Brian Clegg
Author of The universe inside you
Brian read Natural Sciences at Cambridge University and gained an MA in Operational Research at Lancaster University. From Lancaster, he joined British Airways, originally working in OR and later forming a new department tasked with developing hi-tech solutions for the airline. Brian now concentrates on writing popular science books, with topics ranging from infinity to time machines. He also writes for magazines and newspapers from Nature and The Wall Street Journal to Playboy. He gives regular talks and has contributed to radio and TV programmes. Brian edits the www.popularscience.co.uk book review site and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Contact info
- Website:
- www.brianclegg.net
ReviewSticking Together: The Science of Adhesion
This book will answer everything you ever wanted to know about how things stick to other things – from geckos to PVA adhesive
PodcastHexasilabenzene
Brian Clegg discovers what a six-membered silicon ring can tell us about alien life
PodcastOleic acid
Brian Clegg discovers the link between olive oil, dandruff and stained glass windows.
PodcastTerephthalic acid
Once thought of as an interesting – but useless – turpentine derivative, this oddly-named acid became the precursor to one of the world’s most widely used plastics
PodcastGallium arsenide
Brian Clegg introduces gallium arsenide – the supercar of the semiconductor scene
PodcastSilver iodide
How the compound that ushered in a photographic revolution has taken to the skies to try to control the weather
PodcastBeryllium oxide
Brian Clegg examines the duality that makes beryllium oxide so valuable to the electronics industry
PodcastTalc: Magnesium silicate
Coating your naked body with powdered magnesium silicate may sound strange, but it's an important part of many bathtime rituals
PodcastTin chlorides
The compounds that put the 'tin' in tin cans and help you to reflect on your appearance
PodcastBenzaldehyde
Brian Clegg on the almond flavour compound that gives your taste buds a treat and may help rescue survivors from a disaster
PodcastIron sulfides
One mineral form may look like gold, but Brian Clegg isn't fooled by the value of iron sulfides
PodcastPotassium bitartrate
Brian Clegg with the winemaking byproduct that may be lurking in your larder