A few years ago, a satellite traversing Earth’s Van Allen belts raised alarms about the potential transportation of nuclear weapons. An explosion in this orbit could severely damage global space infrastructure. Despite the 1967 Outer Space Treaty explicitly forbidding such actions, monitoring and verification remain technologically challenging. In this month’s Nature magazine, Tom Whipple and Professor Areg Danagoulian, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT, delve into an innovative method for detecting thermonuclear fusion devices in orbit. Additionally, Professor Gareth Mitchell from the School of Science and Communication discusses how toddlers’ behaviors can inform robotic soccer strategies. He is also working on a global food consumption database designed to tackle urgent questions regarding diet and environmental impact.
Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producers: Alex Mansfield & Tabitha Taylor Buck
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett Holdsworth
Program website
Source: www.bbc.co.uk