Main content

Origins of SARS

Origins of SARS, Moon dust, Dark matter, Genetics role in Alzheimer's

Two viruses found in horseshoe bats have been shown to be closely related to human SARS and infect cells in the same way. This means that the virus is likely to have transferred directly from bats to humans.

Moon Dust
You would expect moon dust to be roughly the same as dust we know. But the Apollo astronauts discovered it was sticky and got into everything. NASA's LADEE mission has just arrived at the Moon to find out more about the dust.

Dark Matter
LUX, the Large Underground Xenon experiment deep in a mine in South Dakota, has announced it has not detected a popular candidate for dark matter, low mass WIMPs.

Genetics Role in Alzheimer's
Eleven new genes have been discovered to have a link to Alzheimer's bringing the total up to 21, following a huge international collaborative project. We look at what this research means for our understanding of Alzheimer's and how it could influence treatments.

(Photo: The Chinese horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus sinicus, host of a new SARS-like coronavirus that is able to use the human ACE2 receptor - Credit: Dr Libiao Zhang, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals)

Available now

18 minutes

Last on

Mon 4 Nov 2013 04:32GMT

Chapters

  • Origins of SARS

    Researchers have found strong evidence that SARS transferred from bats into humans.

    Duration: 05:35

  • Moon Dust

    NASA's LADEE mission provides fascinating insights into moon dust.

    Duration: 01:40

  • Dark Matter

    We enter the murky world of dark matter and find out why it is proving so hard to find.

    Duration: 03:52

  • Genetics Role in Alzheimer's

    Eleven new genes have been found to have a link to Alzheimer’s, bringing the total to 21.

    Duration: 05:43

Broadcasts

  • Thu 31 Oct 2013 20:32GMT
  • Fri 1 Nov 2013 02:32GMT
  • Fri 1 Nov 2013 09:32GMT
  • Sat 2 Nov 2013 14:32GMT
  • Mon 4 Nov 2013 04:32GMT