Intro

What's coming up in the show today.

Fruit and veg ripening

We're looking at some of the science behind keeping our fruit and veg 'fresh' with Professor Julian Heyes of Massey University.

Bed sheets

When it comes to buying sheets, it's a jungle out there...thread counts, ply, percale, Egyptian cotton...We pick our way through some of the jargon with Professor Raechel Laing of the University of Otago. Plus how often should you wash your sheets? Clinical microbiologist Dr Mark Jones knows.

Burnt Food Museum

Deborah Henson-Conant's a professional musician and a lousy cook. What better qualifications do you need to be the Burnt Food Museum's founder and head curator?!

10 emerging technologies: Part 1

We look at some of the emerging technologies that could shape our future over the next 2 to 5 years with the editor-in-chief of the Technology Review, Jason Pontin. This week, engineered stem cells, real time internet searches, and cheaper, more efficient solar cells.

China: giant hydro project

There's plans to build the world's biggest hydro-electric project in the foothills of the Himalayas. Jonathan Watts reports.

Annoying phone calls

Scientific proof of why it's so annoying to hear other people talking on their cellphones. Lauren Emberson of Cornell University's been studying the phenomenon.

Ping pong

The rising popularity of ping pong. Now governments across Europe are trying to harness the sport's popularity to push their keep fit agendas. In one initiative, Sport England is funding 100 free open-air tables all over London. Diccon Gray from the English Table Tennis Association on the Ping London project.