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Did you know molecules for life could form anywhere in the universe? Or that your next cellphone could have milk batteries?
Come join us to find out about some of the most extreme configurations matter can take, here in Edinburgh, or in outer space!
We'll be getting hands-on between talks exploring the curious world of comets, mixing up matter to make our very own comet concoctions! Please note that this event takes place on the lower ground floor and is not accessible for those with impaired mobility.
Come join us to find out about some of the most extreme configurations matter can take, here in Edinburgh, or in outer space!
We'll be getting hands-on between talks exploring the curious world of comets, mixing up matter to make our very own comet concoctions! Please note that this event takes place on the lower ground floor and is not accessible for those with impaired mobility.
Bijels: from a fascinating lab ‘milk’ to making better batteries
Milk is made of liquid fat droplets 10× smaller than the width of a human hair, jiggling around in water. Bijels are ‘milk sponges’, where both the ‘water’ and the ‘fat’ form continuous channels about the width of a human hair. They are a true Edinburgh material, predicted by simulations in 2005 and experimentally realised in the lab in 2007 by Edinburgh researchers. I'll show how such an unusual material, originally pure scientific curiosity, is now used by researchers around the world to try and improve batteries for future smartphones and electric cars.
The search for life in the universe
This talk will explore the latest discoveries in astrobiology and the search for extra-terrestrial life. Recent missions to Mars and exoplanet discoveries have revealed a wealth of environments with liquid water, but do they harbour life? Professor Charles Cockell has spent his career researching the potential for life in the most extreme environments, both here on Earth and further afield in space.
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