It’s coming soon to a venue near you …..

 It’s coming soon …… 

9th – 13th March Science and Maths Week – look out for pi-day, the infamous Dr Bang Bang and much more! 

Huge Congratulations

 Yipeee!! Huge congratulations to the two AGS West Midlands Chemistry competition teams who beat tough oposition from Princethorpe College and King Edwards Camp Hill this week! We’re through to the finals to be held at Birmingham University on 10th March. Wish us luck. Dr Ro’s Team of David Edey, James Stevens, Will Tremellen and Ben Jackson and Mav’s Team of Tim King, Dan DeRosa, Rhys Metters and Ed Lowe

February’s Molecule of the Month

 Indigotin  - The dye used to colour blue jeans. Find out more about it here

This was the week …. when?

   This was the week when ….

John Alexander Reina Newlands reads his paper on the ‘Law of Octaves’ to describe the periodicity of the elements to the Chemical Society. It was not well received or accepted for publication.

What’s on TV this week?

  Science on TV week beginning 27th February

Snowstorm: Britain’s Big Freeze

Channel 4 104, Saturday 28th February 19:00 to 20:00
In the first weeks of February, travellers were stranded and thousands of schools closed as Britain suffered its worst snow falls in 18 years. This film documents that extraordinary week and the fallout from the storm, exploring the possible factors behind the freak weather.

Science and Engineering Week

Teachers TV 880, Monday 2nd March 7:00 to 8:00
STEM Subject Choice and Careers – Science: explore the career opportunities in science. Followed by Professional Knowledge – Why Is Science Important?; and Ferocious Elements.

Horizon  

BBC 2 London 102, Tuesday 3rd March 21:00 to 22:00
What’s the Problem with Nudity?
Why are people embarrassed about their bodies? Horizon takes a group of volunteers and subjects them to a series of psychological and physical tests to challenge attitudes to the naked human form. Humans are the only creatures that can be ‘naked’ – but why, how and when did humans lose their fur? The answers may be found in unexpected places: the chest hair of Finnish students, the genetic history of lice, the sweat of an unusual monkey – may hold the key to the success of the human species.

 

Heston’s Victorian Feast

Channel 4 104, Tuesday 3rd March 21:00 to 22:00
Heston Blumenthal is on a mission to use myth, science and history to create the greatest feasts ever known. The Victorian age was filled to the brim with invention, madness and imagination, and food was often grandiose, naughty and surreal. In this first episode of the four-part series, Heston takes his inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, the quintessential Victorian novel, to create his ultimate version of the Mad Hatter’s tea party for celebrity diners including journalist Rageh Omaar, actress Gemma Redgrave, TV journalist Dawn Porter, food critic Toby Young and radio presenter Richard Bacon.

 

Jimmy Doherty in Darwin’s Garden

BBC 2 London 102, Thursday 5th March 20:00 to 21:00
Dangerous Ideas. Episode 1.
When Charles Darwin set about proving his theory of evolution, he had none of the advantages of modern genetics or DNA analysis, so he came up with some ingenious experiments of his own. In this series, Jimmy Doherty recreates many of these investigations. Jimmy takes a hands-on approach as he digs up a patch of turf in Darwin’s own garden in Kent to illustrate the struggle for existence; he ropes down a chalk cliff to explore the age of the Earth; and he lets seeds soak in salt water for a month. The smelly results from this experiment prove that plants have the potential to cross oceans.

 

Darwin’s Dangerous Idea

BBC 2 London 102, Thursday 5th March 21:00 to 22:00
Body and Soul. Episode 1.
In the first of a new three-part series Andrew Marr explores how Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection has taken on a life of its own far beyond the world of science. He argues that Darwin’s theory has transformed our understanding of what it means to be human. Over the last 150 years, Darwin’s ideas have challenged the need for a creator, undermined religious authority, and provided new ways of looking at the origins of human morality.

 

i-Science

BBC 2 London 102, Thursday 5th March 4:00 to 5:00
A fun, engaging and relevant programme, inspiring the viewer to consider the science within and how scientific process can be used to test ideas and develop theories, rather than just looking for a given answer to a known question. Aimed at Key Stage 4, but can also be used by teachers and pupils at Key Stage 3 and beyond Key Stage 4.