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From giant tornadoes moving around the Sun, to tiny bacteria moving around the body, we hope you’ll join us for a fascinating evening exploring Yorkshire and beyond! But why does all of this matter? You’ll also hear about Sheffield’s new detector paving the way in understanding dark matter – it makes up most of the universe but what actually is it?
The coldest place in Yorkshire
Professor Ed Daw
(Professor of Gravitational Waves and Dark Matter Physics)
Dark matter remains a mystery. What makes up most of the matter in the Universe? In this talk, I illuminate an alternative possibility, and a planned experiment here at Sheffield to search for so-called wave-like dark matter from the hidden sector.
Solar tornados
Dr Suzana Silva
(Researcher, Solar Physics)
Earth tornadoes formed by rapidly rotating air columns are one of the most incredible and energetic natural phenomena. Surprisingly, such structures are also present on other planets and in the atmosphere of our Sun. Thanks to the strong skeleton formed by twisted magnetic fields, Solar tornadoes are thousands times larger and more powerful than the ones on Earth. Our talk will describe the properties of these extraordinary structures and the potential impact of such solar storms on our daily life.
The power of one: how can a single bacterium influence colony expansion?
Nathan Costin
(Postgraduate research student, Physics and Astronomy)
Bacteria are able to move across surfaces using tiny grappling hook like filaments, which can be a decisive factor in clinical infections. Like many organisms, bacteria live in collectives of billions and must interact with neighbouring cells to better themselves and the colony. Using genetics, microscopy with custom tracking and analysis software, I study the physical and biological processes that underlie individual and collective cell movement, which may provide new ways to manipulate bacteria movement and to control infection.
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