The Atomic Blade
Curious Cases
BBC
4.8 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 28 February 2018
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"What makes things sharp? Why are thinner knives sharper? What happens on the molecular level when you cut something?" All these questions came from Joshua Schwartz in New York City.
The ability to create sharp tools allowed us to fashion clothing, make shelters and hunt for food, all essential for the development of human civilisation, according to materials scientist Mark Miodownik.
We hear from IBM scientist Chris Lutz, who has used one of the sharpest blades in the world to slice up individual atoms.
Plus palaeoarchaeologist Becky Wragg Sykes reveals the sharpest natural object in the world, a volcanic glass used by the Aztecs called obsidian.
Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford Producer: Michelle Martin.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Dr Adam Rutherford. And I'm Dr Hannah Fry. And you are going to send us your everyday |
| 0:10.8 | mysteries. And we are going to investigate them using the power of science. Science. |
| 0:16.5 | I like it. Another episode of the Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry for you. Yes, it |
| 0:26.4 | is. This one is, we got one of our favourite Curious Curious contributors to the Curios. Mark |
| 0:32.8 | Moldovnik on this programme. We do. Now I interviewed Mark Moldovnik for this programme. And it was, |
| 0:39.4 | as you will hear, he tells a story of something that happened to him when he was younger. Now, |
| 0:46.0 | we as regular Curios will know, I happen to be slightly on the screen beside. And wasn't prepped |
| 0:53.8 | at all for what the story Mark was going to tell me in the interview would be. Now we have cut out |
| 1:00.4 | a lot of the graphic detail. Michelle has just informed me that you made her cut it out for |
| 1:06.5 | precisely the reasons that you are now describing. Okay, so Mark told this story and I almost fainted |
| 1:12.5 | during interview. I actually had to sort of half lie down. You know, you sort of lean so far |
| 1:17.7 | back in your chair that your head is kind of like lower than your shoulders. I had to do that |
| 1:22.8 | during the interview just to get through it. Well, let's leave it to the Curios to determine how |
| 1:27.8 | relaxed you sound in this interview. Here it comes. Hello, a cutting-edge question today. |
| 1:39.6 | Sent in to CuriousCases at BBC.co.uk by Joshua Schwartz from New York City. What makes things sharp? |
| 1:46.8 | Why are thin and I've sharper? And what happens on the molecular level when you cut something? |
| 1:51.6 | Now this is a materials question. Whenever it comes to talking about materials on this program, |
| 1:55.4 | we often turn to Professor Mark Widovnik for his expertise. And when it comes to sharp objects and |
| 2:02.0 | knives, especially, Mark has a slightly more personal story to share from back when he was 15. |
| 2:08.4 | Now I should warn anyone who happens to be a little bit squeamish like me that you might want to |
| 2:13.3 | put your fingers in your ears for the next minute or so. I was coming home from school, |
| 2:17.9 | standing on Hammersmith Tube Station waiting for my train. And this guy came up to me with a hoodie |
... |
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