Whether they swim, slither, jump, or fly, animal locomotion is more than just an urge to roam: it’s necessary for survival. Evolution has come up with ingenious schemes to get from here to there. Hear how backbones evolved as a consequence of fish needing to wag their fins, and why no animals have wheels.
Motion is more than locomotion. Test the physics of movement in your kitchen and find out what popping corn has in common with the first steam engine.
And while physics insists that atoms are always moving, find how what happens to these basic building blocks when placed in the coldest spot in the universe. The Cold Atom Laboratory chills material to nearly absolute zero, creating some weird superfluid effects as atoms slow down.
Guests:
-
Matt Wilkinson – Zoologist, science writer, University of Cambridge, author of Restless Creatures: The Story of Life in Ten Movements. Technology.
-
Helen Czerski – physicist, University College London, author of Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life.
-
Anita Sengupta – Aerospace Engineer and project manager of the Cold Atom Laboratory at NASA’S Jet Propulsion Lab.
Segments:
Part 1: Matt Wilkinson / Life Locomotion
Part 2: Helen Czerski / Everyday Physics
Part 3: Seth Shostak / Trappist-1 System
Part 4: Anita Sengupta / Freezing Atoms
originally aired March 13, 2017
