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Unexpected Elements

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

The news you know, the science you don’t.

The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.

The Science Hour

Unexpected Elements: 25 years of the Hubble Space Telescope

25 years of the Hubble Space Telescope

18/04/2015

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, 25 years of the Hubble Space Telescope

25 years since the launch of the Hubble Space telescope, we celebrate its successes.

Celebrating the 25 years since the Hubble telescope was launched. Robots that guide you and others that help you cook. Unravelling the contents of Einstein and teenage brains.

25 years since its launch, astrophysicist Mario Livio reflects on how the Hubble Space Telescope has enhanced our understanding of the universe and inspired the public imagination with its iconic images. From troubled beginnings Hubble has gone on to discover super-massive black holes, the age of the universe and along the way has made discoveries quite outside of its original observational remit.

Robots that help you cook 
For those who might consider themselves kitchen shy, help might soon be at hand in the guise of Robot Chef. Designed to help with cooking tasks, this prototype two-handed robot has been taking over the kitchen at a giant trade fair in Germany. BBC Science correspondent Jonathan Amos visits Robo-chef to find out how soon it is before we can hang up the apron and leave dinner to a mechanised friend.

Einstein’s brain 
Albert Einstein died 60 years ago, on April 18th 1955, aged 76. His body was cremated; but for his brain, it was the start of a long and bizarre journey. The pathologist, Dr Thomas Harvey, kept Einstein’s brain for scientific studies - probably against the wishes of his family. He - like many others - hoped it might shed light on what made Einstein such a genius. Frederick Lepore, Professor of Neurology & Ophthalmology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, has studied some previously unseen photographs of Einstein’s brain. He tells Graham Easton what he has found.

Photo: Hubble Revisits the Famous 'Pillars of Creation' to Celebrate 25th Anniversary
Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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