Explain that Stuff
Welcome to Explain that Stuff... in podcast form! Yes, by popular request, an audio version of the easy-to-understand science website you can listen to round the house or on the move. We cover the basics of how things work, cutting-edge science, cool gadgets, and computers. Unlike other websites, the emphasis is on explaining things simply and clearly so you can actually understand them. Not masses of facts and unnecessary details. Just clear, simple explanation. We teach stuff the way a teacher would, by building out from what you know already. Please subscribe and stay tuned...
Episodes
Episodes
Saturday Nov 09, 2024
Geoengineering - can we really fix the climate?
Saturday Nov 09, 2024
Saturday Nov 09, 2024
The climate's in a fix, but can we really fix it with geoengineering - large-scale tinkering with carbon emissions, weather, and the sky?
Saturday Nov 02, 2024
Floating your boats - whatever happened to the hovercraft?
Saturday Nov 02, 2024
Saturday Nov 02, 2024
The hovercraft was an iconic British invention from the 1950s; now we barely hear about it at all. How exactly did it work... and why did it fall out of favour?
Saturday Oct 26, 2024
Cogs, clicks, and chips - a brief history of the computer
Saturday Oct 26, 2024
Saturday Oct 26, 2024
From Blaise Pascal and Charles Babbage to Konrad Zuse, Alan Turing, and Steve Jobs... join us on a 2,500-year journey through mechanical calculators (cogs), relay-driven early computers (clicks), and modern microprocessors (chips) as we explore the fascinating history of computers!
Saturday Oct 19, 2024
Soft sell - a simple introduction to memory foam
Saturday Oct 19, 2024
Saturday Oct 19, 2024
You've probably heard the hype about memory foam, widely used in mattresses and cushions, but what's the science behind it and how does it really work?
Saturday Oct 12, 2024
Graphene the wonder stuff - a simple introduction
Saturday Oct 12, 2024
Saturday Oct 12, 2024
You've probably heard of graphene, but what is it... exactly? What's so good about it... and will this simple new kind of carbon power out future?
Saturday Oct 05, 2024
Beep! Beep! How do pagers work?
Saturday Oct 05, 2024
Saturday Oct 05, 2024
Pagers have been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. Can you remember what they were and exactly how they worked?
Saturday Sep 28, 2024
Fracking - love it or hate it?
Saturday Sep 28, 2024
Saturday Sep 28, 2024
Will fracking save our skins by helping wean us off coal... or push us ever closer to a climate catastrophe? In this episode, we find out how it works and take a balanced look at the arguments for and against.
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Catching rays - a quick guide to passive solar energy
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
With crafty building design, you can heat your home with plentiful, free energy from the Sun. It's called passive solar energy - and here's how it works!