- Chris Smith
Simpsons fans will know only too well the opening sequence to the cartoon in which Homer discovers, during his commute, that he’s taken some of his work home with him – in the form of a radioactive fuel rod from the nuclear power plant! Unsurprisingly, the lump of material he subsequently throws out of the car window is glowing an ethereal green colour. But therein lies multiple myths of atomic-powered proportions, because most radioactive substances don’t really glow at all, let alone light up green!
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- Stuart Clark
When the clipper ship Southern Cross sailed into a living hell off Chile during the night of 2 September 1859, little did the sailors know that they were witnessing the aftermath of a gigantic solar explosion that had engulfed the Earth. Today, astronomers are still unpicking the consequences of this tremendous event.
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- Chris Smith
Ask anyone who made the world’s best violins and they’ll inevitably answer "Stradivari". But science is undermining the reputation of this great instrument maker whom, it seems, owes his success as much to an attempt at pest control as his craftmanship...
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- Guy Brandon
The battle between Science and Religion has left us with a choice: faith in God or belief in a rational scientific approach. But how did it come to this and what happened to trying to settle our differences?
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- Mark Lythgoe
Functional imaging (brain scanning) using magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used to probe the workings of the brain. But we still cannot explain what love is. In this article Mark Lythgoe argues that we are more than just the sum of our parts.
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- Mary O'Neill
This article illustrates the kind of scientist you might encounter in a lab. Understanding how your colleagues think and behave is useful. There is also a strong possibility you may recognise yourself too, so beware!
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- Varuna Aluvihare
Although the summer appears to have ended, I thought I would deal with something that provides a perfect opportunity to marry good food and wine: the barbecue.
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- Martin Westwell
I am organising a public event in Oxford entitled "The Science of Wine Tasting". I thought that people would be really keen but when I mentioned it to a colleague she said, "Well, that'll take all then fun out of it".
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- Mary O'Neill
One of the fun things about working in science is the scientific meeting. Lots of free tea and coffee, buffet lunches, an evening of free booze and a lovely dinner. But how to make the most of them?
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- Barry Gibb
Dr. Barry Gibb, Scientist and Author, Latest Play - MACHINA
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