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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityScience & EnvironmentTotal solar eclipse: The 4-minute window into the universe’s secretsPublished17 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Aberystwyth UniversityImage caption, UK and US scientists have been working on eclipse observationsBy Georgina RannardScience reporterEclipse fever is building. Millions in North America are hoping to spend around four minutes of total darkness as the Moon blocks the Sun’s light on Monday.For some, those precious minutes will be an opportunity for often impossible science experiments – a chance to unravel the secrets of our universe. Researchers will fly rockets into the path of the eclipse, stand in zoos watching animals, send radio signals across the globe, and peer into space with massive cameras. And you don’t need to be a scientist to take part.But it could still go wrong. A solar flare or even some humble clouds could throw those plans into turmoil.Possibilities of mating turtles or snoozing gorillasProf Adam Hartstone-Rose from North Carolina State University will spend Monday at the zoo in Fort Worth, Texas. He’ll be looking out for strange behaviours in animals from gorillas to giraffes to Galapagos turtles. Spoiler: during the 2017 eclipse, the turtles suddenly started mating.Lots of animals appear to have anxious responses to the sudden darkness. “The flamingos last time did a beautiful thing,” he says. “As the eclipse was building, the adults gathered the chicks into the middle of the flock, and looked into the sky as if they were worried about an aerial predator coming down.”Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Scientists observed Galapagos turtles mating at the height of a total eclipse in 2017The gorillas, meanwhile, moved to where they sleep and began their bedtime routines, as circadian rhythms were disrupted.One nocturnal bird called a Tawny Frogmouth woke up from where it usually camouflages as a rotting tree stump. It started looking for food, and then suddenly went back into disguise when the sun re-appeared. Anyone can join the experiment. If you see pets, farm animals or wild animals behaving unusually during the eclipse, you can tell Mark’s team online.The team will have almost instant results and will publish their findings in the days after the eclipse.A glimpse into roaring plasmaWhen darkness falls on parts of North America, one part of the Sun will peek out that people have been trying to study for centuries – its atmosphere, or corona.This mysterious part of the Sun is made up of magnetised plasma and measures more than a million degrees Celsius. Image source, S R Habbal and M DruckmüllerImage caption, A total solar eclipse affords a rare opportunity to study the Sun’s coronaNormally the Sun’s incredible brightness makes the corona impossible to see, but on Monday scientists in Dallas, Texas, will be able to point instruments at it and take images. Scientists with Aberystwyth University in Wales and from Nasa hope for an insight into solar wind, which is the plasma thrown from the Sun’s surface. Another puzzle is why the corona seems to be much hotter than the Sun’s surface, despite being on its edge.They might even see what is called a coronal mass ejection, when huge plasma clouds are thrown from the atmosphere into Space. Ejections can cause problems for satellites we use on Earth. A lot of money, time and logistics have gone into that four-minute window, says Huw Morgan, professor of Physics at Aberystwyth University.”It’s a real feeling of euphoria when it goes right, because you prepared for so long. But if there’s a cloud, that’s a disaster. And there’s nothing we can do about that,” he says. Radio listening partyThe Sun’s activity can disrupt almost all our communications, including the humble long-wave radio.Energy from the Sun charges a region in the upper atmosphere called the ionosphere, which helps radio transmissions whizz around the planet. But when the Moon blocks the Sun, the ionosphere is affected. Image source, Nathaniel FrissellImage caption, Thomas Pisano (standing at the back) will join a radio listening contest on MondayTo test what that does to radio, hundreds of amateur radio operators will join a listening party and send signals to each other across the world, competing for the most connections. They might communicate in Morse code or even speak. The results could help scientists better understand radio communications used by emergency workers, airplanes, and ships, as well as GPS, according to Nathaniel Frissell at University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, who is running the party.Thomas Pisano, an electric engineering student with Dr Frissell, plans to compete. Sitting at desks with radio equipment, he’ll send out signals and try to connect with as many operators as possible worldwide.”There’s a strong sense of community,” he says. “We’re all really excited to get this data.”Most of the communications are formal – station name and location – but each one signs off with “73”, a code for best wishes.”It’s our radio way of saying farewell and take care,” he says.While the eclipse will barely be visible in the UK, radio operators across the country will still tune into messages sent from the other side of the Atlantic. Radio operator Gwyn Griffiths plans to both send and receive long-wave signals across the ocean to gauge how far they travel.Flying jets to chase the eclipse US space agency Nasa will fly WB-57 jets along the eclipse path to take pictures from 50,000 feet (15,240m) above Earth. Flying above the clouds means there is no chance they will miss the eclipse. And the jets’ cameras should take clearer pictures because they will capture wavelengths that don’t normally make it all the way to Earth.Along with spotting new details in the corona, Nasa may be able to study a dust ring around the Sun and search for asteroids possibly orbiting nearby. One instrument