It's In Material

Big Picture Science

Science, Technology

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2018

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

(Repeat) Astronauts are made of the “right stuff,” but what about their spacesuits? NASA’s pressurized and helmeted onesies are remarkable, but they need updating if we’re to boldly go into deep space. Suiting up on Mars requires more manual flexibility, for example. Find out what innovative materials might be used to reboot the suit. Meanwhile, strange new materials are in the pipeline for use on terra firma: spider silk is kicking off the development of biological materials that are inspiring ultra-strong, economical, and entirely new fabrics. And, while flesh-eating bacteria may seem like an unlikely ally in materials science, your doctor might reach for them one day. The bacterium’s proteins are the inspiration for a medical molecular superglue. Plus, an overview of more innovative materials to come, from those that are 3D printed to self-healing concrete. Guests: Nicole Stott– Retired NASA astronaut, artist Dava Newman– Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Andrew Dent– Vice President of Library and Materials Research, Material ConneXion Mark Howarth– Biochemist, Oxford University Mark Miodownik– Materials scientist, University College London, author of “Stuff Matters; Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast.
0:05.0	This episode is brought to you by Revolute.
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0:56.4	or lowercase. That's Shopify dot co-deekk slash special offer. Ever since humans began building things, and that's a long time ago, we've been using this stuff around us, rocks, trees, dirt.
1:19.0	Eventually, we figured out how to turn some of the rocks into concrete and get metals out of that dirt.
1:24.5	But now we don't have to make everything out of the materials that are just sitting around
1:27.9	in the environment, but can engineer entirely new materials that might be better. Houses that replace the two by fours
1:35.3	and their walls with carbon nanotubes, or something else that won't rod or be
1:39.8	eaten by termites, or compounds with properties we haven't even thought of yet. I'm Seth
1:45.4	Shostak. I'm Molly Bentley. Welcome to Big Picture Science produced at the
1:49.0	City Institute where researchers investigate the nature and origin of life.
	...

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