Imperial News

Podcast: Train Trick, mammals on the edge and better bionic implants

by Hayley Dunning, Gareth Mitchell

In this edition: a new app for delayed rail refunds, the surprising diversity of mammals in logged forests and how to build better bionic implants.

The podcast is presented by Gareth Mitchell, a lecturer on Imperial's Science Communication MSc course and the presenter of Click Radio on the BBC World Service, with contributions from our roaming reporters.

Download the complete podcast (mp3)

OR LISTEN TO INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS

News: Meningitis test hope and settling into the Crick – Researchers at Imperial are developing a new rapid test for bacterial infections in children, and some of our scientists are starting to move into London’s new medical innovation hub, the Francis Crick Institute.

Train Trick – A Physics PhD student has developed an app in his spare time to help rail passengers claim back compensation for delayed journeys. Only one in ten delayed travellers currently claim refunds, but the Train Trick app aims to make it easier for all.

Mammals on the edge – A three-year, 20,000-record study of mammals in landscapes in Borneo has discovered that a surprisingly diversity of them hang on in logged and degraded forests. What could this mean for conservation efforts in these areas?

Better bionic implants – Medical implants face rejection from the body, but we talk to a new Imperial researcher who is helping develop better implants that could help in everything from eye diseases to artificial limb control.