Dive into your Body

In the 19th century, Gloucester was a major centre for match production, but behind the industry’s success lay a dark reality. Factory workers, including young labourers, endured long hours in hazardous conditions, handling toxic phosphorus that put their health at serious risk. One such danger was “phossy jaw”—a painful, disfiguring disease caused by prolonged exposure to phosphorus fumes.
This talk presents the skeletal remains of a young man from Victorian Gloucester, revealing early signs of this devastating condition. His story offers a powerful glimpse into the harsh lives of match workers, shedding light on the hidden suffering behind a once-booming industry.

Why do some people love black coffee while others find it unbearably bitter? Why does red wine feel smooth to some but leave others with a dry, puckering sensation? The way we perceive taste goes beyond simple preference - it is influenced by our genes. In this interactive talk, we will explore the science behind taste perception, why some people experience flavours more intensely than others, and what your facial expressions reveal about your true reactions to food. You might even discover whether you are a super-taster yourself.

Fraudulent and poor-quality food and drinks can be encountered anywhere across the supply chain or even consumers’ homes. Such examples include sweets containing meat-based gelatin and labelled as vegetarian, or alcoholic beverages containing methanol instead of ethanol. The first step of preventing harm of a fraudulent food product is identifying the product. Handheld Raman and near-infrared spectroscopic instruments can be carried to the field and thus save the time and money to import the samples to the laboratory. By building databases of authentic products and ingredients and optimising algorithms, handheld spectroscopy facilitate instant fraud detection. This presentation will highlight examples of food fraud detection including alcoholic beverages, olive oil, sweets, rice and spices. The presentation will also involve a demo of testing products on site to check authenticity.