Unlocking the mysteries of our great scientific discoveries
Departments Research impact and institutes 27th September 2017
Science has the power to unravel so many of the world’s mysteries – and yet it can still leave us scratching our heads. Luckily, our resident chemists are determined to demystify the subject for us.
CAMERA (Chemistry At Manchester Explains Research Advances) is a new series of films from the School of Chemistry that aims to simplify some of the greatest scientific achievements of the modern day.
Problem solved
We spend quite a bit of time reading papers published in scientific journals, and it can sometimes make your head whirl. Yet the work being carried out by the scientific community can touch on all areas of our lives – so it’s a good idea to understand what it all means.
The aim of CAMERA is to make tricky topics like chemistry accessible to everyone. Not only does this help us get to grips with important scientific research and its impact on us, but it also lets us find out about some pretty cool experiments.
The work coming out of our School of Chemistry in the last two years alone has the potential to revolutionise how we live. For example, have you heard of qubits? They’re units of quantum information that could act as the building blocks for a quantum computer (does that mean it can be on and off at the same time?!).
And did you know that people with Parkinson’s have a distinct smell? This discovery was made by The University of Manchester following a meeting with the wife of a patient with the disease. She had spotted that he had a noticeable odour – and the finding could be key to diagnosing people with the condition earlier.
Then there’s the breakthrough our chemists made when they were studying the vitamin B12. What makes B12 interesting is that when it’s hit with light, it doesn’t just glow, but it forms into something entirely new – and then into something else, and then into something else, and so on.
Why is this important? Well, depending on whether it’s in the dark or the light, B12 can act as an ‘on’ or ‘off’ switch for genes. This suggests it could potentially be used in phototherapeutic applications – but there’s an ethical debate to be had first.
Making things clear
We’re sure you’ll agree these are some significant discoveries being made right here at The University of Manchester. But understanding the chemistry can be tough – which is why these new videos are such a valuable resource.
Using interviews with some of our chemists and simple animations, the films make these complicated subjects far easier to comprehend. Understanding this work gets people interested – and an interest in science is what ensures we keep making important discoveries just like this for generations to come.
“It can be really difficult for the outside world to see what science we do, and how it relates to real life, because it is so involved nowadays,” Steve Liddle, Professor and Head of Inorganic Chemistry, explains. In order to raise the curtain surrounding the important but sometimes confusing work being done by the School of Chemistry, he came up with CAMERA.
“With this series of films, we wanted to lift the lid on that and give people who are interested in science – of whom there are a good many – a way to obtain genuine insight into the massive developments coming out of the School of Chemistry here at The University of Manchester.”
You can watch the first ten CAMERA videos here – and there’re plenty of subjects to choose from. Find out how to print out the 2D advanced material graphene, or how chemistry could help to make bulging barrels of nuclear waste safe again.
Keep an eye on the CAMERA YouTube page, because there will be more videos uploaded over the coming weeks. You’ll be a chemistry expert in no time!
Words – Hayley Cox
Images – The University of Manchester