- Philip Strange
Surprising as it sounds, one of the world's top tipples a century ago was laced with cocaine. And although the manufacturers have changed the recipe in recent years, Coca Cola is still a market leader, but why was the cocaine there in the first place, and where does the drug come from?
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- 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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- Chris Smith
What is a thunderstorm, how is lightning generated by clouds, how much energy is there in a lightning bolt, and could it be harnessed to power a town?
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- Chris Smith
There was a time when almost every action movie seemed to involve the hero or villain becoming swamped in quicksand, sinking away until only their hat remains on the surface. But contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, although it’s almost impossible to escape from quicksand, it's even more difficult to drown...
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- Nick Heath
Mention plastics and most people think of polythenes, perspex and other oil-based nasties that never break down. But now there's a new breed of plastics; they're biodegradable and based on potatoes and other starchy crops...
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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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- Becky Poole
Why re-invent the wheel when Nature has already come up with the best solution? Becky Poole explores the field of biomimetics - quite literally how engineers are borrowing from biology...
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- Lucy Sandbach
As the world focuses on carbon dioxide, are more dangerous agents of global warming creeping up unnoticed? Lucy Sandbach investigates the dark world of nitrogen and how this common element is causing havoc with the environment.
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- Davina Stevenson
Photo-therapy is the term used to describe treatments which use light to achieve their effects. But how do these work chemically? Davina finds out.
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- Martin Westwell
The recently discovered traces of ricin in a makeshift laboratory in a flat in London have caused a media frenzy over its potential use in a terrorist attack. What is it?
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