periodicvideos-ABC-News

Continuing our Guide to Trees on Test Tube.



The latest addition - by poplar demand - is the Larch (like my deliberate typo!!!?).



Here it is, complete with Monty Python references and fascinating Nazi story:

Couldn't ignore the recent news story about a man in Sweden who tried to make a nuclear reactor in his kitchen.



Actually, I was alerted to it by Professor Poliakoff who emailed me from his holiday (is he ever really on holiday!!?).



His email said: "Have arrived safely at the hotel. En route, we heard the story on Radio 4 (PM programme) of the Swedish guy who tried to boil americium, radium and another radioactive element in sulfuric acid on his kitchen stove! I thought that you might be able to get Steve Liddle to do a short video about it?"



Steve (an expert on uranium) agreed, and here's the quick video we did:

Today I've mainly been working on two of my non-science video projects.

I've been editing videos for Bibledex and Words of the World.

Two of them have been uploaded in the last few hours, including one about the phrase Hocus Pocus:


Words of the World on Facebook


Bibledex on Facebook

This morning I did a random draw to decide the three winners of our viewer pictures project.

The winners have been emailed and, if they want, will receive small prizes.

More details to come about that.

To see the pictures we've been sent, click here for a Flickr Gallery.

Or for bit of a fun page I created, click here.

I'd still like people to send in pictures and will share them when possible... Email them to periodicvideos@gmail.com

Here's a recent picture I liked because it included our Periodic Table of QR codes!!!


Previous videos using the pictures:

Today I had a glorious insight into the joys - and speed - of social media.

Basically I needed a photo of a fire extinguisher to use in one of my videos (this one, if you're curious).

I needed it quickly.

So, like I sometimes do, I asked my friends on Twitter and Facebook to help.

Within SECONDS I had a phone call from my former BBC colleague - @QuentinRayner

"I'm just taking one now on my phone, what email address shall I send it to," he said, standing in the BBC newsroom.

A few seconds later - and BEFORE Quentin's picture arrived - this photo appeared on Facebook:


It's a photo of Quentin taking the picture, posted by another of my former colleagues.

Sure enough, Quentin's picture arrived a minute later!

I'd barely caught my breath.

Many thanks to other people who also sent photos (including @georgeerice and @jbwan) - I appreciated it.

Surely the best picture - which I was unable to use for reasons which may be apparent - was this one from prolific blogger and bird enthusiast @grrlscientist


Here's the video I needed the picture for:

The My Favourite Scientist series has thrown up an eclectic mix of subjects.

Famous names like Einstein and Feynman have been among them.

But the latest addition is one I'd not heard of - Pablo Rubinstein.

The Chilean-born scientist has been a pioneer in the use of stem cells from umbilical cords - and the establishment of cord blood banks.



This video was uploaded on the day my first nephew was born - hence the little message at the end!

The latest video on Periodic Table of Videos deals with asthma.

More importantly, it explains the active ingredient in many inhalers (Salbutamol) and how it works.

I asked viewers to contribute pictures of their inhalers to use in the video... I only used one, but thought I'd use the blog here to share the others.

I usually appeal for viewer pictures via Twitter and Facebook - so follow us there!



An interesting piece of trivia about this final one...

I asked the sender (Pat) why the background periodic table was back-to-front.

Pat replied: "That's just a matter of laziness, haha. I have a mirror on my wall, and I just look at that instead of turning around."

Here's the video: