How vulnerable is our power supply? episode artwork

EPISODE · May 29, 2025 · 28 MIN

How vulnerable is our power supply?

from BBC Inside Science · host BBC Inside Science

Severe power cuts hit Spain, Portugal and parts of France this week, cutting the lights and stopping flights, trains, and ATM machines in their tracks. The Spanish grid operator has said it’s ruled out a cyber-attack, but the reason behind what happened is still unclear. We speak to Keith Bell, Professor of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, and David Brayshaw, Professor of Climate Science and Energy Meteorology at the University of Reading, to ask whether the UK’s power supply could be just as vulnerable to a major blackout.Presenter Victoria Gill hears about how cyborg cockroaches are being developed to try to help at disaster scenes. We’re also joined by science journalist Caroline Steel to discuss the week’s standout science news. And we find out how a critically endangered salamander, the axolotl, could hold the biological key to repairing damaged spinal cords.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh and Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 29, 2025

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How vulnerable is our power supply?

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