Unpredictable Paths of Science

Dr. David Birch, Head of the Centre for Aerodynamics and Environmental Flow, will explain how a bet he lost as an undergraduate led to the development of an entirely new medical diagnostic tool; how a strange (and error-prone) convention in Formula 1 on-track measurement can be traced back to the cost of electrical components in 1920, how soup can be used to measure the airspeed of a snail, and how some of the most powerful measurement tools available in the world are being developed right here in Guildford.

Sewers are more than just hidden tunnels beneath our cities - they are key players in the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from wastewater to the environment. As wastewater flows through these underground networks, it carries resistant bacteria and genes, releasing them into the environment. With AMR posing a growing global threat, what role do sewers really play in this transmission? And what happens when sewer systems overflow, as we often hear in the news?