Christmas Science Lectures

Dec 15 2015 13 ep. 46 mins 2.1k

Christmas Science Lectures Podcast artwork

Join the hundreds of school children from around the country taking part in the annual Oxford University Christmas Science Lectures, where world renowned scientists aim to entertain and inspire the next generation with their (often explosive) insights into science.

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Carrots, spiders and red salt – a fascination with light capture in biology

Dec 15 2015 38 mins

Using physics, chemistry and biology, the fascination with light capture in nature will be explained in a multi-coloured and animated well – prepare for six-eyed spiders, purple carrots and red salt. One of the most complex organs in higher life forms is the eye – even Charles Darwin commented that evolution of the eye by natural selection at first glance seemed "absurd in the

The Chemistry Show 2015

Dec 14 2015 47 mins

Malcolm Stewart and Dr Fabrice Birembaut are back again with their highly entertaining flash bang lecture! Let Santa and his elf take you on a discovery journey from cold to hot chemistry! Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Social Media: The use of your online information for the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

Dec 14 2015 38 mins

Social media, everyone uses it, whether it is to connect with long lost friends on Facebook, or to share selfies on Instagram or Twitter! In this talk, I consider the positives & negatives, security & privacy and how it can be used supportively. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Radiotherapy: What is it? How does it work? And how will it change?

Dec 11 2015 38 mins

Radiotherapy has been going on since 1896, only months after the discovery of X-rays. We will explore what it is, how it works, and examine the change from X-ray beams to particle guns. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Epigenetics: What Makes You "You"?

Dec 11 2015 33 mins

Have you ever wondered why identical twins aren’t, well, actually identical? Do you want to blame your parents for something about you that is different from everyone else in the family? Then you need to find out about Epigenetics. In this lecture, we will explore why identical twins are not identical despite sharing the same set of genes. Epigenetics tells the cell whether genes

Can Machines Think?

Dec 17 2013 60 mins

Can machines think? How can we test computers for intelligence? Edward Grefenstette delivers a lively presentation about artificial intelligence. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Prime Numbers

Dec 17 2013 47 mins

Dr Richard Earl of the Mathematical Institute, Oxford presents a talk about prime numbers. What they are and their role in internet security. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

The Chemistry Show

Feb 03 2012 46 mins

Join Dr Malcolm Stewart and Dr Fabrice Birembaut to find out just how much fun chemistry can be. Young, or not so young, you'll be entertained and educated by the sort of chemistry you never get to see at school: baffling, tantalising and LOUD! Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Hot Stuff: How Volcanoes Work

Feb 03 2012 41 mins

Professor David Pyle (Department of Earth Science) presents an illustrated tour of some of the world's most active and dangerous volcanoes, and an exploration of what we have learnt about how volcanoes work. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

The Accelerate! Show

Feb 03 2012 53 mins

Get up close and personal with the exciting world of particle and accelerator physics. Learn how particle accelerators can do everything from recreating conditions just after the Big Bang to finding new ways to treat cancer. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/