Science and Technology group has been running since the start of Thornbury u3a. After a short break due to Covid lockdown, the groups re-started in October 2020 initially on Zoom. These are the topics covered since our re-start:

2020

• Oil & Gas Exploration (including how to drill around corners)
• Harry Grindell Matthews – a local Genius or Charlatan?

2021:

• Colour - what makes grass look green?
• Gut Biome - bacteria that keep us healthy
• Digital Computing - how it all started
• Playschool and a Plague of Rabbits - the ubiquity of the Golden Ratio
• Can we ever communicate with extra-terrestrials?
• Letter from America - the technology of retired life in Florida
• History of numerals - we've not always counted like we do now
• Batteries - how long can they keep going?
• "Ingenuity" - flying over Mars
• Sulphur - a most intriguing element

2022:

• Calendars - how long are the days, months and years?
• How long (statistically) will you live?
• Aviation in the 19th Century - flight before the Wright brothers.
• Renewable energy and the Grid - are they compatible?
• Controlled flight; a practical demonstration.
• Carbon - from soot to mad cows.
• The Sound of Music - why we all like different music.
• Victorian Filth - is it still around today?

2023:

• Open discussion on the science of Climate Change
• The Hydrogen Economy - is it a realistic prospect?
• Behavioural Economics - following mental "Rules of thumb" can leave us poorer
• Epigenetics and Human Health - Life's much more than just DNA
• Technology in Commodities Trading - a bit like changing from Riddiford's to Ocado
• Vertical flight - getting airborne
• Anti-tank weapons - making an impact
• Navigation - an innate capability aided by technology
• Matthew Boulton - industrialist
• Heat Pumps - blowing hot and cold

2024:

• Open discussion on the role of science and scientists in today's society
• Artificial Intelligence I - Large Language Models - getting an answer to your query
• Artificial Intelligence II - Media - not just a pretty picture
• The UK Space Agency - yes, we do have one! - Meet the deputy CEO
• Three short talks: GPS and Vitamin D
• Modelling – one of the less well-known products of the computer age
• Robert Hooke - more than just stretching strings
• Visit to Beaufort Model Flying Club
• Superconductivty - a phenomenon that was observed without any prediction
• Three pioneering experimental aviators - and all female.
• Keeping cool in space - and warm

2025

• Open discussion on what we now know about the Covid Virus
• Robert Bunsen - more than just the inventor of a gas burner
• Towards Infinity - and the paradoxes if we ever get there
• Can Britain really become "Carbon Neutral"?
• Rain - how it's formed and how does it get here
• The Skylark sounding rocket - and Bristol's involvement
• The improbability of Life. Will Life really be found on other planets?
• Tides and what causes them - not quite as simple as just twice a day

2026

• HMS Endeavour - a voyage of scientific discovery
• Hearing aids - a history of listening
• DNA and how it connects relatives
• Steroids
• Special weapons that Bond would die for

All our speakers and contributors are from within Thornbury u3a. Many thanks to them all.