| Description | The Science Group was one of the first to be formed in Leighton U3A in 1992. Some of us have been scientists or engineers in former lives and some are very enthusiastic laymen. The group discusses a wide range of subjects in the fields of science and technology. Normally a meeting is devoted to a particular topic researched and presented by one of the members, though there is usually time for general discussion of topical scientific events. Sometimes a whole session is devoted to ‘science in the news’ when we all bring along cuttings from newspapers or journals which have caught our eye.Whatever the passion of a member, natural history, physics, astronomy, geology, chemistry, mathematics, the oil industry, the environment and so on, we have enjoyed their contribution. From the lifestyle of solitary bees to the deep mysteries of the Big Bang, we've been there and still keep on looking. |
| Notes | Topics covered over the years have included, in no particular order, fuzzy logic, weather and
what causes it, the development of the gramophone and the piano; evolution (Darwin and
Dawkins - theories and conundrums), the natural history of whales, honey bees, solitary bees
and the snow goose, genetics and GMOS, lasers, history of machine tools, volcanoes, chaos
theory and fractals, plastics, scientific history and biographies, development of cameras,
scientific 'heretics', cold fusion, general and special relativity, telescopes, design and
construction of the Hubble telescope and the James Clerk Maxwell IR telescope,
consciousness, corrosion, meteorites, perception, black holes, the search for life elsewhere in
the universe, codes and code breaking and more. |