UK Tobacco Age Rise Bill, Giant Ichthyosaur Jaw, and Weeding Robots: Naked Scientists Weekly

Overview

The Naked Scientists weekly podcast covers a multi topic episode starting with the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill and public health implications, moving to a paleontology find of a giant marine reptile jaw, then exploring how robotics may transform weed control in farming, and concluding with an aviation safety reflection and a science question about inner thinking in profoundly deaf people.

• Policy debate on raising the tobacco sale age and vaping controls
• Discovery of Ichthyotitan sevenensis jaw on a Somerset beach and scaling estimates
• Mutations and AI driven sensing to distinguish crops from weeds in robotic weeding
• Captain Eric Moody and the volcanic ash incident affecting jet engines
• Question of the Week: how profoundly deaf people think

UK Tobacco Age Bill and Public Health Debate

The podcast opens with coverage of a government proposal to ban tobacco sales to anyone born after 2009, a policy that would push smoking ages into the mid to late adulthood for new generations. Linda Bald, a public health expert and policy advisor, explains that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would raise the age of sale and introduce measures around vaping that apply across the four nations of the UK, subject to devolved authorities' endorsement. The discussion notes that this would likely produce a milestone in tobacco denormalization and smoking prevention. The interview touches on questions about the evidence base for effectiveness, acknowledging that while there is not direct evidence for this exact approach, there is evidence from elsewhere where increasing the age of sale from 16 to 18 reduced youth smoking in the short term. The conversation also covers potential political pushback from libertarian perspectives and concerns about creeping regulation. Public support among adults, smokers, and retailers is discussed, supported by polling and retailer studies that show tobacco may no longer be a major profit driver for many small retailers. The segment ends with reflections on how the UK has already reduced youth smoking through multiple measures and how broader public health goals might be achieved with this policy in place.

Giant Ichthyosaur Jaw Discovery in Somerset

The show then reports a remarkable fossil discovery: Justin and Ruby Reynolds found a jaw fragment attributed to a giant ichthyosaur, named Ichthyotitan sevenensis, on Blue Anchor Beach in Somerset. Dean Lomax, a palaeontologist, explains the process from discovery to naming, noting the specimen dates to around 202 million years ago at the end of the Triassic. While a single jaw bone cannot definitively specify the full size of the animal, comparisons with other ichthyosaurs provide a scaling framework. The analysis suggests a possible body length of around 20 to 26 meters, with specific comparisons to specimens known to be around 21 meters long. The discussion also touches on prior palaeontological revisions of giant ichthyosaurs and the limitations of using bones such as vertebrae for size estimation. The potential for future discoveries, including large skulls or near-complete skeletons, is highlighted as an exciting prospect for understanding the largest marine reptiles of the Triassic.

Robotics in Agriculture: Weeding by Machine and Mutant Traits

The podcast then shifts to agriculture, where Michael Palmgren of the University of Copenhagen discusses efforts to reduce chemical use by enabling robots to distinguish weeds from crops at early growth stages. The vision is to develop crops that can be mechanically weeded rather than chemically treated, an approach that would support sustainable farming amid climate change and rising food demand. The proposed strategy involves introducing mild mutations that alter leaf shape or color in a way detectable by AI-enabled sensors, rather than introducing new genes. This would allow current or newly developed crops to be identified by robots with enhanced sensors and AI to differentiate them from weeds. The conversation emphasizes that smaller changes to plant traits could be enough for reliable detection and that such mutations could open up opportunities to cultivate crops derived from wild relatives as food sources while reducing chemical inputs.

Volcanic Ash and Jet Engine Safety: Moody and Rolls Royce

The program pays tribute to former British Airways Captain Eric Moody, who survived a flight through a volcanic ash cloud that caused all four engines to fail. Rolls Royce engineer Rory Clarkson explains the mechanics behind engine failure in ash-rich air: volcanic ash can melt and deposit on engine components, reducing airflow through critical passages and ultimately seizing engine operation. The discussion walks through how a safe descent was achieved via an established protocol, followed by engine relight at lower altitude as thicker air allowed enough airflow to restart and land safely. The piece offers a technical breakdown of jet engine operation, including compressor dynamics, turbine flow, and how ash can impair performance while humans on board maintain calm and apply proper procedures. The segment underscores how field repair reports from the 80s and 90s informed modern safety margins and engine resilience against ash exposure.

Question of the Week: Deaf Inner Voices

In the question of the week, listeners ask what language profoundly deaf people think in. The response notes that the answer depends on the time of language acquisition: those who lose hearing later in life typically retain the language they learned first, while native sign language users may think in sign language, sometimes signing mentally. The answer also discusses inner voices in people with schizophrenia, and how their experiences reflect prior language exposure. The segment concludes with a teaser about a future ADHD-focused program and an invitation to participate in the Naked Scientists community for further questions.

Looking Ahead: ADHD and the Naked Scientists Mission

The episode closes with a reminder of the program's Cambridge origin, its association with Rolls-Royce sponsorship, and an invitation to tune in for a deeper look at ADHD in the next program, acknowledging the scale of the condition and its impact on daily life. The program invites ongoing audience engagement through email and the Naked Scientists forum.