Why this tiny organism is essential for the health of the planet

Why this tiny organism is essential for the health of the planet

Although it often goes unnoticed, plankton is the most abundant form of life in Earth’s oceans, making up 95 per cent of all oceanic biomass. These tiny organisms are responsible for generating around half of the planet’s oxygen, play a vital role in the oceans’ food chains and were around for millions of years before we humans came onto the scene. Simply put, without plankton, the world would be a very different place. As part of our Nature's Unsung Heroes miniseries, we’re joined by senior advisor to the United Nations on oceans Vincent Doumeizel to talk about his latest book, The Power of Plankton – How Plankton Made Life on Earth Possible and Why It’s Key to Our Future. He tells us how these often-ignored organisms played an essential part in the evolution of life on Earth, tells us the many ways plankton acts as the caretaker of the entire planet, and makes a passionate case for why we should be paying more attention to these fascinating, ancient organisms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Avsnitt(668)

The latest breakthroughs in Parkinson’s research

The latest breakthroughs in Parkinson’s research

Parkinson’s disease currently affects more than 160,000 people in the UK. It’s a complex, progressive condition that typically develops slowly over many years and causes issues with movement, balance,...

13 Aug 29min

How to harness your brain’s underused superpowers

How to harness your brain’s underused superpowers

For a large proportion of our lives, our brains seemingly work on autopilot – the many processes the brain controls hum away behind the scenes, helping us to carry out our daily tasks. But in certain ...

9 Aug 35min

How we define intelligent life

How we define intelligent life

What does it mean to be a living organism? What are the driving forces that motivate our thoughts and actions? Are we all simply acting the way we do thanks to the instructions built into our genes an...

6 Aug 28min

Exploring Darwin’s ideas through a queer lens

Exploring Darwin’s ideas through a queer lens

When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in the mid-nineteenth century, his theory of evolution by natural selection turned many of the scientific ideas of the day on their heads. The in...

2 Aug 35min

On the frontlines of our fight against dementia

On the frontlines of our fight against dementia

Currently there are around one million people in the UK living with dementia. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the disease over the past several decades an effective cure is yet to...

30 Juli 29min

Why the search for life on Mars is far from over

Why the search for life on Mars is far from over

Way back in 1976, NASA’s Viking landers touched down on Mars to search for potential signs of microbial life that could currently exist on the planet’s surface. Despite the mission making a number of ...

26 Juli 34min

Why rediscovering simple pleasures may be the key to happiness

Why rediscovering simple pleasures may be the key to happiness

Every single day of our lives, we’re exposed to a vast multitude of experiences and interactions with the various people, objects and technologies in the wider world that surrounds us. The chances are...

23 Juli 32min

Why human urine may be our most untapped natural resource

Why human urine may be our most untapped natural resource

While largely viewed as a toxic waste product with no practical use, our urine is actually rich in all manner of valuable nutrients that, with a little effort, can be extracted, recycled and converted...

19 Juli 26min

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