PLATO is built to withstand some of the most extreme conditions on Earth; temperatures that drop to -120 F in winter as well as air pressure barely half of that at sea level. The facility must operate completely unattended until the scientists return in January 2009, as there are no human beings within 400 miles of Dome Argus.
And now we’ll return from the frozen wastes of Antarctica and have a couple of stories about some interesting animals.

Their offspring had only yellow pigment in their skin and the result is a transparent adult fish. The fish's brain, heart, and digestive tract are visible, allowing researchers to study genetic defects of these organs from early embryonic development through adulthood. The researchers hope this clear fish will provide insight into how mutated genes cause diseases ranging from Alzheimer's disease to inflammatory bowel disease.
Now, we’ll look at another kind of disappearing animal. We all know that extinction is forever, but curiously enough, extinction doesn’t just apply to wild animals.

Through the years, Sponenberg has also found more Spanish horses, cotton patch geese, old Spanish goats, and some locally adapted Spanish sheep. Sponenberg stays connected with conservation efforts and affiliations and works to establish new relationships. He has collaborated with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy since 1978, and with Iberian researchers since the early 1990s. As a result of his work, several new strains of horses have been added and excluded through detailed blood typing or DNA typing.
And now we’ll move to some high tech stories. Does the battery die on your phone at inconvenient moments? Were you late last week because your digital watch went blank? Well soon that may be a problem that’s so ‘last millennium’ thanks to new nanotechnology research.

YOU’RE RUN BY WHAT YOU WEAR?

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing the perfect complement to the power tie: a "power shirt" that can generate electricity to power small electronic devices for soldiers in the field, hikers and well, the rest of us too. Pairs of textile fibers covered with zinc oxide nanowires can generate electrical current using the piezoelectric effect. Combining current flow from many fiber pairs woven into a shirt or jacket could allow the wearer's body movement to power a range of portable electronic devices. The fibers could also be woven into curtains, tents or other structures to capture energy from wind motion, sound vibration or other mechanical energy. So far, the researchers have measured current of about four nanoamperes and output voltage of about four millivolts from a nanogenerator that included two fibers that were each one centimeter long. With a much improved design, Wang estimates that a square meter of fabric made from the special fibers could theoretically generate as much as 80 milliwatts of power. As a next step, the researchers want to combine multiple fiber pairs to increase the current and voltage levels. They also plan to improve conductance of their fibers. Unfortunately, one very significant challenge lies ahead for the power shirt. The washing machine. Zinc oxide is extremely sensitive to moisture, so the researchers have to figure out how to protect the nanowires from the effects of the weekly laundry. Here’s hoping they figure it out soon! And now for a little bit about a different type of ‘clothing’.

JUST LOOK AT THAT SPARKLE

Archeologists researching the Rosalila temple built by the Ancient Mayans in Honduras have discovered that the stucco masks on the corner of the temple were covered in brilliant red paint that contains the mineral mica. "The Rosalila temple would have been one of the highest buildings of the valley in its time and it was built by the Mayan ruler to exhibit his power and impress his subjects. The Rosalila temple is remarkably preserved since it was buried beneath another temple. It is located at Copan, the famous Maya archaeological and tourist site in Honduras. Copan was first populated in 1600 BC, but it wasn't until the cultural heyday of AD 400-800 that the Rosalila was built. Mystery surrounds the Maya people, who had largely disappeared by about AD 900.

The Rosalila is a fine example of Copan buildings, which were painted in red and white, and had beautiful masks and carvings painted in multiple colors. Robot telescopes, rare livestock, glittering temples. Cruise on over to the Deep Website at www.thedeepradioshow.com to learn more about these and many other topics. Enjoy!