MSP305. Marching to Mars: The Cyborg Cockroach Army

This week Rich Bradbury and Matt Armitage explore one of the latest developments in disaster relief: the cyborg cockroach army. Fitted with electrodes, antennae and battery packs, semi-autonomous insect cyborgs could help to reach people under buildings and structures flattened by natural disasters.

Those same insects are on the menu as the pair journeys to Mars to uncover what could be new forms of life under the planet’s surface. And discuss the possibility of humans becoming Martians too, as they debate the challenges of surviving on the Red Planet. From toxic soil and cosmic radiation to the psychological impact of living in a confined habitat, what would the reality of living in Elon Musk’s mooted Marstopian paradise be like?