The Great Frost of 1709
As the snow drifts and closed schools of recent weeksÌýfade from memory, Quentin conjures up the Great Frost of 1709 – the coldest winter in Europe on record.
The cold was so intense (Italian ports froze over) that the Royal Society commissioned one its fellows, Rev. William Derham, to compile a report on its effects across the continent.
Climatologists are trying to construct a detailed history of the whole Little Ice Age in order to test modern climate computer simulations to improve predictions of future climate change.
Quentin hears how the captains’ logs of 1709, and market reports from the 17th Century are helping in that effort.
The Evolution of Language
There are thousands of languages across the world, all constantly changing as they’re passed from generation to generation.
But if this is evolution, what is evolving? And how does it relate to a putative ‘language gene’.
Do our brains define the nature of language, or has language itself shaped our brains since it first emerged sometime after 300,000 years ago?
Modern statistical methods and computer modelling are offering some surprising suggestions.
Next week:Ìýthe fraudster who duped German science for 40 years... |
Ìý30 min
