This Week on the Science World Radio Program

Do fragile ecosystems send out a warning signal prior to their imminent collapse? That’s one question we explore this weekend on the Science World radio program.

Researchers recently discovered that a remote Wisconsin lake is sending what they believe are complex signals warning of the impending collapse of the lake’s aquatic ecosystem.

Dr. Stephen Carpenter, a professor of zoology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison led the research team and says that the implications of this study are big.

The findings suggest that, with the right kind of monitoring, it may be possible to track the vital signs of any ecosystem and intervene in time to prevent what is often irreversible damage to the environment.

Professor Carpenter tells us much more about the study, its findings and how ecosystems from around the world can possibly be saved from catastrophe.  Listen to the interview here…

Other stories we’ll cover include:

• Workers return to Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
• The problem of bee colony collapse and how the winner of this year’s Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement hopes to stop it
• Proof that the Arctic’s polar ice is melting faster than previously thought as the affected nations prepare to meet
• Is NASA’s new infrared space telescope more powerful than ever?
• US Government’s new robotic chemical tester sniffs out toxic danger
• Yet more evidence showing that those who suffer from sleep apnea also run a greater risk of stroke