Why are most gases invisible, odourless and tasteless? Why do some poison us and others make us laugh? And why do some power our engines while others make drinks fizzy?

In this hour-long webinar, broadcast on 12 July 2024, you will hear from Mark Miodownik, winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Stuff Matters talking about his new book: It’s a Gas. Mark – a leading expert in the field and one of the most recognised and entertaining science broadcasters in the UK – masterfully reveals an invisible world, taking us back to that exhilarating, and often dangerous, moment when scientists tried to work out exactly what they had discovered.

You will learn how gases are the formative substances of our modern world, each with its own weird and wonderful personality. Do you know how nitrous oxide affects our neural pathways? Or how plants use gases to grow and how flowers smell them? In the webinar, Mark reveals much about the world of gases – from compelling stories of scientists first discovering new gases, to those involved in the carbon-fuelled climate crisis.

Missed the live event? Watch the recording to learn more about the invisible world of gases through Mark’s unique brand of scientific storytelling.

Meet the author

 

Portrait headshot of Mark Miodownik standing in front of a brick wall

Mark Miodownik

A Financial Times Master of science and chosen by The Times as one of the 100 most influential scientists in the UK. Mark Miodownik is professor of materials and society at University College London, UK, where he is also director of the Institute of Making. Mark regularly presents BBC television and radio programmes on science and engineering such as Everyday Miracles and Materials: How They Work. A new BBC radio 4 series with Mark Miodownik comes out soon: Glued Up: The Sticky Story of Humanity.

 
 

Cover image of Mark Miodownik's book It's a Gas

It’s a Gas will be the first popular science book dedicated to gases, brimming with compelling stories of scientists first discovering new gases – from the leading expert in the field and one of the most recognised and entertaining science broadcasters in the UK.

The book is published in the UK on 11th July 2024 and available for pre-order now.

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