Twig Newsdesk
IVF pioneer dies at 87
April 17, 2013, noon
Robert Edwards, the pioneer of in vitro fertilisation, has passed away aged 87. His ground-breaking research in the latter half of the 20th century revolutionised the field of human fertility, and earned him a Nobel Prize.
Watch the Twig film Medical Marvels: IVF to learn more about IVF.
Planck map
April 4, 2013, noon
On 21 March, researchers at the European Space Agency unveiled a new map of the Universe, based on data collected by the Planck space telescope. The map details the distribution of cosmic microwave background radiation, helping to develop theories of how the Universe first formed.
Watch the Twig film Nobel Prize By Chance to find out how the existence of cosmic microwave background radiation was first discovered – purely by accident!
Should GPs prescribe e-cigarettes?
March 22, 2013, noon
A British company is seeking to have electronic cigarettes approved as a medical product to help smokers quit their dangerous habit. But how successful can e-cigarettes be, and are they really as harmless as their makers claim?
Watch Twig film Smoking: The Damage and witness the harmful effects smoking has on the lungs.
Optimal prime
March 5, 2013, noon
In 300 BC, Euclid proved that there are an infinite number of prime numbers. Ever since, mathematicians have sought to discover larger and larger examples – with the latest an incredible 17 million digits long! Watch Twig film Prime Numbers: A Pattern in the Primes to learn more about primes – and the financial rewards for unlocking their secrets!
The king in the car park
Feb. 15, 2013, noon
Earlier this month, researchers at the University of Leicester announced that ancient bones unearthed from beneath a supermarket car park belonged to 15th century English monarch Richard III. Watch Twig film Forensics: Bog Bodies to discover the ways that investigators can unlock the identity of dead bodies.
The Baths of Caracalla
Dec. 18, 2012, noon
The Baths of Caracalla have survived on the outskirts of Rome for almost two thousand years. The enormous complex was completed in 216 AD under the rule of Caracalla - an emperor infamous for having his own brother murdered. Watch Twig film ‘Arches’ for an insight into how the tunnels of Caracalla are still standing, over 2000 years after they were built.
Supermassive black hole found in tiny galaxy
Dec. 5, 2012, noon
A black hole has a gravitational force so strong that not even light can escape it. Most large galaxies play host to a supermassive black hole – Sagittarius A* is found in our own Milky Way. Astronomers have proposed that the relationship between the mass of a black hole and the size of its galaxy can help to explain their evolution. Learn more about black holes by watching Twig's featured film.
Lost and found
Nov. 28, 2012, noon
How do you lose an island? Perhaps when it was never there in the first place! Scientists from the University of Sydney went looking for ‘Sandy Island’ in the South Pacific, only to discover that it doesn’t exist. Watch the Twig film The Longitude Problem and learn how sailors were able to navigate the vast seas before the arrival of GPS and satellite technology.
The mathematics of election
Nov. 12, 2012, noon
Archbishops, police commissioners, presidents and prime ministers. Elections designed to choose a candidate as fairly as possible occur all over the world. Last week Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term as the 44th President of the United States of America. The race to sit in the Oval Office at the White House, becoming one of the most powerful figures in the world, started over a year ago. Watch the Twig film The Wrong Guy Won to see how pollsters estimate the size of audience at a political rally.
Nobel Prizes 2012: Economics
Oct. 30, 2012, 2:58 p.m.
In the United States, when a student graduates from medical school they start an internship – a period of supervised on-the-job training designed to ensure they’re ready for the rigorous demands of their chosen profession. Every year, over 20,000 students must be paired up with hospitals, and complex algorithms are employed to ensure that the best possible matches are made.