How old are the elements?

CrowdScience listeners Dougie and Molly have been wondering what happens to animals when they die, and whether there are animals that hold rituals to mark the passing of one of their kin. Presenter Caroline Steel is on the case, trying to work out what happens to the bodies of an ...  Show more

Salt can be found in almost every kitchen in the world. But how did this seemingly simple ingredient become the world's favourite flavour enhancer? This week, Crowdscience sets out to uncover why these tiny crystals have such a powerful effect on us. We explore the magic behind t ...  Show more

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the chemical elements. The aim and challenge in chemistry, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, is the understanding of the complex materials which constitute everything in existence since the Big Bang, when the whole universe emerged out of ...  Show more

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life cycle of stars. In his poem Bright Star John Keats wrote, "Bright Star, would I were steadfast as thou art". For Keats the stars were symbols of eternity- they were beautiful and ordered and unchanging - but modern astronomy tells a very d ...  Show more

Andrea Sella, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at University College London, celebrates the art and science of the chemical elements. Today he looks at helium. Helium is a finite resource here on Earth and many branches of science need it. Doctors need it to run MRI machines to d ...  Show more

La durée de vie d'une étoile peut nous renseigner sur sa composition et sur l'existence éventuelle de la vie dans le cosmos. mais, en dehors du Soleil, il est assez difficile de déterminer l'âge d'une étoile.

L'importance de la masse

En évaluant, grâce à la ...