News

The first evictions have taken place and so sadly we have to say goodbye to 11 scientists as they leave the competition (although they can still talk with students in live chats if they want!). Scientists evicted: Brain Zone – Michael Digital Zone – Angela Drug Development Zone – Jon Food Science Zone – Grant Health Zone – Jill Medical Physics Zone – Charlotte Space Zone – Usman Technetium Zone – Nicola Ruthenium Zone – Nathan Rhodium Zone – Sandra Palladium Zone – Simon   It was a competitive day of chats as the scientists fought to stay in the running for the prize money, here are some highlights: Did you know… Miracle berries can make anything taste sweet: kjt2000 : Whats the most interesting food, in your opinion? racheledwardsstuart : I like the miracle berry. It turns acidic foods sweet – its really crazy! If you eat a lime after … Continue reading →

Week 2 of live chats and it’s been yet another busy day. The evictions start tomorrow so it really is your last chance to make your votes count! Lots of interesting chats today… Did you know… Crabs have two brains (sort of): goldengusman : r there any animals that have more than one brain or none at all? benbrilot : actually yes, so great question. Go and google crab brains because crabs actually have their brain split between what’s called a dorsal and a ventral ganglion: they have two centres where nerves are gathered to communicate. Weird huh. Evolution can’t keep up with climate change: mirandagoesrawr190 : Do you think the human race will ever evolve to suit all types of climate? grantkennedy : not if we keep changing the climate at the current rate! We’ve changed things significantly since in just a few hundred years, but it takes thousands … Continue reading →

It’s day 5 and the end of our first week of chats – that means we’re half way through I’m a Scientist March 2013 and the evictions start next Tuesday at 3pm sharp. Make sure you’ve voted for your favourite or they might end up out of the competition! Did you know… No-one really knows how our brains remember and forget information: 
charmedvirgo : How does our brain contain all the seemingly infinite information in a finite space? michaelcraig : good question. It’s an amazing piece of equipment. The brain is amazingly efficient at remembering relevant information and forgetting useless information. Truth is though, we dont know how it does it! A huge multi million pound study has just been set up that involves my work to find out how the brain remembers and forgets information so that we can build computers to learn and remember and store information in … Continue reading →

Seeing as we’re all such good sports here, and seeing as it’s for a good cause, I’m a Scientist have decided to set a couple of charitable goals. The scientists are already sporting their red noses and we’re getting on board by asking you to retweet us on Twitter. So.. If we get 100 retweets we’ll donate £50 to Comic Relief And if we get 150 retweets, Shane will wear a red nose for the rest of the day But if we get over 200 retweets the rest of the office (Rosie) will wear one So. Retweet. You can also make a donation here, and you should, because it’s for a good cause. Check out the scientists noses in; Brain Zone, Digital Zone, Drug Development Zone, Food Science Zone, Health Zone, Medical Physics Zone, Space Zone, Technetium Zone, Ruthenium Zone, Rhodium Zone, Palladium Zone

We can’t believe the first week of chats is nearly over! It’s been a pretty busy day and tomorrow’s going to be hectic too. Once again we’ve picked out some of the best bits to entertain and inform you – today’s highlights include noisy shrimps, helium rain on Jupiter and… frogs. Did you know… Snapping shrimp are noisy sea-dwellers: mariatereza : what is the most intresting sound in the water sophieholles : Snapping shrimp that live on coral reefs make really interesting sounds in the water.. they snap their claws together so fast that they create a vacuum of zero pressure, that makes a sort of air bubble. But the water around it makes it collapse really quickly and that makes a snapping sound. They use it to stun their prey and to announce their territories It’s impossible to travel at the speed of light: scienzerking4life : if you go … Continue reading →

It’s day 3 of the live chats and there’s no let up in the quality and quantity of questions! Interesting topics covered include blind people’s dreams, zombie invasions and whether aliens could be edible! Did you know… Some people think zombies really exist: grovez : could there ever be a zombie invasion ? benbrilot : unlikely, but actually zombies exist according to some philosophers. A zombie is technically someone who behaves exactly like any other person, but who has no self-awareness, they have no idea that they exist or why they’re doing what they’re doing We can’t trust our memories: sessess : So talking about memory, is it true that every time you remember something you’re actually only remembering the last time that you remembered it? (if that makes any sense…) michaelcraig : Great question again. Over time are memories can change, for example if you remember something you did … Continue reading →

Second day of chats and we’ve had loads of great questions coming in. The scientists have been busy in live chats and answering questions you’ve left in ask. Today we’ve covered everything from diamonds raining down on Neptune to underwater volcanoes to sleeping dolphins! Did you know… There’s diamond rain on Neptune: shaphinaaa : what is the most interesting fact you’ve learnt throughout your career? martinarcher : Scientists are full of interesting facts, so I couldn’t pick just one. But here’s an example: did you know on Neptune we think it rains diamonds! racodk : Rains diamonds? haha, I want to go there! Underwater volcanoes exist: louisekempxo : Can you get underwater volcanos? glynbarrett : sure! they are amazingly beautiful and the lava as it cools forms amazing shapes proscientist123 : really underseas volcanos that is stupendous Dolphins sleep with half their brain: subtlemoonspirit : What is the wierdest thing you … Continue reading →

It’s been a hectic first day of chats and the range of questions asked and topics covered has been huge! From video gaming surgeons to why our fingers go wrinkly in the bath, the students have uncovered some pretty fascinating stuff. Did you know… Video gaming surgeons are better at operations: isaacimogen41 : How do you think people will benifit from playing computer games phillipwilkinson : There was a study that showed surgeons who play video games as a hobby could perform operations faster and with less mistakes! So video games can help with motor-function. So your ability to do things with your hands is the most obvious. Synthetic life forms may exist in the future: kimjombamabinil : is it possible that in the future we will be able to synsthesise life? alessandroguazzi : definetely! Someone’s working towards that! Craig Venter is the main pioneer but we’re still at the … Continue reading →

Live chats start on Monday! There are already lots of questions queued up for the scientists to answer in ‘Ask’  but the real fun begins on Monday when the live chats start. The scientists have been very busy filling out their profiles and we can’t wait to hear the students’ questions – hope the scientists are up for the challenge! Check this out… Glyn in Technetium Zone has uploaded some cool pictures of his research studying dangerous bacteria and tells us all about his work in the greenhouse and the lab, and he’s not the only keen scientist in Technetium… …as there’s fighting talk from seafood-loving fisheries officer Debbie who tweeted: “Our zone is definitely going to be the best! we have the best schools as well” Grant in Food Zone (a.k.a. Doctor Bubbles) wins best profile joke – What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by … Continue reading →

It’s time to announce the scientists and schools taking part in next I’m a Scientist event, running from March 11th-22nd 2013. We were really oversubscribed with both scientists and schools this time round. 6 scientists applied for every place. There were a lot of great scientists doing fascinating research we had to turn down. In November 2012 one scientist said “I had an amazing experience and that was down to the enthusiasm shown by [the students] for Science, both weird and wonderful!”. I’m sure this event will be the same. Schools wanted 36% more classes than we have space for. 140 teachers will be taking part with schools from Penmaenmawr to Jersey, and Montrose to the Lizard Peninsula. A teacher in November 2012 explains why she wants to take part again – “it was a really enjoyable way to ‘open’ pupils eyes to what is possible.”     Brain Zone Scientists … Continue reading →