on board the planes called a spectrometer will help them learn more about the bursts of solar material flying out from the Sun.The planes will also buy time in the eclipse. They travel at 460mph (740km/h), and will spend more than 6 minutes and 22 seconds in the moon’s shadow – nearly two minutes more than us humble humans on Earth who will get just four and a half minutes on the ground, if we’re lucky.More on the solar eclipseEXPLAINER: All you need to know for the 2024 solar eclipseSCIENCE: Rare experiments will study Sun’s atmosphereFANATICS: How much it costs to chase the eclipseAWE: How it affects the brain and brings people together WEIRD: Odd ways eclipses affect radio wavesRelated TopicsAstronomyEclipsesMore on this storyPath of darkness – scroll every mile of total eclipsePublished1 day agoTop StoriesThousands of Israelis rally to demand hostage dealPublished3 hours agoPM marks six months of Israel-Gaza war as UK sends Navy ship for aidPublished3 hours agoDozens of UK flights cancelled as Storm Kathleen sweeps inPublished4 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: ‘Gaza famine’ warning and Corrie ‘budgeting row’Path of darkness – scroll every mile of total eclipseThe eclipse’s 4-minute window into the Sun’s secretsIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaSix months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?’A game of Jenga’: Inside the perilous Baltimore bridge clean-upThe world’s eclipse chasers arrive in North AmericaWhere in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?Boris Johnson, David Cameron, and the row over arming Israel. 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[ad_1] The blackout will give scientists a rare chance to do experiments they cannot do any other time.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaExtreme heat at work can double stillbirth risk, India study findsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsClimateImage caption, Cucumber picker Sumathy lost a baby 12 weeks into her pregnancyBy Tulip MazumdarGlobal health correspondentWorking in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women, according to new research from India. The study found that the risks to mothers-to-be are significantly higher than previously thought. Researchers say hotter summers can affect not only women in tropical climates, but also in countries such as the UK.They want specific health advice for working pregnant women globally.Eight hundred pregnant women in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu took part in the study, which was started in 2017 by the Faculty of Public Health at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai. About half of those who took part worked in jobs where they were exposed to high levels of heat, such as agriculture, brick kilns and salt flats. The others worked in cooler environments, such as schools and hospitals, although some workers were also exposed to very high levels of heat in those jobs too.There is no universal threshold for what level of heat is considered to be too hot for the human body.”[The impact of heat] is relative to what you’re used to and what your body’s used to,” says Prof Jane Hirst, one of the scientists who contributed to the study.In the lush green fields of Tiruvannamalai, I meet Sumathy, one of the pregnant women who took part.She removes her thick gloves and stretches out her fingers. She has been picking cucumbers for the past two hours.”My hands burn in this heat,” she tells me, gently caressing her fingertips.Summer hasn’t even started yet, but already it is about 30 degrees here today and feeling hotter with the humidity.Sumathy has to protect her hands from the constant stabbing of the tiny spikes on the cucumbers, but the gloves make her sweat profusely.”My face burns too,” she says.She comes to the cucumber farm before and after her main job, working as a cook in a school, and is paid about 200 rupees or just under £2 for her efforts.India’s Mothers: Bearing the HeatThe BBC’s global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar reports from southern India on new research suggesting heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage.Watch on BBC iPlayer (UK only)Sumathy was one of the first recruits. Her baby was also one of the first in the study to die.”I used to feel so exhausted being pregnant and working in the heat,” she says.One day, as Sumathy was dropping off her husband’s lunch, she suddenly started feeling very unwell. That evening, she went to see a doctor who told her she had suffered a miscarriage 12 weeks into her pregnancy. “My husband would lay me down on his lap and console me. I don’t know what I would have done without him,” she says.Sumathy talks about her husband with so much love but has had to learn to live without him. He recently died, and she is now the main breadwinner for the family.Sumathy will never know for sure if working in the heat during her pregnancy had anything to do with her losing her first child. But overall, the study found that women who worked in similar conditions as her were twice as likely to suffer a stillbirth or miscarriage than those working in cooler environments.Important for women all over the worldThe pregnant women in the study in India really are “at the forefront of experiencing climate change,” says Prof Hirst, who is a UK-based consultant obstetrician, and Professor of Global Women’s Health at medical research organisation The George Institute.Earth’s average temperature is projected to rise by nearly three degrees by the end of the century, compared with pre-industrial times, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of “an existential threat to all of us” with pregnant women facing “some of the gravest consequences”.Image caption, Rekha Shanmugam measures the daytime heat in sugar cane fields in TiruvannamalaiPrevious studies have shown about a 15% rise in the risk of premature birth and stillbirth during heatwaves, but these have generally