Podcast: Tractor beams, soundscapes and time travel

In the latest Imperial Podcast, we visit the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition and look into the science behind Back to the Future.

Professor Alan Heavens gave a talk on time travel alongside a special screening to mark the film’s 30^th anniversary. We asked him what period of history he would like to travel to.

At the Royal Society, Imperial researchers showed us their exhibits demonstrating 'audio zoom' technology and advanced techniques for studying individual cells in isolation.

The podcast is presented by Gareth Mitchell, a lecturer on Imperial's Science Communication MSc course and the presenter of Click Radio on the BBC World Service, with contributions from our roaming reporters from the Research Communications group.

Download the complete podcast (mp3)

OR LISTEN TO INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS

News: gene therapy and power plants – Encouraging results from a cystic fibrosis clinical trial and a project to deliver electricity to rural India. Plus, we pick some great days out in South Kensington.

Single cell science - Duncan Casey describes how his team use tractor beams to capture individual cells in a sample at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.

The science of time travel - Professor Alan Heavens discusses the physical concepts behind Back to the Future, and what he would do with a time machine.

Soundscapes - Clement Doire explains the 'audio zoom' technology his team are demonstrating at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.