Home Planet - 27/07/2010

How does light affect the human brain: does it reach it or is it blocked out by the skull? Can people survive a lifetime without light? A listener wants to know what the Pioneer and Voyager space programmes can tell us about the movement of man-made objects in space, and we find out whether anything can escape the clutches of a black hole. There's more on the fate of our insect population and the story of a moth that bites. And fans of magpies will be pleased to hear how one listener thinks that they play a key part in the story of evolution! Answering the questions this week are the ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks, the astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford and the biotechnician Professor Denis Murphy. All under the watchful eye of presenter Richard Daniel. Contact: Home Planet BBC Radio 4 PO Box 3096 Brighton BN1 1PL Or email [email protected] Or telephone: 08700 100 400 Producers: Nick Patrick and Toby Murcott A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.