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Episode details

World Service,05 Aug 1999,23 mins

Oxygen from the Primeval Slime

Science In Action

Available for over a year

How cyanobacteria slime probably produced the Earth's first oxygen 2.5 billion years ago, much earlier than previously thought. Genetic modification may protect cowpeas from insects – new research at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria. Ancient Egyptian make-up suggests advanced chemistry. Why does the much smaller Moon obscure the Sun in an eclipse seen on Earth?

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