:04


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: Sue Nelson visits RAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire to find out how scientists check if the scientific equipment they put on satellites will work properly once in space. Later she goes to Buckinghamshire to hear how simple changes to hedgerow management could significantly improve winter habitats and food supplies for wildlife.

Revitalising urban rivers, hot conservation topics - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.01.31

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2012 20:24


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Richard Hollingham goes to the River Wandle in south-west London to find out how scientific research is helping to revitalise this heavily-used river; later he goes to Cambridge to hear about some of the hottest conservation topics for 2012.

The Hoff Crab, North Sea fisheries, flood prediction - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.01.17

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2012 21:33


It's not often that science news goes viral, but when researchers dubbed a new species the 'Hoff Crab' more people than usual seemed to take notice!

Parkour and orang-utans, risks from solar storms - Planet Earth Podcast - 12.01.09

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2012 19:14


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Sue Nelson goes to Birmingham to find out how the James Bond film Casino Royale and orang-utan conservation are linked; later she meets a scientist from the British Geological Survey to learn which parts of the UK power grid are most at risk during solar storms.

The Thames Barrier, the colour of prehistoric birds - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.12.12

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2011 21:12


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Sue Nelson goes to the Thames Barrier to find out how engineers use science to decide whether or not to raise or lower it, helping to stop storm surges from flooding London; while Richard Hollingham meets a scientist who developed a technique that reveals the colour of truly ancient fossilised birds.

The Ozone Hole, Starlings in Fair Isle, Forest Fires - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.11.22

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2011 20:08


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Richard Hollingham talks to one of the scientists behind the discovery of the ozone hole to find why it's still there; how research on starlings on an island famous for its sweaters could help bird conservationists; and why forest fires in North America affect people thousands of miles away in Europe.

Treating snakebites, and European shags - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.11.08

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2011 20:53


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Sue Nelson visits the largest collection of venomous snakes in the UK to find out how researchers are developing antivenoms to help African snakebite victims; and what scientists are doing to understand why populations of the European shag are declining.

uk africa european african snake treating snakebites venomous shags planet earth podcast planet earth podcast sue nelson
Neanderthal mammoth hunters in Jersey - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.11.02

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2011 19:46


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: Richard Hollingham meets scientists and archaeologists who are working to preserve one of the most important Neanderthal settlements in north-west Europe to find out how they lived; later on, he visits the local primary school to find out what schoolchildren make of the Neanderthals.

europe jersey hunters archaeology mammoths neanderthals planet earth podcast planet earth podcast richard hollingham
The deep sea, ancient proteins, Arctic research - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.10.11

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2011 20:30


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - how scientists find out about life in the oceans' deepest trenches; how identifying proteins from 50 milion year old reptile skin could help us store radioactive waste; and studying the effects of climate change in the Arctic.

Spreading aliens, Arctic experience, and Antarctica - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.09.28

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2011 21:03


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, how hikers and walkers could be unwittingly changing the landscape by spreading alien species; what it's like to work as a marine biologist in the Arctic in temperatures of minus 40C; and exactly how stable is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet?

Engineering the climate to tackle climate change - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.09.14

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2011 21:17


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: in a geoengineering special edition, we take a closer look at some of the technologies we may have to resort to using to avert dangerous climate change.

Stonehenge, microscopic plants, and baboons - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.08.23

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2011 19:41


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, why scientists are working with the National Trust to restore the chalk grasslands around Stonehenge; how researchers are using satellites to study microscopic plants; and the etiquette of dining and bullying in baboons.

Where do all the salmon go, and making CO2 bricks - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.08.12

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2011 17:32


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, how scientists are using fish scales to figure out why the UK salmon population is falling; and how carbon dioxide emissions from power stations could be used to make household bricks.

Searching for life in Lake Ellsworth - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.07.26

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2011 19:36


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: why scientists are planning on drilling three kilometres beneath the Antarctic ice sheet in one of the most ambitious exploration projects ever undertaken; and how worms that feed on dead whale bones at the bottom of the ocean may be distorting the whale fossil record.

Rip Currents and Carbon Capture - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.07.12

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2011 18:14


This week, why understanding rip currents at Perranporth in north Cornwall could help save lives; how exactly does carbon capture and storage (CCS) work and how can scientists be sure that carbon will be stored forever?

WWII bunkers, thugs and aliens, and calving glaciers - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.07.07

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2011 19:54


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, why weathermen are using a converted World War II bunker to monitor clouds; how thug species such as bramble, nettle and bracken can be just as damaging to woodlands as alien plants; and why scientists are going to Greenland to deploy a network of sensors in some of the country's glaciers.

Bumblebee declines, microbes, and amazing birds - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.06.17

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2011 20:20


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - what UK farmers are doing to protect the country's vanishing bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinating insects; how scientists are trying to figure out how many types of microbes there are on our planet and why they all matter; and why birds are more amazing than we ever imagined.

Cuckoos at Wicken Fen, snow, and radiocarbon dating - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.06.03

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2011 20:59


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - the cunning tricks the cuckoo uses to get another bird to do the parenting, why researchers are studying snow in Sweden, and how an improved radiocarbon dating technique may put a few scientists' noses out of joint.

dating sweden snow cuckoo cuckoos carbon dating radiocarbon wicken fen planet earth podcast national centre for earth observation
Flood defences, the Southern Ocean, and whiter clouds - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.05.24

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2011 18:52


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, why removing some man-made coastal flood defences might not be such a harebrained idea, what it's like studying gas exchange in the wilds of the Southern Ocean, and, in what could be the first case of 'natural' geoengineering, how forests could be whitening the clouds right above them.

Science from a plane, and forecasting space storms - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.05.06

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2011 21:24


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how a specially-designed twin turboprop research plane is helping scientists in a huge range of subjects from archaeology to ecology, and why a violent space storm could spell trouble for communications systems across the world.

Volcanic ash and sediment time machines - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.04.27

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2011 19:12


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, how last year's eruption of the Eyjafjallajkull volcano in Iceland gave scientists an unparalleled opportunity for research, and why sediment from rivers like the Thames can act like time machines to bygone eras.

The Earth's magnetic field, snow, and Chernobyl - Planet Earth Podcast - 11.04.08

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2011 20:45


This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how scientists plan to measure the Earth's magnetic field from space, why one researcher is in the frozen town of Churchill in northern Canada, and how the Chernobyl disaster still affects Northern Ireland 25 years on.

Claim Planet Earth

In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

Claim Cancel