© Pint of Science, 2024. All rights reserved.
Are we big or small? Looking up at the sky on a clear night, you probably feel quite small. But, have you considered the size of a cell, a molecule, or an atom? Many researchers are exploring the colossal and the tiny, trying to uncover clues about things we don’t quite understand yet. During this event, we’ll be looking through both the telescope and microscope. Do you dare to change the frame?
Dementia under the microscope
Dr. Mathew Horrocks
(Lecturer in Biophysical Chemistry)
Proteins are the most common molecules found within our cells and are vital to all life, performing the biological tasks that allow us to function. To achieve this, they have well-defined shapes that are specific to the processes they are involved in. Sometimes this shape can be distorted, leading to them coming together to form large clumps, which can be toxic to cells. This process happens in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and we'll explore how microscopes that can image molecules 10,000 times smaller than a human hair can be used to understand this.
The 95% Unknown
Benjamin Giblin
(Institute for Astronomy)
You are here. An infinitesimal collection of carbon standing on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam. Your Universe is very big, very dark, and very, very mysterious. Journey into the 95% unknown with your friendly neighbourhood observational cosmologist. "Out there" is awash with invisible particles whose gravitational pull tries and fails to halt the ever-accelerating cosmic expansion. Let us follow in Einstein's footsteps, and see if we can't shed some light on the dark side of the Universe.
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