Author: Philip Luo

It was known as the ultimate goal in aviation. The aim was to fly around the world without stopping or adding more fuel. In this episode, Frank Oliver and Doug Johnson talk about a special plane called Voyager and the efforts involved in setting this challenging world record.The idea for Voyager started with a quick sketch on a small piece of paper. Six years later, that drawing had become a plane that would make history. Many people gave their time, energy and money to make the flight happen. But three people played leading roles in the event: Dick Rutan: Burt…

Today, we will discuss a method that provides low-income individuals with the financial services they need to improve their lives. Organisations around the world are demonstrating how microfinance methods can help lift people out of poverty. We will also discuss a book that argues that economic progress in the developing world lies in creating opportunities for women.You don’t need to be an economist to understand microfinancing. The idea is to provide extremely poor people with small loans so they can start and run a business. Borrowers can save money and repay the loan over time. Microfinance helps to promote financial…

Scientists who study the Earth tell us that the continents and the ocean floors are constantly in motion. This movement can sometimes be violent, causing death and destruction. Today, we examine what causes earthquakes and volcanic activity.The first images of Earth taken from space revealed a solid sphere covered in brown and green landmasses surrounded by blue-green oceans. It seemed as though the Earth had always looked this way and always would. However, the Earth’s surface is not as solid or permanent as previously thought. Scientists have discovered that the Earth’s surface is constantly in motion. Continents move around the…

Winter has brought cold weather to many parts of the northern hemisphere of Earth. Along with the cold comes a danger as old as humanity’s knowledge of fire: death or injury by carbon monoxide poisoning. Today, we explore this ancient and ongoing threat. Last month, a sixty-six-year-old man and his twenty-nine-year-old son died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The two men shared a home in the Queens district of New York City. Investigators who arrived at the apartment reported extremely high levels of the gas. Two weeks earlier, carbon monoxide poisoning was blamed for the death of a 50-year-old woman in…

We examine scientific findings on how intelligence develops in babies. Until recently, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some even thought that babies were unable to learn anything until they were five or six months old. However, doctors in the United States claim that babies start learning from their first day of life. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is a federal government agency. Its goal is to identify experiences that can promote healthy development. Researchers at the institute have found that babies are strongly…

This week, we will talk about six liver diseases. These diseases are caused by six different viruses. Doctors have one name for all of them: hepatitis. The liver is located in the upper right part of the abdomen. This dark red organ is large. It weighs more than one kilogramme. It has an important job, too. The liver helps to clean the blood and fight infection. It also breaks down food and stores energy until the body needs it. However, hepatitis destroys liver cells. Some types of hepatitis are much more serious than others. The type a person has can…

Today, we’re talking about headaches, a pain that almost everyone experiences at some point in their life. Have you had a headache recently? If so, you are one of the many millions of people worldwide who experience head pain. The pain can be mild and temporary, and easily cured with a simple painkiller like aspirin. Or it can be severe. According to the National Headache Foundation, more than forty-five million people in the United States suffer from chronic headaches. These headaches cause severe pain that goes away but returns later. Some headaches may be difficult to treat and require time.…

Today, we talk about compulsive hoarding syndrome. It is both a mental illness and a public safety issue. Many people in the United States are looking forward to spring returning. During this season, millions of Americans do what is known as ‘spring cleaning’. They open their windows to let in fresh air. They use cleaning products to make their homes smell nice. Some also organise their belongings. Many Americans have a strong desire to tidy up their homes. This can also be called decluttering. Clutter is a disorganised collection of things. Removing clutter means throwing away the things you do…

This week, we discuss health problems associated with extreme heat. We explain what experts recommend to prevent and treat these issues. Extremely hot weather is common in many parts of the world. While hot weather usually just makes people feel hot, it can also cause serious medical problems and even death. Floods, storms and other natural disasters kill thousands of people every year. So does extreme heat. Experts say that heat may be nature’s deadliest killer. For example, Indian officials blamed extreme heat for killing more than two hundred people in late May. Temperatures reached almost 50°C in several Indian…

This week, we will be talking about lupus and other autoimmune diseases. These diseases affect the immune system, which is the body’s natural defence against disease. Normally, the immune system protects the body against foreign materials, such as viruses and bacteria. However, autoimmune diseases result from a failure of the body’s own defences against disease. The immune system loses its ability to distinguish between foreign materials and its own cells. Consequently, the body begins to attack its own organs and tissues. There are three types of lupus. Discoid lupus only affects the skin, causing red marks to appear on the…