Why We Need Zip Lines On The Moon
4/1/202657 min
Why would a zip line be the best form of transport on the Moon? Why exactly can your feet still feel other textures right through your socks?
Hannah and Michael tackle the spectacular physics of extreme commutes and everyday biomechanics.
They unpick the orbital chaos and terrifying vacuum of space, proving why a lunar theme park ride is essentially a brilliant, fiery death trap. Back down on Earth, they dive into the hypersensitive neurology of touch, revealing how your brain decodes microscopic vibrations through layers of cotton to perfectly map the floor beneath...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsHannah Fry· Host0:01
Welcome to The Rest is Science. This is Field Notes, which is our, our Thursday edition, our, our podcast expedition diary, as it were.
Michael Stevens· Host0:08
That's right. We answer questions from you, which you can submit by emailing therestisscience@goldhanger.com.
Hannah Fry· Host0:15
Now, after the break, I have got what I like to describe as a, a steampunk iPad. That's, um- Ooh ... that's what I've got for you today. [upbeat music] This episode is brought to you by Cancer Research UK.
Michael Stevens· Host0:34
If you wanted to type out the entire human genome, you would have to type at 60 words a minute for eight hours a day for about 50 years. Okay, that's the scale of the DNA rule book inside each one of your cells, telling it when to grow, when to divide, and when to stop.
Hannah Fry· Host0:53
And different tissues read that same rule book in different ways. So a skin cell doesn't behave like a lung cell.
Michael Stevens· Host0:59
And cancer can begin when those instructions change, not one dramatic moment, but through small gradual edits over time.
Hannah Fry· Host1:08
Now, cancer isn't one disease. It is more than 200 types shaped by where those changes to the rule book happen and how cells respond.
Michael Stevens· Host1:18
Cancer Research UK is the world's largest charitable funder of cancer research, backing studies across all types of cancer.
Hannah Fry· Host1:26
Work that takes years of very careful, steady progress to deliver