Vagrant birds are those that appear in locations where they are not usually found. They might have been blown off course by a storm or have been affected by changing weather patterns due to climate change. Although a treat for birders, these visitors can also have a big impact on their new environments as Victoria Gill finds out when she heads to Burton Mere Wetlands on the Dee Estuary with Dr Alexander Lees, reader in biodiversity at Manchester Metropolitan University.
As former Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives his testimony, we hear the latest from the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry with BBC Health Reporter Jim Reed.
A new study reveals that, contrary to a commonly-held view, the brain does not have the ability to rewire itself to compensate for the loss of, for example sight, an amputation or stroke. This is despite what most scientists believe and teach. Moreover, the assumption that it has this ability has led to all manner of erroneous treatments for amputees, stroke victims and other conditions, the study suggests.
We’re joined by the study’s authors, Professor John Krakauer from Johns Hopkins University and Professor Tamar Making of the University of Cambridge. We’ll also hear from one of Tamar’s key case studies, Kirsty Mason, an amputee from the age of 18 who advanced the scientists’ experiments exponentially.
Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Hannah Robins and Louise Orchard Editor: Richard Collings Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.
Stephen Hawking Tribute
Genes and education, John Goodenough, Caring bears and hunting
Data Scraping
Buzz kill
Russian Spy Poisoning
Weird Weather?
Science after Brexit
Shipping air pollution; Cheddar Man; Millirobots in the body;Dog brain training
Democracy in Space
Scientists on Trial
Did typhoid kill the Aztecs, DNA stored in Bitcoin, Glow-in-the-dark plants and levitating humans
African swine fever, Oil spill update, CRISPR gene editing, Rat eradication in New Zealand, Chimp kin recognition
Sanchi oil tanker, Gut gas-monitoring pill and Chimpanzee portraits
Tabby's Star, Space 2018, Mosquito sounds, C diff and food additive link
Ancient DNA and Human Evolution
Antisense RNA therapy, Fossils vs Trump, Printing mini-kidneys, Electric eel power
The Future of Coral Reefs, Little Foot, Arthur C Clarke
Trophy hunting, Gene drives, Nuclear lightning, Peregrine falcons and drones
Prehistoric Strong Women, Semi-synthetic Life, Listener Feedback, Artificial Superintelligence
Interstellar visitor, Svante Paabo, Synthetic biology, Plight of the Axolotl
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