BBC Inside Science – Have scientists created a bionic eye?
Available for over a year
The bionic eye may remind you of Geordi La Forge from Star Trek. Now, scientists have restored the ability to read in a group of blind patients with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). And they did it by implanting a computer chip deep in their eyes. Professor Francesca Cordeiro, Chair of Ophthalmology at Imperial College London, explains how bionic technology could offer future solutions for more visually impaired people. Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a way to extract hormones from human remains dating back to the 1st century AD. Marnie Chesterton talks to Brenna Hassett, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Lancashire, to find out how pregnancy test skeletons could provide new insights into human evolution. In a world of automation and AI, it’s easy to forget that every day people across the UK record weather observations that contribute to our understanding of climate science. Marnie meets Met Office volunteer Stephen Burt and University of Reading climatologist Professor Ed Hawkins to find out more. And science presenter Caroline Steel brings us brand new discoveries that change the way we understand the world around us. If you would like to find out more about volunteering to collect rainfall data you can email: nationalhydrology@environment-agency.gov.uk. If you’re in Scotland, visit the SEPA website: https://envscot-csportal.org.uk/rainfallobs/ For more fascinating science content, visit bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to the Open University.
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