Making Science with Tom Whipple

The start of the New Year in 2017 began in the usual way, with a countdown. But what happens when that countdown is eleven seconds rather than ten? In this final episode of the first series, Tom Whipple explores the evolution of time measurement, the complications a leap second can cause, and the ongoing debate among international 'time lords’ about what's to be done about it.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Making Science, Tom Whipple tells the story of physician and alchemist Johannes Baptist van Helmont. In the 17th-century Van Helmont believed he had created the Philosopher's Stone, a substance that could turn base metals into gold. Whilst this might have been a pipe dream his work indirectly paved the way for a monumental scientific discovery - photosynthesis.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sunshine Dinner of 1904 in New York was known for its glow-in-the-dark theme, featuring illuminated decorations, paint and of course, drinks. But what made these cocktails glow? It turned out to be none other than radium. In this episode of Making Science, Tom Whipple goes back to a time when radioactive products touted alluring health benefits. What they didn’t know then, was that the substance was unstable and would prove deadly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For over a century, the kilogram was defined by a single, shiny lump of metal locked in a vault near Paris. But what happens when your definition of mass starts...losing mass? In this episode, Tom Whipple, Science Editor at The Times, unpacks the surprisingly dramatic story of the kilo - from the French Revolution’s quest for order, to a quantum reimagining of what “weight” really means. Enter the kibble balance: a machine so precise it can weigh light itself. Sort of. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's April in 1940. The Nazis are occupying Copenhagen. As they march through the streets, a stark realisation hits the physicist Niels Bohr. He has hours - maybe less - to make two Nobel Prize medals disappear completely. What might a substance named Aqua Regia and a humble beaker do conceal two huge lumps of gold? And bring it back again...a decade later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of a frog who broke records and confounded science. Professor Tom Roberts from Brown University spent his whole career studying the biomechanics of frog jumping to understand how muscles work. He and other scientists had determined the average bullfrog's jump to be just over 1 meter. Very impressive, until, that is, they met 'Rosie the Ribeter'. This bull frog had achieved a 2.2 meter jump at a local competition. But how? Professor Roberts was perplexed when he could repeatedly failed to replicate these results in the lab. Why was Rosie able to break records in a contest but not in the research room?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1746, Antoine Nolie conducted an experiment with 200 monks to determine the speed of an electric current - by making the monks stand in a circle holding brass poles and connecting them to a large battery. What could possibly go wrong? And what would this experiment reveal about the way electrons flow? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Making Science, Tom Whipple delves into the intriguing science of latent heat and the thermodynamic properties of water - and how this science played a pivotal role in one of the strangest Allied schemes during World War II - a plan to create an 'iceberg aircraft carrier' known as Project Habakkuk.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Stone Age met the Bronze Age? It's time for Tom to explore the profound impact of alloys on a clash of Stone and Bronze Age technologies in battle. Who would have thought blending copper and tin would have such an impact on human history! How are alloys created? What properties made them useful? And what transformative role did they play in ancient toolmaking and modern engineering?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of the series of Making Science, Tom Whipple, Science Editor at the Times, explores the strange history of a 'death ray’ that supposedly promised to change modern warfare forever. In 1924, engineer and inventor Harry Grindell Matthews claimed to have created a beam that could stop an engine, ignite gunpowder, and incapacitate enemy soldiers from up to four miles away. Harry Grindell Matthews never revealed how his technology worked and few had seen the ray in action. So was it true? Perhaps the science of electromagnetic spectrum holds the answer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Making Science with Tom Whipple, Science Editor at The Times and Sunday Times. This is the podcast about the often bizarre mixture of innovation, determination and the unexpected that collide at a point in history to make science happen. Follow us now for weekly stories on the reality of discovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.