Antarctic melt; brain enhancing devices, atomic clocks and anti-bat moth sounds

Published: May 15, 2014, 4 p.m.

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Melting Antarctic Ice Shelf\\nNothing can stop the collapse of the Antarctic Western Ice shelf. That\\u2019s according to NASA this week. Key glaciers in Antarctica are irreversibly retreating, and according to the scientists studying this region they\\u2019ve reached a state of irreversible retreat - the point of no return.

Brain enhancing devices\\nIf given the option, would you think faster or increase your attention span? Neuroscientists now say that non-invasive brain stimulation using electrical currents could do just that. The technology is still fairly new but is now being sold by commercial companies often marketed to gamers suggesting that it could increase your attention and make you think faster. But do they actually work? Inside Science sent Melissa Hogenboom to Oxford try one out and to discuss the science behind the hype.

Black holes\\nHow big can black holes get? A listener asks and Professor Andy Fabien, Director of the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University answers.

Optical and atomic clocks\\nAt this week\\u2019s \\u2018Quantum Timing, Navigation and Sensing\\u2019 Showcase at the National Physical Laboratory, researchers are working on sensors that allow us to see through walls; super-accurate atomic clocks the size of matchboxes; and GPS trackers that can elude an enemy jamming the signal. We sent Inside Science reporter Tracey Logan to work on her time management.

Bat jamming moth noises and other insects that go bump, chirrup, squeak in the night\\nInside Science\\u2019s resident entomologist, Dr. Tim Cockerill has been exploring a whole soundscape that\\u2019s hidden from our limited hearing range. Including, eavesdropping on a secret sonic arms race between echo-locating bats and bat-jamming acoustics created by the genitals of a hawkmoth.

Producer: Fiona Roberts

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