Discovery

Neutrinos

<p>For six months, CERN scientists guarded the best kept secret in science - that they'd seen tiny subatomic particles called neutrinos breaking the universal speed limit. The measurements were at the boundaries of scientific techniques - the discrepancy was just 10s of nanoseconds; parts of their apparatus barely ran at that speed. For six months they checked and then re- checked again every step of their analysis. And still the result held up. When the results were finally released at the end of September, the headline writers had a field day. Nothing sells copy like proof that Einstein was wrong. But fellow researchers at CERN were less excited. The overwhelming belief was that there still remained some hidden error. And for those who ran the experiment, the dreadful concern that sooner or later that error could turn up, and their triumph might become the stuff of mockery. And the next day the investigations continued. Roland Pease meets the scientists who have staked their reputations on the result, on the critics who think they can spot the mistake, and the theoreticians who think they can explain it all.</p>

14/11/2011 GMT

<p>In the second of a two-part Discovery series, Robots that Care, Jon Stewart visits research institutes in the USA and UK to explore the brave new ideas about how robots may be able to help humans on a one-to-one basis.</p><p>He talks to key roboticists in Japan, Europe and the USA, their collaborators and volunteers about the practicalities and ethics of using robots to help people.</p><p>A number of studies have been done and more are underway in the use of robots for people wanting to lose weight and for children who are autistic. </p><p>Robotocists are also conducting long-term projects with people who have suffered strokes. </p><p>The robots are designed as personal instructors to help motivate and restore motor function. </p><p>But they must be emotionally smart and coax rather than order about like a sergeant major. </p><p>The roboticists are also examining how they might customise their robots to fit the personalities of the people whom they will serve.</p><p>We have put robots on the moon but it seems that it is more difficult to put them in homes. </p><p>A visit to a robot house in the UK shows that there are many pitfalls still to overcome before robots will be useful in our living rooms and kitchens.</p><p>Finally, Robots that Care asks: what are the dangers of making the robots too human? </p><p>Are there problems of dependency? </p><p>What ethical and moral questions arise when robots socialise human beings?</p>

Robots that Care

<p>In the first of a two-part series, Jon Stewart charts the advances in robotics that are increasingly leading to direct one-to-one contact between humans and robots. </p><p>Jon visits robotocists and their collaborators in the US and UK and asks how the robots will be used in the future. </p><p>He examines the way cinema has shaped our ideas of robots and investigates the gulf between our expectations of what robots can do and the reality.</p><p>A fundamental question that scientists are posing is how we should consider the robots who, in the near future, will live alongside us in our homes. </p><p>Should they be considered slaves, pets or friends? </p><p>Jon also explores how the ideas of author Isaac Asimov, that firstly robots should do no harm, have evolved over the decades.</p><p>Photo: Getty</p>

India's e-governance project

<p>Angela Saini reports from India on the country’s vast e-governance project aimed at driving out corruption, reducing bureaucracy and getting the nation’s 1.2 billion people online. </p><p>Everything from a country-wide unique ID scheme (based on the iris system – Biometrics), to a roll out of service kiosks where everything from a parking fine to a death certificate can be issued. </p><p>One of the main drivers behind this is immense task reducing both corruption and bureaucracy by going electronic - that's the idea - does it stand up? She asks critics as well as proponents. </p><p>This can be thought of as a kind of Click special - and combines some of the science and technology with the impact and implications on society.</p>

24/10/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

17/10/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

10/10/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

03/10/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

26/09/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

12/09/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

05/09/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

29/08/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

08/08/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

25/07/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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11/07/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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27/06/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

30/05/2011 GMT

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<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

09/05/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>

02/05/2011 GMT

<p>Explorations in the world of science.</p>