Physics World Weekly Podcast - Quantum-enabled scanner will boost our understanding of brain function, doing research 6.5 km under the ocean’s surface

Quantum-enabled scanner will boost our understanding of brain function, doing research 6.5 km under the ocean’s surface

02/18/21 • 49 min

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, we meet Hannah Coleman, Ryan Hill and Matt Brookes of the UK’s University of Nottingham, who talk about a new way of scanning the brain using quantum devices called optically pumped magnetometers. A key feature of the technique is that it allows magneto-encephalography to be used to study the brains of children, which had not been possible using other technologies.

We also hear from Adam Soule, an undersea expert at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US. Soule talks to Physics World’s James Dacey about doing science in the Alvin submersible vehicle, which is currently be refurbished to allow it to reach the astonishing depth of 6.5 km.

Finally, my colleague Margaret Harris joins me for a chat about some of the unexpected consequences of the recent cold snap in Texas.

Finally, my colleague Margaret Harris joins me for a chat about some of the unexpected consequences of the recent cold snap in Texas.

Previous Episode

How sidewinder snakes slither sideways, the challenges of creating sustainable infrastructure

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast we meet physicist Jennifer Rieser who has just moved from the Georgia Institute of Technology to Emory University, where she studies how snakes use tiny structures on their undersides to help propel themselves. Rieser talks about her recent research that suggests that microscopic pits on the bellies of sidewinder snakes help the reptiles achieve their sidewinding motion.

Also on hand is Arpad Horvath of the University of California, Berkeley who is founding editor-in-chief of the new journal Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability. He chats about the challenges of designing infrastructure that is environmentally sustainable. He also talks about the scope of the new journal and his plans for its future.

This podcast is sponsored by Teledyne Princeton Instruments. To learn more about how the company is changing scientific astronomy sign up to their astronomy webinar at princetoninstruments.com/webinars

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