been conducted in high-income countries such as the US and Australia. The latest findings from India are particularly stark and worrying, says Prof Hirst, and have wider implications. “The UK is getting hotter summers, and while it’s not as hot as India, these adverse effects [on pregnancies] can be seen at much lower temperatures in more temperate climates, such as the UK.” However, she adds, they do need to be “kept in perspective”. Even with a doubling of risk, experiencing baby loss is still going to be a “rare event for most women”.How does extreme heat affect pregnant women? Listen to The Climate Question podcast on BBC Sounds nowThere is currently no official international advice for pregnant working women in the heat. The main guidance that does exist for hot-weather working, is based on studies involving a man in the US military in the 1960s and 70s, weighing 70-75kg and with 20% body fat. Prof Hirst hopes this study, and further research, will change that. In the meantime, Prof Hirst and Prof Vidhya Venugopal, from the Faculty of Public Health at SRIHER, who led the research on India, say pregnant women working in the heat can protect themselves by:Avoiding prolonged periods in the heatTaking regular shade breaks if working outdoors on hot daysAvoiding exercising or sunbathing for long periods in the hottest part of the dayKeeping hydrated with waterFor the study in India, the researchers used what is called the wet-bulb-globe-temperature (WBGT), which measures the effects of temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat on human bodies.WBGT readings are often lower than the temperatures you might see forecast on the TV or a weather app.The safe heat threshold for people doing heavy work is 27.5C WBGT, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. ‘No choice but to work out in the sun’ India is predicted to become one of the first countries in the world where temperatures will top the safe limit for healthy people who are simply resting in the shade, according to a recent study from the University of Cambridge.The number of hot days and hot nights (when the body struggles to recover from daytime heat) is also projected to double or even quadruple in India by 2050.In the sugarcane fields of Tiruvannamalai, Rekha Shanmugam, a former nurse and one of the SRIHER study’s researchers, is measuring the daytime heat.Around us, a couple of dozen workers – about half of them women – hack down thick stems of cane with small machetes. “These women often have no choice but to work out in the sun – they need the money,” says Ms Shanmugam.She pours water into a gauge and presses various buttons. It shows a WBGT temperature of 29.5C – that’s above the safe threshold for doing this type of physically demanding work in the heat.”If the workers continue for prolonged periods in this level of heat, they are more prone to heat-related illnesses, and it’s especially concerning for pregnant women,” she tells me. Image caption, Women like Sandhiya make up the backbone of India’s informal workforceSandhiya, 28, tells me she has no choice but to do this type of back-breaking work for which she gets paid about 600 rupees, just under £6 a day. She has two young children and an extended family to feed. Sandhiya also took part in the study – and lost her first child six months into her pregnancy.She had to take several months off work to recover and says she is still paying off the debts she racked up during that time.”All my desires centre around my children,” Sandhiya tells me. “I want them to study well and get good jobs. They shouldn’t end up toiling here in the fields like me.”The problem of peeingThe mechanisms around how and why heat impacts pregnant women and their growing babies in this troubling way are not well understood.A previous study in The Gambia found high temperatures could raise foetal heart rate and slow blood flow through the umbilical cord.One theory is that when the mother gets too hot, blood could be diverted away from the foetus, to help cool the mother down.Ms Shanmugam thinks a lack of toilets may also be playing a part.She says a previous study found many women didn’t want to squat in an open field to relieve themselves and so would avoid drinking water, developing urinary problems as a result. “They worry about insects and snakes in the bushes, or men peeping to look at them,” she says.”They often don’t feel safe, so they’ll just hold it in for the whole day and then finally go to the toilet when they get home.”Finding solutions India has made huge improvements to maternal and baby health in recent years, but the stillbirth rate is still 12.2 per 1,000 births, according to data from the World Bank Group. In the UK the rate is 2.7. The findings of the study in Tamil Nadu are being taken very seriously, says Dr TS Selbavinayagam, the state’s director for public health.”We already offer financial compensation to pregnant women, but maybe we need to look at options for giving alternative employment too,” he says. The state government offers poorer women 18,000 rupees (£170) when they reach 12 weeks of pregnancy, to try to ease some of their financial pressures. However, much of the power to protect these low-paid workers rests with workplace bosses.Image caption, Thillai Bhasker has erected steel roofs to provide much-needed shade for his brick kiln workersOn the outskirts of Chennai, Thillai Bhasker – a brick-kiln owner – has erected giant steel roofs with special heat-protective coatings on them, to provide his workers with much-needed shade. He’s been taking advice on better protecting workers from researchers at SRIHER.”Business owners should be smart enough to know how to retain the employees,” he says. “If you take care of them, they will take care of you.”He also told us he was planning to build women-only toilets. Some organisations are also offering education sessions on the simple steps women can take to better protect themselves in the heat. Insulated bottles are also being made available to keep drinking water cool.Sumathy had no choice but to continue to work in extreme heat when she became pregnant again within a couple of years of her miscarriage. But she got specific advice from doctors and the SRIHER researchers on how to better protect herself. Sumathy gave birth to a healthy daughter and son. Tonight – after her long shift – she will return home to them. Exhausted, anxious, but so grateful they are there.Follow @TulipMazumdar on XIf you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice isavailable via the BBC Action Line.What questions do you have about this story? We’ll be answering them later today. In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.Use this form to ask your question:
