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Mark Lorch
Mark Lorch

266 Followers

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Feb 23, 2022

The chemistry behind your LCD flat-screen devices: how a scientist changed the world

In a laboratory at the University of Hull 50 years ago, a new chemical compound was created that would impact the world as much as any drug, fuel or material. …

Science

5 min read

The chemistry behind your LCD flat-screen devices: how a scientist changed the world
The chemistry behind your LCD flat-screen devices: how a scientist changed the world
Science

5 min read


Nov 9, 2021

#Just143

Whilst I was laid up with COVID* I got to wondering about the number of folk the virus passed through during its journey from a bat in Wuhan to me in Yorkshire. A quick Fermi estimate suggested something rather surprising: Assuming it takes 5 days, on average, from infection to…

Covid-19

3 min read

#Just143
#Just143
Covid-19

3 min read


Sep 16, 2021

Great Explanations — 20 amazing scientists on the best thing they ever learnt

You don’t need a PhD in horology to know that there are piles of great popular science books out there and not enough time to read them all. …

Crowdfunding

2 min read

Great Explanations — 20 amazing scientists on the best thing they ever learnt
Great Explanations — 20 amazing scientists on the best thing they ever learnt
Crowdfunding

2 min read


Aug 9, 2021

The Periodic Dinner Table

Chemistry built the modern world, from the materials that make up the everyday objects around us, the batteries in our devices and cleaning products that help to maintain sanitation. All this and much more besides are examples of chemistry in everyday life. To illustrate this and have a bit of…

Chemistry

1 min read

The Periodic Dinner Table
The Periodic Dinner Table
Chemistry

1 min read


Jul 2, 2021

Kids are using soft drinks to fake positive COVID tests — I’ve worked out the science and how to spot it

Children are always going to find cunning ways to bunk off school, and the latest trick is to fake a positive COVID-19 lateral flow test (LFT) using soft drinks. So how are fruit juices, cola and devious kids fooling the tests and is there a way to tell a fake positive result from a real one? I’ve tried to find out. First, I thought it best to check the claims, so I cracked open bottles of cola and orange juice, then deposited a few drops directly onto LFTs. Sure enough, a few minutes later, two lines appeared on each test, supposedly indicating the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Science

5 min read

Kids are using soft drinks to fake positive COVID tests — I’ve worked out the science and how to…
Kids are using soft drinks to fake positive COVID tests — I’ve worked out the science and how to…
Science

5 min read


Apr 6, 2021

Scientists invent home COVID-19 test using coffee machine capsules

Transitioning to home working had its challenges for us all, but when your job involves researching biological applications for nanotechnology, those trials are a little more complicated than juggling the household’s broadband usage. …

Covid-19

4 min read

Scientists invent home COVID-19 test using coffee machine capsules
Scientists invent home COVID-19 test using coffee machine capsules
Covid-19

4 min read


Nov 25, 2020

Four ways to respond to vaccine sceptics — and maybe even convince them

For most of the 20th century, more than 60,000 people died in the US from polio, diphtheria and small pox each year. In 2016, the American death toll from these diseases was zero. Around the globe, two to three million deaths from these diseases and others, including measles, rubella and…

Covid-19

4 min read

Four ways to respond to vaccine sceptics — and maybe even convince them
Four ways to respond to vaccine sceptics — and maybe even convince them
Covid-19

4 min read


Jul 2, 2020

The repeating table of things that make up everything

…

Science

1 min read

The repeating table of things that make up everything
The repeating table of things that make up everything
Science

1 min read


Jul 2, 2020

Curiosity and distress

‘Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind’ I came across that quote (from the zoologist Marston Bates) during a particularly low period in my research career, nothing seemed to be working. The days of failed experiments stretched into weeks and then months, with…

Science

4 min read

Curiosity and distress
Curiosity and distress
Science

4 min read


Jul 25, 2019

The astronomical length of DNA

Just how long is all of your DNA? Let’s start with a quick recap. The sequence of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), is famously spelt out in just 4 letters — A T G and C. Each letter represent the repeating ‘bases’; adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. And the famous DNA double…

Science

2 min read

The astronomical length of DNA
The astronomical length of DNA
Science

2 min read

Mark Lorch

Mark Lorch

266 Followers

Prof of Science Communication and chemistry & dyslexic writer e.g. http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/ebook/978-1-78262-487-5, https://theconversation.com/

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