Category: Science Group

Science 2 Meeting on Friday 16th September via Zoom

18 members attended the session. Each member has been allocated a letter of the alphabet, the idea being to talk to the group about a science based topic/word beginning with that letter.

Today Christine Vincent spoke about Rhodium which is a chemical element with the symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is an ultra-rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant, and chemically inert transition metal. Christine explained that the major use of rhodium is in catalytic converters for cars (80%). It reduces nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases.

Mark Jackson chose the letter J, Jellyfish. Jellyfish are ‘jelly-like’ creatures that live in the ocean. They have no brains. Jellyfish are estimated to be older than the first dinosaurs. They are invertebrates, which mean they aren’t fish. Mark explained that the Box Jellyfishes are one of the most dangerous of all species of Jellyfish in the world. The fact that they have such a toxic venom that they release is why people don’t want to be around them.

Helen Rose then gave an extended presentation on ‘Women in Maths and Science’ covering some significant women mathematicians and scientists and their contribution across the centuries. She explained that until the 19th century women were excluded from education yet some brilliant pioneer women overcame this major obstacle through their exceptional talent and ability. There were several who had to masquerade as men to attend lectures. Those early pioneers led the way for women to access a general education and specialisation in many spheres of science and maths.

Next Meeting (via Zoom)Friday October 16th 10.00am

To contact David Rose, the group leader, please use the contact form below:-

The group met via Zoom on Friday 17th July and on Friday 31st July. The first meeting was rather disappointing as, despite a practice sessio, the screen sharing went awry. That could be the fault of the operator (me) or a technical hitch…

Despite that Christine Vincent managed to tell us something about Rachel Carson who spent four years gathering research and writing a book. She named it Silent Spring referring to birds dying due to pesticides and the spring being silent without their song. The book was published in 1962. The book became very popular and brought the environmental issues of pesticides to the general public. Rachel didn’t call for a ban on all pesticides. She advocated more research into the dangers of some pesticides and a lower volume of spraying. In 1973, DDT was banned in the United States. It is still used more sparingly in some countries to kill mosquitoes.

Alan Ratcliffe then spoke about hydrogen which is the lightest element in the periodic table. Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical substance in the universe, constituting roughly 75% of all normal matter.

On the 31st Bob Gow wowed us with the history and technology behind the Bestwood Winding House, a topic that deserves to be explored more and which will feature as a future article.

To finish, Sue Tedstone shared some facts about the 3 species: African bush elephant, African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. Elephants eat all types of vegetation, from grass and fruit to leaves and bark — about 165 to 330 pounds (75 to 150 kilograms) each day, which is about 4 to 6 percent of their body weight. They spend an average of 16 hours per day eating!

Thanks to all contributors.

To contact David Rose, the group leader, please use the form below:-