Sara Middleton Sara Middleton (PhD candidate in ecology) is injecting the drama into grassland communities by creating a drought. This is all in the name of research to try and find out how certain plants respond to extreme conditions because, as Middleton points out, they can’t just move somewhere nicer. The star of this “plant…
Where would the modern world be without efficient, rechargeable sources of power? The 2019 Nobel Prizes recognised transformative work to tackle this problem carried out in the Oxford Department of Chemistry. John Goodenough’s work in Oxford built upon the ideas of his co-recipient Whittingham, who had been amongst the first to use a material that…
Maria Violaris Why can’t you plug your computer into your bathtub? It seems like an obviously bad idea but, as Maria Violaris (4th year physicist) points out, when you zoom right in you’re surrounded by fast moving particles buzzing with energy. If we could find a way to harness this energy it begins to seem…
by Jake Pugsley, Year 13, The Cotswold School, Gloucestershire When I hear the term “unsung hero of science,” the first thought that comes to mind is of an underrated, belittled researcher, his theses discredited by the wider world of erudition. I imagine a man, slumped at his desk, disparaged by his fellows’ baseless accusations that…
by Mahma Hyder, Year 13, Wisbech Grammar School, Norfolk What do you think of when you hear about Islamic hospitals in the middle ages? You may envision a gruesome image of the amputations of limbs, horrific hygiene, and the sight of blood everywhere. In fact, it could not be further from the truth. The Middle…
by Dionne Jeevarajah, Year 13, Norwich High School for Girls, Norfolk Every two seconds someone in America needs a blood transfusion. Blood is such a vital aspect of our bodies and always has been throughout the course of history. It is an essential part of Haematology; used in surgeries, traumatic injuries and cancer treatments to…
by Kitty Joyce, Year 12, Oxford High School, Oxfordshire It is an insignificant day in 1869, and Edward Morley, aged 31, arrives at Western Reserve College to begin teaching. His mission is simple: to instruct the students in experimental technique. However, upon arriving, this seems impossible. The laboratory contains only a lamp, a slide rule,…
by Divya Kartik, Year 12, Guildford High School, Surrey Have you ever had a person in life whom you admire a lot? My interest in Bell Burnell was piqued the instant I saw a lab named after her at my school. A physics enthusiast myself, I looked her up, and what I read filled me…
by Jakub Sypek, Year 12, Peter Symonds College, Hampshire What was the name of the first satellite launched into space? The name of the first dog in orbit? The name of the first man in space? The first woman? These have become household names around the world, and rightfully so, but behind the curtains one…
by Krishna Gowda, Year 11, Merchant Taylors Boys School Crosby, Merseyside Whether interested in science or not, the vast majority of people have heard of Albert Einstein, esteemed physicist, renowned for his four ground-breaking papers. However, in recent years, evidence has emerged that calls into question the belief that Einstein worked alone, after a series…
