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THE MATERIAL WORLD
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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 Ìý30 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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| Bakelite Napkin Holders.Ìý Courtesy of Science Museum, London |
100 Years Of Plastic
Bakelite, the original plastic, is a hundred years old this year.
The invention of Belgian-born Leo Hendrik Baekeland, it spawned an industry that now churns out 100 million tonnes annually around the world.
As the Science Museum unveils its exhibition Plasticity, curator Susan Mossman and professor of polymer science Dame Julia Higgins join Quentin Cooper to celebrate a class of materials that have transformed our lives.
Model Species
In little more than 100 years our understanding of inheritance and genetic disease has advanced dramatically.
One of the remarkable aspects to all that study is that it has involved surprisingly few species.Ìý But what have a fruit fly or a zebrafish got to do with diabetes or muscular dystrophy?
Jim Endersby’s new book, A Guinea Pig’s History of Biology, traces some of the few special animals and plants that have taught us the facts of life. He and Charlotte Sleigh, senior lecturer in the history of scienceÌýat the University of Kent, discuss the decisions researchers have made and will make in choosing which species to study.
NEXT WEEK:ÌýÌýÌýMaterial World comes from the Hay festival - universe or multiverse? And the man who was nearly Darwin: Alfred Russel Wallace...
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RELATED LINKS
Science Museum
Â鶹Éç Science & Nature
Â鶹Éç Radio 4 Science programmes
The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external websites
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