RADIO CHOICE

BY 2020, one third of the world’s population will need glasses; one cause of this myopia epidemic is the number of hours children spend indoors, hunched over a screen. For this week’s CROWDSCIENCE (BBC WORLD SERVICE, 8.30PM), Marnie Chesterton reports from Singapore, where myopia rates are among the highest, and hears of plans for improving matters.

MATHEMATICS was once considered a cornerstone of the art world, but has grown away from the arts over the past two centuries. This week’s delightfully geeky and quirky edition of THE VERB (RADIO 3, 10PM) does its little bit to heal that rift. Eugenia Cheng, who studies pure maths and is also a pianist of immense ability, will talk about maths and

music. Helen Arney (pictured), the science presenter, comedian and singer-songwriter, will perform a new song written using algorithms.

MILES DAVIS was a trumpet-playing musical prodigy who toured with professional bands while in his teens and became a trail-blazing musician and composer. His music was avant-garde yet accessible and he transformed the world of jazz. GREAT LIVES (RADIO 4, 11PM) joins Adrian Utley of the band Portishead and the writer Richard Williams to sing Miles’s praises.