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THE MATERIAL WORLD
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MISSED A PROGRAMME?
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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Quentin Cooper reports on developments across the sciences. Each week scientists describe their work, conveying the excitement they feel for their research projects.
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Contact Material World |
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LISTEN AGAIN 30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"For me science isn't a subject, it's a perspective. There are fascinating scientific aspects to everything from ancient history to the latest gadgets, outer space to interior decorating; and each week on The Material World we try to reflect the excitement, ideas, uncertainties, collisions and collaborations as science continues its never-ending voyage into the unknown".
Quentin Cooper |
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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| Courtesy of Mark Miodownik |
One Man's Materials
Dr. Mark Miodownik is a very unusual collector. Inside his office at King's College London he amasses new materials - from transparent concrete to shape-memory alloys.
His aim is to make his collection available to designers, architects, engineers and artists, who could find novel applications for these unusual substances.
Quentin talks to Mark about his project. And he asks one potential library lender,
engineer Graham Dodd from Ove Arup & Partners, what benefits this collection could provide.
Mark Miodownik chairs a new materials event called 'EngineeringArt' at the Tate Modern on 15 April.
Noble gases & the helium crisis
From light bulbs to supermarket scanners, noble gases have become an intrinsic part of modern living. These colourless, odourless and tasteless gases include neon, krypton, argon and helium.
Although helium is the second most abundant element in the Universe, our supplies could run dry by the end of this century.
Quentin talks to chemist Dr Andrea Sella from UCL and science historian Prof Colin Russell from the Open University.
Why is this family of gases so important? Why is helium crucial for building brain scanners and what happens if we run out?
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RELATED LINKS
King's College London - Mark Miodownik's homepage
Ove Arup and Partners - Graham Dodd's homepage
UCL - Andrea Sella's homepage
Open University - Colin Russell's homepage
Chemistry World - Noble gases
H2g2 - Periodic Table of Elements
BBC Science and Nature
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
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