Science Club
17 December 2012
Did you know that the bicycle has done more to improve the human immune system than any other invention in history? Is it a good idea for humans to try to reach out to extra-terrestrials? Are computers ruining music?
Each week the team takes a single subject and examines it from unexpected angles - from extinction to sex, Einstein to space exploration and brain chemistry to music - all underpinned by science. Combining in-depth studio discussion in front of a lively audience, with exploratory films and on-the-spot reports, Science Club brings some of the world’s foremost thinkers together to share their thoughts.
Mark is the resident materials scientist; performing live experiments, and each week he takes a piece of technology apart to show not only how it works, but also something surprising about the week’s topic. From dismantling a bicycle to explain how it transformed the human gene pool, to a shotgun which has been implicated in at least one major species extinction, Mark shows how engineering is intimately linked to everything we do.
Dara and Mark are joined by neuroscientist Tali Sharot, science journalist Alok Jha, physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski, plus famous scientists from around the world, and other special guests.