The Science of Music and Light

150 years ago Dimitri Mendeleev published the first version of the Periodic Table. 100 years later Black Sabbath recorded their first album. So, 2019 celebrates the anniversaries of two types of ‘Heavy Metal’. While the chemical and cultural terms might seem unconnected, there are surprising parallels between the science and the music: not least, the debates about what actually IS ‘Heavy Metal? In exploring the links, this talk also looks at examples of how metal music and science have inspired each other. Whether scientist or metalhead, you’re guaranteed to learn something new - and unusual

A project between York, Durham and Oxford Universities brings scientists and medieval scholars together to read 13th century treatises on cosmology, light, colour and sound. The collaboration helps to tease out the mathematical and physical content from this important period, often overlooked in the history of science. The project has remarkably
inspired new science today. We meet with a theory of voice production, a new way of mapping colours from the rainbow, and even a medieval Big Bang!

Nuclear fusion is the process which powers the stars, and it promises to be a strong, clean and sustainable source of energy if it can be recreated on Earth! In one design, ultra-intense laser pulses are shot into fuel pellets, heating them to the extreme temperatures needed for fusion to occur. So come along, and learn how lasers and fusion may replace fossil fuels and power our future.