Printable electronics – A flexible future

by Matthew Dyson in Physics and Materials

Matthew Dyson imagines a world in which electronics can be printed like newspapers, rolled out like wallpaper, and attached to the back of our hands, sending immediate medical information to wireless networks. How does this all work, and what challenges must still be overcome in the world of flexible electronics?

FEATURED EPISODE

A little patch of spacetime

by Euan McLean in Physics

If you were to throw a baseball, physicists could tell you what its trajectory would be. The same goes for an electron in classical mechanics. But what happens when we move onto the quantum scale? Suddenly, predicting the path of particles becomes much more complex. Euan McLean explains how physicists are creating spacetime simulations to solve this problem.

The woman who unmasked the forger

by Mary Wellesley in Art History

In the 19th century, a forger of medieval art created works that today are more valuable unmasked than they would be if they were still thought to be originals. Medieval culture scholar Mary Wellesley takes us through the detective-like story of the woman who uncovered his deception.
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What are we about?

Know it Wall (KiW) is a place for inquisitive minds. From the sciences to the humanities, let world-class researchers excite your curiosity.


Based at UCL and Imperial College London, KiW works with academics to make audio and video documentaries, as well as short articles, that explain what is cool or interesting about the subjects they dedicate their lives to. From Stegosaurus to Shakespeare, protons to pandemics, there’s no limit to what you could encounter! Learn more

Dude, where's my car? (How philosophy might help you find it!)

by Luke Fenton-Glynn in Philosophy

The 2000 cult film ‘Dude, where’s my car?’ portrays two young men, Jesse (Ashton Kutcher) and Chester (Seann William Scott), on a journey to find a car. In this episode, UCL philosopher Luke Fenton-Glynn suggests they could have turned to philosophy to find it, and that policy-makers could do the same to tackle hard practical problems such as climate change.

The Muslim veil

by Katarzyna Falęcka in History

The Muslim veil has been both condemned as an object of female oppression and upheld as a feminist symbol. Political and cultural tensions have played out on the surface of this controversial garment, marking the female body as a battlefield. Katarzyna Falecka explores the role of the veil during the Algerian War of Independence, with a special focus on women’s agency.

Young travels of self-discovery: Past and present

by Emma Pauncefort in History and French Literature

Whilst the gap year has come to enjoy increasing popularity in recent years, it is no new phenomenon. Throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the young elite of England and France undertook travels to and from the European continent, broadening their cultural horizons whilst reaffirming their patriotic superiority. What did these ‘Grand Tours’ look like, and what can they tell us about the modern ‘gap year’?

Primary cilia: Forgotten cellular structures controlling health and disease

by Martin Knight in Bioengineering

There’s so much yet to be understood about the cells that make up our own bodies. Martin Knight talks us through one aspect of them, the Primary cilia, where potentially life changing discoveries are being made.

The global carbon cycle in a changing climate

by Heather Graven in Climate Science

Humans have increased the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere; that is clear. This CO2 is the main cause of global warming, but what is less widely acknowledged are the many ways that CO2 affects our planet. Imperial College physicist Heather Graven tells us about them.

Captain America and the state of US politics

by Jason Dittmer in Human Geography

For decades, Captain America stood at the centre of the liberal consensus in the United States. As political unity began to unravel, so too did the fictional hero’s bipartisan position. In times of political turmoil, what can Captain America tell us about the state of US politics?

A philosopher’s take on Global Basic Income

by Hillel Steiner in Philosophy and Economics

Inequality and poverty are bad — almost everyone agrees on that. The solution? A basic income guaranteed to everyone on Earth. Renowned political philosopher Hillel Steiner explains why and how we should implement it.

Am I crazy or is it physics

by Katy Clough in Physics

How do physicists know what will happen in situations that haven’t been tested? How sure can we be that physical laws are constant? Katy Clough explains how we are pushing the limits of what we know about the universe.

The science of attraction

by Carlota Batres in Psychology

Our choice of romantic partners has a huge bearing on our future well-being. But what makes certain people more attractive than others? According to psychologist Carlota Batres, there are two fundamental concepts shaping our preferences: symmetry and masculinity/femininity.

Why do we have a brain

by Alejandro Galvez-Pol in Neuroscience

Movements and perceptions are often thought to stand independently from each other — on the contrary, the human brain is always performing a multitude of cognitive processes. Alejandro Galvez-Pol reveals the complexity of the human mind to answer the overwhelming question: why do we have a brain?

Get Involved

If you are an academic — or know one — whose research is too interesting to be confined to academic circles, then just get in touch. Our community of academics spans PhDs in mathematics to lecturers in philosophy — there’s really no subject we’re not interested in. The process is simple: the academic sends us the text, and we do the rest. So drop us a line at team@knowitwall.com with your details, institution and area of research.

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