CrowdScience

Is the world sitting on a ticking time bomb? CrowdScience listener Christel recently watched a documentary about a volcanic eruption in 536 AD that left her native Sweden under a cloud of ash for three years. It got her thinking, do we know when this could happen again?

With more than 300 volcanoes – and 24 of them listed as currently active – the Philippines is a country where trying to predict eruptions has huge real world consequences.

Presenter Anand Jagatia travels to Manila to meet the scientists at PHIVOLCS, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, including the head of their Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division, Mariton Antonia Bornas, to find out how they try to predict volcanic activity in the country and help make sure communities are evacuated out of harm’s way.

He travels with the team to Taal volcano, which experienced violent eruptions in 2020 and has been active again this year, to visit the observatory monitoring for signs of future activity and to hike to the main crater of the volcano with resident volcanologist Paolo Reniva.

He also speaks to Dr George Cooper from Cardiff University in the UK about what makes a volcano a supervolcano, and to ask the all important question of if we know when this will happen again.
Presenter: Anand Jagatia
Producer: Dan Welsh
Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Smoke Emitting From Volcanic Mountain Against Sky - stock photo -EyeEm Mobile GmbH via Getty Images)

Listener Bart in Australia sees invasive species in his area almost every day – rabbits, foxes, and cats. They were transplanted to Australia from Europe more than 100 years ago, but seem to be thriving in their new home.
This got him wondering: how are they going to evolve, now that they are in a new habitat? Can we predict what future evolution will look like based on what we already know?
To find out, Marnie Chesterton visits Sandy Ingelby at the Australian Museum, who manages the mammal collection. She shows Marnie how indigenous Australian animals have evolved to suit where they live.
On the island of Tasmania, Marnie meets the famous Tasmanian Devil and keeper Jono Thomas. Andy Flies from the University of Tasmania explains how the devil is evolving in real-time in response to a health crisis.
So what might the invasive species in Bart’s backyard look like over the next 100 years? We’ll find out, with a little bit of help from palaeontologist Matt McCurry and millions of murderous toads.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Wild rabbit- stock photo Credit: John Porter via Getty Images)

CrowdScience listener Po wants to know whether AI could one day replace all human jobs. And while he requests that CrowdScience continues to be hosted by people, it made presenters Caroline Steel and Anand Jagatia wonder – could an AI really present this show?
To find out more about how AI models work and what they’re capable of, Caroline Steel speaks to AI journalist Alex Hern from The Economist. She creates an AI version of herself with Nicky Birch, Innovation Lead for the BBC’s generative AI program, and hears how the BBC is attempting to navigate the ethical use of this new technology.
Anand Jagatia speaks to phonetician Prof James Kirby about how synthetic AI voices have become so convincing, as well as why they still sound slightly unnatural. And Anand and Caroline ponder whether there could ever be a place for AI presenters on the airwaves.
Presenters: Caroline Steel and Anand Jagatia
Producer: Anand Jagatia
Additional production: Lorna Stewart
Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Mirror image of presenter Caroline holding microphone Credit: BBC)

CrowdScience listener Doug has been experimenting with holding his wireless garage key to his chin. Why? Because he's testing a strange trick of physics.

The range of a key can apparently double when held against your head rather just being held in your hand. Could this really be true, and if so why?

Presenter Caroline Steel goes on a wavy journey of self-experimentation with antennas. She follows the story of Doug as he wanders the streets of Calgary in Alberta, Canada testing the key on his head from different distances and even testing it on his dog Maura’s head.

To understand the physics behind all this, Caroline meets Dr Lina Mohjazi, Lecturer of Autonomous Systems and Connectivity at the University of Glasgow and Guy Vandenbosch, Professor of Electromagnetic Radiation at KU Leuven University in Leuven, Belgium.

Presenter: Caroline Steel
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Hand holding a car key remote in front of a red car - stock photo Credit: vadishzainer via Getty Images)

CrowdScience listener Kassy in India wants to know if there’s any science to support the practice of ‘manifesting’ – the idea that you can make your wishes come true just by writing down your goals and sending your dreams out to the universe. Is it just a wacky belief or can it be backed up by research?
Caroline Steel looks at the evidence to see if manifesting works. She talks to researcher Lucas Dixon in Australia, who has found that people who believe in manifesting are more likely to take risky financial decisions or end up bankrupt.
She meets neuroscientist Sabina Brennan in Ireland who argues that psychology has already proven that our thoughts and beliefs shape our reality, through cognitive behavioural therapy for example. So there is evidence to show that some of the techniques in manifesting can work.
Caroline also talks to psychologist Gabriele Oettingen in the US, whose research has demonstrated that just thinking about our wishes actually decreases our energy and makes it less likely that we’ll achieve our goals. She’s come up with her own method for increasing the likelihood of success.
And Caroline tries out a manifesting technique for herself. Can it help her realise her dreams?
Presenter: Caroline Steel

Producer: Jo Glanville
Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Enthusiastic brunette girl celebrating- stock photo Credit: Mix and Match Studio / 500px via Getty Images)