How Rock Becomes Dirt or Soil

This week, a new way to study elusive subatomic particles - pions, and the story of Galileo remains relevant in a time of modern science denialism.

In this episode:

00:46 Probing pions

Pions are incredibly unstable and difficult-to-study subatomic particles. Now researchers have come up with a clever way to examine them - by sticking them into helium atoms. Research Article: Hori et al.

08:28 Research Highlights

A colourful way to cool buildings, and the rapid expansion of cities. Research Highlight: A rainbow of layered paints could help buildings to keep their cool; Research Highlight: Urban sprawl overspreads Earth at an unprecedented speed

10:46 The life of Galileo

A new biography of Galileo Galilei examines some of the myths about his life and draws parallels with problems facing scientists today. Books and Arts: Galileo’s story is always relevant

16:42 Pick of the Briefing

We pick our highlights from the Nature Briefing, including botanical graffiti, and rock-eating bacteria. The Guardian: 'Not just weeds': how rebel botanists are using graffiti to name forgotten flora; Scientific American: Scientists Waited Two and a Half Years to See whether Bacteria Can Eat Rock

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