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Dive deep into the world of science and engineering with engaging discussions and thought provoking debates. The team share insights from careers in science and engineering, combining expert knowledge and scientific thinking with a touch of humour to make even the most complex topics accessible and entertaining for both enthusiasts and casual listeners. Sometimes we’re funny, often we’re opinionated, always we’re entertaining. Support us: https://ko-fi.com/techspeak_podcast X/Twitter: @TechnicallySp11 Instagram: technicallyspeaking.podcast Reddit: techspeak_podcast Email: techspeak.podcast@gmail.com
Episodes

Thursday Aug 31, 2023
What can we learn from nesting habits of birds?
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
A lot of effort goes in to studying birds and their habits. Laura, Ellie and Antonia talk about nesting habits, what we can learn from them and why it’s important for scientists to know about them. They also talk about what you can do at home to help birds survive as climate and their environment changes.

Thursday Aug 17, 2023
How did university shape our careers in the energy industry?
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
An audience from the Engineering Development Trust's Insights to University course quizzes Antonia, Jasmin, Alasdair and Sophie about how they chose their degree course, what sort of research they worked on, if they got to choose modules about climate change, and whether it’s better to do undergraduate masters or a bachelor’s degree. They also discuss how their individual choices led each of them to work in different aspects of the energy industry and whether they would change anything about how they got there.

Thursday Aug 03, 2023
Is industrial-scale carbon capture really feasible?
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
Although carbon capture technology is in use now, there are quite a few hurdles to jump before it becomes widely used. Laura, Jasmin and Antonia are joined by a live audience from the Engineering Development Trust's Routes to STEM course to talk about industrial applications of carbon capture in various industries. They field questions from the audience about the wider energy industry, discuss how options for storage compare to using the gas in a circular carbon economy and consider whether planting trees really can make a company carbon negative.
They mention several other episodes during the conversation, possibly more than ever before (because everything is connected!):
- Ep 18. Why can't we such carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere?
- Ep 59. What are E-fuels?
- Ep 32. What is sustainability?
- Ep 11. Is battery technology ready for widespread use in electric cars?
- Ep 03. How can nuclear power help beat climate change?
- Ep 23. How is fusion energy portrayed in Spider-Man?
- Ep 17. Is plastic a good thing?
- Ep 24. How do you build a skyscraper?
- Ep 26. Should we control the weather or get better at predicting it?

Thursday Jul 20, 2023
How can biophysics help develop drugs?
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
It’s a weird mash-up of biology and physics and it really is useful. Antonia, Emma and Laura talk about how to simulate biology on a computer, how physics is involved, and speculate on how artificial intelligence could help improve the simulations and lead to speedier, cheaper drug development.

Thursday Jul 06, 2023
What astounds us about science?
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
It’s not often you hear about a new discovery of theory in science that makes you say 'wow!' Laura and Antonia talk about some of their moments of astonishment when they've learned something about black holes or dinosaurs.

Thursday Jun 22, 2023
How do you know if you’ve found a meterorite?
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Meteor showers are well worth staying up late for but how often do heavenly bodies fall to Earth and what do they look like? Ellie and Laura discuss this, what to do if you find one, how they compare to terrestrial objects like gold, and discuss whether they're valuable. They also get interrupted by various animals and can't help mention rewilding.

Thursday Jun 01, 2023
How could artificial intelligence affect healthcare?
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Could artificial intelligence take some of the most highly skilled jobs? Would you want to see an AI for healthcare and get a diagnosis? Would you trust it more than a real life person? Laura, Antonia and Sarah discuss all this and more. Sarah uses her considerable experience as a medical doctor and teaching of surgery to guide us through the pros and cons of AI in healthcare and the team speculate on what the future might hold. Ever thought about what you'd want your ideal doctor to act like?

Thursday May 18, 2023
Does 3D printing help engineering?
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
The technology to print in 3D has been around for a while and it’s used to do some really cool stuff. Laura and Rwayda discuss an amazing new type of material that can be given different properties simply by turning tiny mechanical gears which could be used to make robots and more. They look at how houses can be printed out of concrete to create visually appealing designs that can outlast traditional construction techniques and they speculate on what the future might hold. Could we use artificial intelligence to help print new materials?

Thursday May 04, 2023
What are eFuels?
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Hydrocarbons have been really helpful to humankind and some technology relies so heavily on them that we'll not stop using them any time soon. Antonia, Jasmin, Sophie and Alasdair discuss eFuels which are a new source of hydrocarbons that could replace fossil fuels. Sophie and Alasdair talk about the company they have founded called Carbon Neutral Fuels which aims to suck carbon dioxide out of the environment and turn it into fuel for airplanes. The team discusses the different technologies to do this as well as what else it could be used for.
They also touch on TRLs (Technology Readiness Levels - a way of describing how mature a technology is) and explain some of the terminology used in this new and fast-growing industry.

Thursday Apr 20, 2023
What is chaos theory?
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
We've seen it used a lot in the movies so Antonia, Laura and Emma discuss what chaos theory menas to physicists along with uses in weather prediction, biochemistry, economics and more. They also have a bit of wild speculation about how it could be used to produce some uplifting storylines.