Things You Can't Live Without

    Phones, cars, saucepans, reading glasses… These are everyday items that we often take for granted. But how did these items come about? What goes into creating them? How did they become so vital to us? And what is the impact of living with them, now and into the future?  Hosted by material scientist Dr. Anna Ploszajski, each episode welcomes a different guest, and a selection of experts and 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 t...

  • Hod Lipson’s Graphics Processing Unit: AI, robots eating robots and the unsung material that helps power our computers

  • Dr. Leah Alconcel’s Lasers: Missions to Jupiter, space junk and the future of communications

  • Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza’s Field Microscope: Boiling rivers, ancient Chinese water microscopes and working with communities to ensure ecosystems into the future

  • Buddha Lo’s Salt: Thanksgiving turkeys, open-water swimming and a material fundamental to our survival

  • Alie Ward’s Insulated Flask: Nicknames, vacuums and the reality of low carbon steel

  • Cerys Matthews’ Climbing Equipment: Everest, foie gras and our collective responsibility for the planet

  • Shelley Roden’s Trash: Spaceships, Mrs Incredible and the power of the circular economy

  • OJ Borg’s E-Bike: World Record attempts, Lycra mishaps and how to keep the planet charged

  • Rudy Garcia-Tolson’s Prosthetic Legs: Gold medals, pirates and the price of movement

  • Susie Dent’s Dictionary: Demons, flatulence and the complicated future of our electronic devices

  • Welcome to Things You Can't Live Without

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