What’s on (18 – 24 August 2012)

Fancy watching (or listening to) something new? Here’s our pick of the week’s science on TV and radio…

Mon 20 August

Book of the Week: Thinking in Numbers
BBC Radio 4, 9.45-10.00am

James Anthony Pearson reads the first of five extracts from the Daniel Tammet book Thinking in Numbers that explores the different ways in which cultures around the world understand and use numbers. Continues at the same time every morning this week.

Nature's Microworlds
BBC4, 8.30-9.00pm

The final episode of this fascinating series takes us to the Arctic peninsula of Svalbard. From polar bears to phytoplankton, Steve Backshall looks at the diverse life that exists in the harsh climate and brutal surroundings of the Arctic.

James May’s Things You Need to Know
BBC2, 10.00-10.30pm

The Top Gear presenter continues on his path of discovery, revealing this week the complex network of the brain. With the aid of graphic technology, he looks at the inner workings of our thought processes.

Tues 21 August

The Life Scientific
BBC Radio 4, 9.00-9.30am

This week, Jim Al-Khalili talks to British glaciologist Martin Siegart about his research into an Antarctic lake that's been isolated from its surroundings for millions of years.

Survivors: Nature’s Indestructible Creatures
BBC4, 9.00-10.00pm

The second episode of the series investigates the asteroid impact 65 million years ago that is thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs.

Weds 22 August

Africa’s Magnificent Beasts
BBC4, 10.00-11.00pm

Echo the elephant was made famous by the BBC's Natural World, which caught her life on film for two decades. After her death in 2009, the world looks to the herd she left behind and wonders how the elephants will survive with hunger and the ever-growing threat of poachers.

Thurs 23 August

How the Universe Works
Discovery Channel, 9.00-10.00pm

The second series continues to explore the depths of the universe, this week explaining why scientists are looking for a correlation between amino acids and life on Earth.