Series 3: Prog 04: 19/10/08

This week's programme discusses an idea to rid our gardens of Japanese knotweed. we also hear about the science of the loudness of crisps, and there's a hair-raising experiment.

Sunday 19th October at 5.03pm

Repeated Wednesday 22nd October at 9:30pm

Knotty problem

The spread of Japanese knotweed in gardens throughout Britain has been a headache for decades, and has proven very difficult to eradicate. Now there is some hope as plans are being made to bring the plant's predators in Japan over to the UK. Discussing the problem with Adam Walton is Trevor Dines from Plant Life Wales, the wildlife conservation charity.

Crunchy crisp prize

One of the most famous accolades given out for human endeavour is a Nobel Prize - given for achievements in various fields including Physics, Medicine, Literature, and of course the Nobel Peace Prize. Less known, are the IgNobel prizes, which, while spoofing the original, do offer scientific food for thought. One of this year's winners is Dr Charles Spence at Oxford University, who along with a colleague in Italy, collected the IgNobel prize for Nutrition. He explains how their experiment into the loudness of crisps was carried out.

Hair raising science

Our dose of Espresso science at the Techniquest @ NEWI science discovery centre this week involves a Van Der Graaf generator producing static electricity, which causes a Barbie doll to have a hair raising experience.

Swansea science cafe event

Each month there are events held across Wales which give us the chance to interract with those working in all varieties of science. These "science café" events, which aren't related to this programme, but did provide us with inspiration for the name of the show, are held at selected venues in Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor and Aberystwyth, and this week it's the turn of Swansea where the theme is the marine life around Wales, and it will be presented by Dr Lyndsey Dodds, the Marine Policy Officer for the WWF, who gives a preview on the programme. The event is at the Dylan Thomas Centre at 7.30pm on 22nd October.

Turing Test

Recently here on Science Café we previewed the 2008 Loebner Prize event, which included the Turing Test - the test created by wartime computer pioneer Alan Turing, which tests computer intelligence, to see if it can display enough conversational skill to fool a human. We heard from Kevin Warwick, professor of cybernetics at Reading University, who was very excited by the prospect of the test being passed for the first time. Kevin is back with us this week with a report on how the event went.

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