If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in. Related TopicsMiscarriageTamil NaduClimateIndiaPregnancyTop StoriesLive. US accuses Apple of monopolising smartphone marketLive. Which women might get state pension compensation? Your questions answeredInterest rate cuts ‘on the way’, says Bank bossPublished37 minutes agoFeaturesUK sees biggest increase in poverty for 30 yearsNew hope for sisters trapped in their bodies’I go to bed with an empty stomach’ – Haiti hunger spreadsA museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suingThe new 28-year-old peer who wants to scrap the LordsThe boy killed by his ‘sadistic’ motherHow climate change made Easter eggs pricier’Our school has been crumbling for 20 years’Poland’s ‘Heart of the Garden’ named tree of 2024Elsewhere on the BBCWhat’s the key to literary success for Phillip Pullman?The author of His Dark Materials shares the advice he would give his younger selfAttributionSoundsGlobal glamazons start your engines!Catch up on all the the jaw-dropping looks and unforgettable performances before the grand finale…AttributioniPlayerThe fresh face of FerrariJennie Gow and the team look back on the Saudi Arabian Grand PrixAttributionSoundsFestivals, flamenco and old friendsStrictly’s dancing duo Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice take to the streets of sunny SpainAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Harry Kane statue revealed before going on display2Bank boss says UK interest rate cut ‘on the way’3Mum guilty of murdering scalded and caned son4Toddler steals the show during Queen’s NI visit5Terminally ill grandad scoops £1m lottery prize6More than 500 migrants arrive in small boats7TV’s Julie Goodyear slowly fading away, says husband8Cows turn heads as they bring town to a standstill9Knives Out director pays tribute to acting ‘legend’10Kermit the Frog honoured in new fossil find](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/5E90/production/_132980242_3img_1014.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaThabi Leoka PhD: South Africa President Ramaphosa axes adviserPublished19 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Thabi Leoka, pictured here in 2019, has become a well-known economist and commentatorBy Damian ZaneBBC NewsSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa has dropped a high-profile economist from an advisory panel as questions are being raised about her PhD.Thabi Leoka said that the London School of Economics (LSE) awarded it but Business Day and Daily Maverick journalists said they have not been able to find a record of the degree.Last week, Ms Leoka denied misrepresenting her qualification.On Monday, she resigned from the boards of two prominent companies.Mining firm Anglo American Platinum Limited said Ms Leoka stepped down from her position as a non-executive director “in order to attend to her health and the questions she has been facing in relation to her academic qualifications”.Mobile phone company MTN SA released a similar statement.On the same day, she was informed about “the immediate termination of her membership in the Presidential Economic Advisory Council”, Mr Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told the BBC.Membership of the body “does not require formal vetting”, he said.The council advises on “economic policies that spur inclusive growth”, according to the presidency’s website. In earlier comments to South Africa’s Daily Maverick news site, which had asked for evidence of her qualification, Ms Leoka had said that she had been busy and not had the time to get hold of her degree certificate.”I’m not based in [South Africa] full time… I have been at the Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Hospital as I have glaucoma and have since lost sight in my right eye,” she said to the online publication. “You also don’t have my names as reflected on my degrees,” she added. Last week, she said she was about to undergo surgery.When the BBC asked the LSE whether it had a record of Ms Leoka’s doctorate it said: “We have checked our files and can find no record of ‘Thabi’ or ‘Bathabile’ Leoka being awarded a PhD from LSE.” She had changed her name from Bathabile in 2018, according to South Africa’s News24 website.Ms Leoka agreed to appear on local station Radio 702 after the story was published in the Business Day newspaper last week.When asked “have you misrepresented your qualifications?”, she responded: “The answer is a straight no.”Ms Leoka has become a well-known commentator and economist in South Africa, serving on several boards as well as advising the government.Top StoriesStudent killed in Nottingham trying to save a friendPublished26 minutes agoUK not seeking confrontation with Houthis – SunakPublished55 minutes agoFour family members found dead at house are namedPublished6 minutes agoFeaturesUS man to be executed by untested nitrogen gas tells of ‘panic’Bills and border crisis drive Trump voters to pollsMysterious killings in Yemen create climate of fearOscars 2024: List of nominations in fullMay horrified by diabetes disordered eating’Send back our husbands’ – Russian women in rare protestWatch shocking moment car crashes into café in Italy. 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