Is the deep ocean the answer to some of our biggest problems?
Humanity has many problems. Does the solution to some of them lie deep beneath our oceans' waves?
Our species is facing a whole lot of problems. Antibiotic resistance is on the rise, land based minerals are depleting and there are serious concerns about how warm everything’s becoming.
As the population grows these problems are only going to get worse, but what if we could find some of the solutions to our most pressing problems beneath the waves? Scientists have discovered that deep sea sponges could help fight MRSA, your smart phone could be powered by minerals located thousands of metres beneath the sea, and there are even enzymes that could help your washing machine run on a colder cycle, saving both energy and your new cashmere sweater. Is the deep sea the answer to some of our biggest problems? There’s a lot of promise, but what are the risks?
Presenter: Ruth Alexander
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
(Photo: Sunset over the sea. Credit: da-kuk/Getty Images)
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Journey to the Deep
Duration: 02:55
Broadcasts
Thu 4 Jul 201902:06GMTBBC World Service Online, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa only- Thu 4 Jul 201903:06GMTBBC World Service UK DAB/Freeview
- Thu 4 Jul 201905:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean & South Asia only
- Thu 4 Jul 201906:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & East Asia only
- Thu 4 Jul 201913:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Thu 4 Jul 201914:06GMTBBC World Service except Australasia
- Thu 4 Jul 201917:06GMTBBC World Service South Asia
- Thu 4 Jul 201919:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, South Asia & West and Central Africa
- Sat 6 Jul 201916:06GMTBBC World Service News Internet & Online only
- Mon 8 Jul 201908:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & East Asia
- Sat 17 Aug 201916:30GMTBBC Radio 4 FM
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