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Science from the Sporran
24 Dec 2008
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30th Sep 2007

Smart Materials


Chris Smith

Helen Scales
Plastic Logic Display

This week, we're exploring the science of Smart Materials - we discover a Super-Non-Stick coating that even honey wont stick to and flexible plastic paper with E-Ink that we-writes itself on demand. We learn how potatoes could form the basis of future plastics and a new way to think about 'bone china', as ceramics and polymers could replace your broken bones.  Also, we discover where sea turtles spend their childhood, how a microRNA gene switch could put the brakes on the spread of cancer and how thousands of cases of breast cancer could be avoided without medication.  Plus, in Kitchen Science, we show you how a simple cotton handkerchief can hold back a torrent of water!

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News

Eco-Idol: Hindu festivals threaten Indian Rivers

As festival season approaches for Indian Hindus, environmentalists are trying to avoid a catastrophe caused by the faithful tossing millions of decorated statues of gods into rivers and waterways. The usually elaborately decorated effigies often contain toxic levels of heavy metals including lead, m...

Unravelling a turtle mystery

For decades, there has been a wonderful mystery that has baffled marine biologists.  The question is, where do baby turtles go?Sea turtles, as their name suggests, live their lives at sea, with females returning to land to lay their eggs on beaches.  And after the tiny baby turtles have ha...

Scientists uncover key to cancer spread

Scientists have discovered a molecular switch that turns on a cancer cell's ability to spread to other parts of the body. Publishing in this week's Nature, MIT researcher Robert Weinberg and his colleagues were examining microRNAs, small pieces of single-stranded genetic material produced in the c...

New Species Found in Vietnam

In these days of globalization, international travel and exploration, it’s hard to imagine that there could still creatures hiding out there that have never been seen by man.So, it comes as a wonderful surprise that scientists have uncovered a treasure trove of brand new species in a mysterious and ...

Anorexia leaves bad taste in the mouth

Scientists have discovered that the brains of anorexics respond differently to certain tastes than the brains of control subjects, possibly explaining why sufferers eschew tasty foods. Writing in this month's Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Pittsburgh researcher Walter Kaye, Angela Wagner a...


Kitchen Science

(c) Dave Ansell
Part 1 Part 2 Listen
...or download as MP3 [1] [2]

Waterproof Hanky

A handkerchief is not something you think of as very waterproof. Find out how waterproof a hanky can be and how this helps make coats waterproof yet breathable.


Interviews

Beating Breast Cancer - News from the Cancer Conference

Kat Arney reports in with the latest news from the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Birmingham, UK.

Super Non Stick Surfaces

Non-stick pans are great, they make it so much easier to clean cooked on scrambled egg! But the Thin Films and Interfaces group at Cambridge University have found a way to make a super non stick surface, just by changing the surface structure of ordinary Teflon. Ullrich Steiner explains......

Plastic Logic - Plastic Paper and E-Ink

Now, if you listen carefully you will notice that we, in the Naked Scientists are surrounded by paper. We usually try not to make you hear but similarly in offices all around the country incredible amounts of paper are thrown away on a daily basis. I’d just like to point out that I take all my paper...

Biocomposites - the Future for Plastics?

Biocomposites, materials similar to plastics but made from biological material, could be the ideal replacement for petrochemical based plastics. Paul Fowler explained more to Chris...

Medical Materials

Dr Ruth Cameron and Dr Serena Best from the Centre for Medical material at the University of Cambridge spoke to Chris about how they are using ceramics and polymers to help mend broken bones.


Questions

Can I water my houseplants with sea water?


Do you get wetter running or walking in the rain?



QotW

(c) krayker  @ stock.xchng

Sea Shell Sea Sounds

This week, Diana was asked why the sounds in a sea shell are the sounds of the sea shore...


Also, what is the difference between a rainproof and a stormproof coat? Is it the size of the "hole's" in the material, which i suppose...
- paul.fr - 8th Oct 07
I think it is because soap reduces the surface tension, but doesn't actually kill it (soap bubbles are still pulled into spheres), and the holes ...
- daveshorts - 8th Oct 07
Dave, Ben. I did the experiment, and got the correct result. I then repeated it, but this time i added soap to the water in the glass. I got the same ...
- paul.fr - 5th Nov 09
See the whole discussion | Make a comment



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