Crowdscience

Camouflage isn't just for chameleons! Military forces around the world deck their soldiers out in those distinctive green and brown uniforms, to give them the best chance of staying safe, and remaining undetected. But how do they work? Why do they look so different from country to country? And why do you still see soldiers wearing it in the city, when it can't possibly work as camouflage? These are the questions in the mind of Crowdscience listener Paul, in Uganda. In his home of Kampala he often sees soldiers on patrol. As a botanist, he's fascinated by the nature-inspired designs, and he wants to know how they came to be. So Alex Lathbridge sets off to find out. At Camolab at the University of Bristol, Laszlo Talas talks Alex through the history of battle-dress. There have been some extraordinary designs over the years, some of them quite beautiful in their way, and many with hidden easter eggs printed into the design! In a patch of forest on the outskirts of Prague, Alex gets to try some of the lates