How do the objects we rely on come to be made? What goes into creating them? How did they become so vital to us? And what is the environmental impact of living ...
Dr Adam Rutherford on bodies, blue-sky projects and blue-blooded crabs
Geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford relies on refrigeration to preserve the unique DNA samples that underpin his lab work. Furthermore, as he explains to Dr Anna, fridges are good for keeping his beer cold! In an episode all about research and development, Adam and Anna are joined by Marie-Pierre Paquin, Head of Science and Partnerships at Rio Tinto, to explore how a mix of curiosity, diligence and data leads to scientific breakthroughs. Listen to find out how many periodic table elements are in the human body, why some parts of the world are richer in DNA samples than others, and why certain crustaceans have blue blood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Get ready for Series 2
Series 2 of Things You Can’t Live Without is coming soon. Here’s Dr Anna Ploszajski with a preview of what you can expect. Make sure you follow the show to hear new episodes as they launch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hod Lipson’s Graphics Processing Unit: AI, robots eating robots and the unsung material that helps power our computers
Hod Lipson - Columbia University professor and award-winning robotics researcher - shares with Dr. Anna the one item he can’t live without - his Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The conversation reveals how much GPUs underpin our electronic world, and how one somewhat unsung element - boron - is at the heart of making them work. Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive, Minerals, Sinead Kaufman, unpicks what boron is, how it’s extracted, and what needs to be done to keep us having the electronic devices so many of us rely on. We also look at how AI might have a role to play in the future of mining, why boron is “the WD-40 of the world” and what’s being done to help sustainability by “robots eating robots”! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Dr. Leah Alconcel’s Lasers: Missions to Jupiter, space junk and the future of communications
Spacecraft engineer Dr. Leah Alconcel joins Dr. Anna to tell her about the one item she can’t live without - her lasersFrom sending spacecraft to Saturn to the possibility of being able to watch TikTok in outer space, Dr. Leah shares the critical role that lasers have in her life. We are joined again by Rio’s Chief Scientist, Nigel Steward, who reveals how lasers are in fact a fundamental part of everyone’s daily lives and the role of the very small but powerful metals called Rare Earths which ironically (and thankfully) are not that rare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza’s Field Microscope: Boiling rivers, ancient Chinese water microscopes and working with communities to ensure ecosystems into the future
Chemical biologist and explorer Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza shares with Dr. Anna the one item she can’t live without - her field microscope. Dr. Rosa takes us on an expedition to the Amazon as we understand how integral her microscope is to her day-to-day work searching for the tiniest creatures, from heat-loving microbes that exist in boiling rivers to the stingless bee native to Peru. Another exploration expert - Rio Tinto’s Managing Director of Studies, Alison Morley - joins us to share tales of following the clues found in the patterns in rocks and what these patterns tell us about our earth, before Dr. Anna asks both Dr. Rosa and Alison how we can ensure that these ecosystems being explored are protected for our future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How do the objects we rely on come to be made? What goes into creating them? How did they become so vital to us? And what is the environmental impact of living with them, now and into the future? Join material scientist Dr Anna Ploszajski as she welcomes different guests including scientists to discuss the truths about our reliance on the earth’s resources – and to look at what needs to happen to create a sustainable future for the everyday items we have come to rely on. Things You Can’t Live Without is brought to you by Rio Tinto. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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