Professor Sonia Contera, Department of Physics, University of Oxford
Nano comes to life
The nanometer (0.000000001 meters) is a special size, it is the boundary between the quantum world of atoms and the world that physicists call "classical", the world of our experience where time only goes forward. Nano is the special space in which life on Earth originated. The proteins and biomolecules that make us up are measured in nanometers. This fact reveals the key to their importance; physics (energy, motion, information, quantum processes), chemical reactions and biological functions are intertwined in proteins and biomolecules. The nanoscale is the scale at which everything is connected, where the complexity that characterizes our lives begins.
How and why do we design and build artificial structures and even machines at the nanoscale using DNA, RNA, proteins and other biological molecules, or construct hybrid bio-inorganic robots using the design principles of biology? In this talk, I will explore the evolution of nanotechnology (the ability to visualize and manipulate matter at the nanoscale) and how it is now revolutionizing medicine: from biologically inspired nanovaccines that can train the immune system to fight cancer or a viral infection, and nanoantibiotics that can eliminate resistant bacteria, to the engineering of tissues and organs for research, drug discovery, and transplantation. At a deeper level, nanotechnology facilitates the study of biology within the framework of physics, creating interfaces with other fields (e.g., quantum mechanics and computer science). This has the potential to transform not only the future of materials, energy, engineering and AI, but also the way we think about life itself.
Audience - This event is open to Years 11, 12 and 13
Due to limited space we are offering 10 seats to per school.The lecture will also be live streamed and available online after the event.
Booking is required to attend this Lecture. Please click here to book a place.