Does new science get us closer to finding out how life on earth began?
Summary
Delve into the latest research attempting to answer how life began, including a Cambridge discovery of a self-copying RNA molecule and the historical "primordial soup" concept. Learn about a significant genetic switch that promises to increase rice yields by 25% while reducing fertilizer use. The episode also critically examines why modern AI falls short of our expectations for rationality, highlighting its tendency to "hallucinate" and the challenges of its development, alongside intriguing geological mysteries and the physics of everyday sounds.Episode description
Perhaps it’s the biggest question science has left to answer, how did life begin? Now, molecular biologists in Cambridge university have discovered tiny molecules of RNA which they say might provide some clues. Science journalist and author Philip Ball explains what we know and whether we’ll ever find the origins of life on earth.
Professor Michael Wooldridge has given this year’s Royal Society’s Michael Faraday Prize lecture. He speaks to Tom Whipple about why the AI we have is not what he wanted it to be; rational. And science columnist at the Financial Times Anj Ahuja brings her favourite new science to discuss.
To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.
Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Kate White, Katie Tomsett, Clare Salisbury and Alex Mansfield Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth