** Teenage kicks in **

A tiny 'kiss' could be the turn-on required to kick start puberty. Scientists
believe that the kisspeptin protein wakes reproductive hormones from their
childhood slumber, initiating the transition to adulthood.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4222323.stm

It takes a teen anywhere from one to six years to pass through puberty. Uncover
the dramatic changes that these much maligned individuals go through.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/lifecycle/teenagers/

Are teenagers lazy or is there a good reason for those lie-ins?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/articles/lifecycle/teenagers/sleep.s\
html


** Bats - echoes from the past **

One in five mammal species is a bat. New DNA evidence suggests that it was
ancient global warming that allowed them to evolve and refine their amazing
skills.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4213495.stm

As Bill Oddie finds bats in an English belfry, explore the dark world of New
Zealand bats, and how 'seeing with sound' lets them locate objects only a
millimetre wide.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/mammals/up_close/bat_index.shtml

For more on Bill Oddie's wildlife discoveries see TV & Radio Choices.


** Over the Moons **

Last month the Huygens probe touched down on Titan. Amazing images have revealed
an exotic world where liquid methane rain feeds rivers, lakes and springs. The
Sky at Night's Patrick Moore invites mission scientist Professor John Zarnecki
to discuss the latest news.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4193043.stm

Closer to home another European probe has also been snap-happy. Since
stabilising in orbit, Smart-1 has captured detailed close-ups of our own Moon,
beginning a quest to map the entire lunar surface.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4209995.stm

Read on for details of this month's The Sky at Night in TV & Radio Choices.


** Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife **
Bill discovers bats and other hidden creatures in the heart of England.
Friday 4 February, 8.30pm BBC Two (Wednesday 9 February, 7.30pm BBC Two in
Wales)

** Countryfile and Landward **
These two sister programmes bring you weekly rural news, including how recent
storms in the Western Isles of Scotland freed hundreds of thousands of farmed
fish.
Sunday 6 February, 11.30am BBC One
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/environment/programmes/countryfile/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/tv/home/lifestyle/landward/

** The Sky at Night **
Patrick Moore talks to Professor John Zarnecki about the extraordinary results
from the Huygens probe's landing on Titan.
Monday 7 February, 1.30am BBC One (1.50am Northern Ireland, 2am Scotland) and
8.30pm BBC Four. Reshowing Saturday 12 February, 12.30pm BBC Two.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight/

** Making a Human Alien **
Sue Nelson explores how science could keep humans alive for long periods of
extraterrestrial space exploration.
Wednesday 9 February, 9pm Radio 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/

** Wildlife on One - Claw Wars **
David Attenborough brings the 31 year old series to a close. Crabs are the final
subject, itching to leave the sea and evolve new ways to claw their way across
the land.
Thursday 10 February, 7pm BBC One
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/factfiles.shtml

** Horizon - Neanderthal **
Was this brute of legend actually a thinking, feeling human being like us?
Experts dig for answers in the bones of a complete skeleton.
Thursday 10 February, 9pm BBC Two
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/cavemen/chronology/contentpage5.shtml



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