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Why do we want to go back to the Moon?

A mini space race is currently underway. Both Russia and India have launched missions to the Moon. Victoria Gill finds out what they’re looking for.

Two plucky spacecraft, one Russian and one Indian, are currently blasting towards the Moon’s South Pole. Both Russia’s Luna-25 and India’s Chandrayaan-3 are due to touch down next week. They’re heading to that particular region of the Moon in order to hunt for water, the presence of which could have huge implications for our further exploration of the Solar System. Victoria Gill talks to Dr Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, to find out more.

Victoria then heads to the Lake District to witness the release of water voles into the ecosystem.

Next up, Professor Lewis Griffin, a computer scientist from University College London, tells us how bad we are at distinguishing between real and deepfake voices. He then reveals what implications this might have for scams.

Finally, Dr Helen Pilcher tells us all about the intriguing ways that animals can bend time. You can find out more in her book, How Nature Keeps Time.

Presenter: Victoria Gill
Producer: Hannah Robins
Content producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Research: Patrick Hughes
Editor: Richard Collings

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28 minutes

Last on

Thu 17 Aug 2023 21:00

Broadcasts

  • Thu 17 Aug 2023 16:30
  • Thu 17 Aug 2023 21:00

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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Inside Science is produced in partnership with The Open University.

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