Tuesday 10th July 2007: "The middle-sized world" - The restless heart of matter

Between the tiny world of quarks and atoms, and the huge one of pebbles, planets and glaciers, there is another world, strangely neglected by science since Isaac Newton. It is inhabited by pollen, DNA and viruses, not to mention globules of paint, shampoo, milk and chocolate. its middle-sized denizens have one thing in common: they cannot keep still.

Dr Mark Haw, a materials scientist from the University of Nottingham, explores one of the first phenomena that budding chemists discover in the school laboratories, and explains how Brownian motion, so long overlooked, has become central to our explanations of Einsteinšs science, and to the new area of nanotechnology.

Scheduled as late in the summer as possible before we take our traditional break in August, this Cafe could be a perfect one to bring school-age science addicts to, though as ever, anyone and everyone is most welcome.

Come along and join us at 7pm in Blackwells Main Bookshop, Broad Street, Oxford.
No ticket, no booking, no scientific background required.