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Calibrated Conundrums

From spaghettification to uncertainty, Lynne Truss unpicks puzzling scientific terms. Scientists use language to give authority to their practice, but does it convince or alienate?

Notoriously fastidious about the English language, Lynne Truss unpicks puzzling scientific terms - From spaghettification to Uncertainty. Scientists use language to give authority to their practice, but does it convince or alienate? Cosmetics advertisements use "derma" instead of skin and phrases like "clinically proven" to give their products scientific clout. But Lynne learns that scientists can't "prove", they can only "disprove". Lynne puts her skills to the test at the Science Museum in London to demonstrate "the conservation of angular momentum" otherwise known as "move your bum in and out and go round in circles".

30 minutes

Last on

Tue 8 Mar 2011 11:00

Broadcast

  • Tue 8 Mar 2011 11:00