Science

Never Lick the Spoon

by Imperial College

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Latest episodes

Ep34: Sustainable Materials: Prof Joao Cabral, Prof Alamgir Karim & Dr Pedro Nakasu

October 6, 2025 · 55 min

Let’s define the problem. Is there a plastic iceberg in the ocean? No, of course not. Micro plastics are invisible. And it’s going up the food chain. Why is there no solution for complex plastics (like nappies and crisp packets)? How…
Episode 33. SERCH Part 2: A Display Case for SERCH

March 14, 2025 · 40 min

In this episode we ask experts in Conservation and Conservation Research about the challenges they face in preserving our history, and why heritage conservation is important in today's times. Do we need more science and engineering…
Episode 32. SERCH Part 1. Do Practical Skills Matter in the Age of AI?

February 28, 2025 · 43 min

At the Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage Conference 2025, a panel discussed "Balancing Innovation and Craft: Do Practical Skills Still Matter in the age of AI?" Panel members include; Professor Ambrose Taylor (Chair)…
Episode 31. ‘Wildfires and rhino poo – tales from transdisciplinary research’.

January 17, 2025 · 20 min

The time has come to make new year resolutions! How about starting a collaboration with a researcher in a different field? Or expanding research beyond the lab into industry applications and policy recommendations? If these ideas have…
Episode 30. Sculpting with 3D printing

September 10, 2024 · 32 min

If you had access to a 3D printer, what would you print? Something fun, something useful? How about both? Alex Christopherson, a final year undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London and David Samuel, an…

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Episode 29 - Happy Women in Engineering Day from IMSE

June 24, 2024 · 18 min

Women in Engineering day is celebrated on the 23rd of June. To commemorate this special date, we talked to two women in engineering working and studying with the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering (IMSE). Our guests for this…
Episode 28 - Fine art and floppy discs

March 19, 2024 · 16 min

What sorts of science and engineering challenges do museums have in looking after their collections? In this episode I explore how Imperial’s research into data science, polymers and lasers is being used to understand and preserve…
Episode 27 - Robots built my battery

October 16, 2023 · 15 min

A team at Imperial are building a robotic laboratory called DIGIBAT. This will automate research into materials for energy storage and energy generation. Robots won't just discover new materials. They'll also do the laborious work of…
Episode 26 - The ingredients list

July 5, 2023 · 15 min

What do fertilizer, body lotion, paracetamol tablets and mayonnaise have in common? Well, they’re all engineered mixtures, and they all have a long list of unpronounceable chemicals on the back of the packet. How can adjusting these…
Episode 25 - In plane sight

May 25, 2023 · 14 min

What are the sustainable alternatives to kerosene to power aircraft into a net zero world? And what would it take to scale their production up to meet demand? I talk to two authors of the recent IMSE briefing paper on low carbon fuels for…
Episode 24 - Desirably defective

March 17, 2023 · 18 min

Silicon-based solar panels are four times as efficient as plants at harvesting energy from sunlight. But they're expensive to produce because the material they're made of has to be very precisely engineered. What if we could make solar…
Episode 23 - The Trojan Molecule

January 26, 2023 · 16 min

Molecules that change shape when light falls on them have many uses. Like the Trojan Horse, they can look benign, but transform into a weapon under the right circumstances. This week we explore how photoswitchable molecules could help…

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About the show

A quirky podcast from Imperial College (Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering), that explore how tiny molecules matter in making big differences to global challenges.