大象传媒

Parasite Adaptation
Everything has parasites - even parasites have parasites. So what has made living at the expense of others such a successful way of life? In this week鈥檚 Material World, Quentin Cooper examines the complex behavioural adaptations that have made parasitic infections like Malaria, which kills 2.5 million people each year, so difficult to combat. Understanding parasite behaviour may lead to new ways to reduce their activity. He鈥檚 joined by Dr. Sarah Reece, School of Biosciences, University of Edinburgh and Professor Mike Boots, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield.

Fire Safety Engineering
Some key events in the last 10 years, including the World Trade Center collapse in 2001, have changed our scientific understanding of how materials like steel behave when heated by fire. Quentin Cooper looks at the new world of fire structural engineering. It鈥檚 a revolutionary new approach to fire safety. It investigates how buildings frames act as a whole during fires, and treats fire just like any load the building might have to bear at the architectural stage. Quentin is joined by Dr. Barabara Lane, Associate Director, Arup Design and winner of the 2008 Royal Academy of Engineering's Silver Medal for her research on fire safety engineering, and Dr. Luke Bisby, The BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, University of Edinburgh.