Science trip to Cambridge

We were very lucky last week to have been invited on a free trip to Magdalene College in Cambridge.

On the day we were able to have three 'lectures' from professional scientists.

Hunting for alien worlds – Dr Frances Rigby

In this talk we learnt about exoplanets – planets that orbit around a star other than our Sun. We learnt about how astronomers find these planets using the transit method, by looking at how the light from a star dims when a planet passes in front of it. Some of these planets are nothing like the Earth, or any of the planets in our Solar System! We also learnt how starlight passing through a planet’s atmosphere can tell us what chemicals it’s made of, and, finally, how this can help us search for signs of extraterrestrial life.

Questions to consider:

- What are the planets in our Solar System?

- How do you think exoplanets could be different from the planets in our Solar System?

- Why might it be hard to see planets around other stars, even with powerful telescopes?

- What kinds of things might make a planet suitable for life?

What’s so super about superfluids and superconductors? - Professor Chris Hooley

Many of us already know that helium makes your voice go squeaky if you breathe it in. But did you know that, if I cool it down, it becomes a weird liquid called a superfluid? Superfluids can climb out of cups on their own, and show strange fountain effects when I heat them. Superconductors can make magnets levitate, which we can use for superfast trains. We saw some videos of superfluids and superconductors in action.

How did we evolve from apes into humans? - Dr Will Barrie

In this talk, we covered all the big topics of human evolution! We started with what evolution actually is: how and why do animals change over time? Then we discussed what adaptations humans have, and why we sometimes look different from each other. We talked a little bit about what it’s like being a scientist researching human evolution. 

Questions to consider:

- How many adaptations of the human body can you name?

- Can you think of adaptations that aren’t just about the body (hint: behaviours)?

- Where does information about what humans looked like in the past come from?

- What might humans look like in the future?

After the talks, we were able to have a tour around the college campus, including their incredible new library!