An animated history of physics, messing around with methane and Vangelis on space

By Hamish Johnston

Topping this week’s Red Folder is an “Animated history of physics” narrated by the Irish comedian and science enthusiast Dara O Briain. Running from Galileo to Einstein’s general theory of relatively – and giving very short shrift to quantum mechanics – it’s more of a selected history. You can enjoy the animations and O Briain’s soothing brogue in the video above.

O Briain often teams up with the particle physicist and media celebrity Brian Cox, who is also in the news recently for teaching children in London how to ignite potentially explosive gas. Before you call social services, it was all in the name of science education and part of Cox’s visit to St. Paul’s Way Trust School. Cox had been invited to the school’s summer science school and obliged by leading an experiment into the properties of methane. “There is no shortage of enthusiasm for students and young people when you talk about science and engineering,” Cox told the Reuters news agency.

Before he achieved fame as a physicist, Cox played keyboards in the pop band D:Ream. Now it looks like a famous musician is having a go at physics – or at least planetary science. “Legendary composer and pioneer of electronic music Vangelis has produced a brand new album, Rosetta, inspired by ESA’s Rosetta mission,” according to the Rosetta blog. This is Vangelis’ first new studio album in 18 years and is inspired by his “long-held passion for space”.