Orangutans, Green Buildings and an Antarctic GP

A podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). With efforts to improve energy efficiency focused on green transport, sustainable power generation, growing your own food and reducing waste, it is often easy to forget that the very buildings we live and work in could also be made energy efficient.

But how do you retrofit old buildings without ruining their architectural character? One researcher from the UK Energy Research Centre explains how this might be achieved.

In another report, scientists at the University of Birmingham tell Sue Nelson how they are trying to understand when and why humans developed the ability to walk on two legs - with the help of some human subjects, a manmade rainforest canopy and some orangutans.

Later, the British Antarctic Survey's GP at Rothera Research Station in the West Antarctica Peninsula explains what life is like on the base.

Finally, find out which other stories are available on the Planet Earth online website – from citizen scientists and international biodiversity, to plastics in Antarctica and a hair-raising video onboard a ship in storm-force winds around Greenland.

This podcast is dated 7 June 2010.

NERC is a part of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) partnership of research councils.