What are blue zones?

Some people believe they simply can’t function in the morning until they’ve had a cup of coffee. Others seem to be grumpy every morning, as if they’ve got out of the wrong side of the bed. Of course, a poor night’s sleep can be the cause, whether it be down to stress, not getting ...  Show more

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there are as many as 430 deaths per year due to wrong-way crashes in the United States alone. That might be hard to believe as for most of us driving on the “right” side of the road is as automatic as brushing your teeth. But th ...  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

Helium is full of contradictions. It’s the second most abundant element in the universe, but is relatively rare on Earth. It’s non-reactive, totally inert—yet the most valuable helium isotope is sourced from thermonuclear warheads. And even though we treat it as a disposable gas, ...  Show more

Encore episode. Helium is the second-most common element in the cosmos, but it's far rarer on planet Earth. As part of our celebration of the periodic table's 150th birthday, correspondent Geoff Brumfiel shares a brief history of helium's ascent, to become a crucial part of rocke ...  Show more

Helium is the only truly non-renewable resource, and it's essential for things like MRI machines and nuclear reactors, but should we be worried? And, we turn air into food, so why can’t we get carbon to leave the atmosphere – or helium to stay? In this episode, Cosmos Science Jou ...  Show more