Does the world really need “rockstar” scientists to explain evolution, gravity and the theory of “The Big Bang” to us I wondered – is the public really that interested in science? This random thought occurred on Monday 25th February 2013 as I drove up from London to my alma mater The University of Manchester for a special screening of the BBC’s ‘Wonders of Life’ documentary. The screening was preceded by a drinks reception with Professor Brian Cox – arguably the biggest ‘rockstar’ in the science field currently – who presented in his own words “the physics of biology” for the series which examined the development of life on earth and diversity of species. The screening was followed by a Q&A which had to be halted despite there being numerous questions pending and it occurred to me that, yes, “rockstar” scientists are playing a vital role in the public’s resurgent interest in life sciences.
The University of Manchester has a veritable “rockstar” band of its own – 25 Nobel prize winners have studied or worked there – and it currently boasts Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, a specialist in neuroscience and President and Vice-Chancellor of the University; Professor Martin Humphries, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Professor Matthew Cobb, Associate Dean for Social Responsibility, who all worked with Professor Brian Cox on the BBC’s ‘Wonders of Life’ series. “Worked with” being a euphemism for teaching Professor Cox, a particle physicist, the degree level details of biology, chemistry, ecology and neuroscience to help him deliver the polished performances we see in the series. Professor Cox summed it up neatly when he said that the “University of Manchester is at the vanguard of using its resources to promote science to make this country a better place”.
As well as being a University academic, the Oldham-born scientist who is also a graduate of The University of Manchester, Professor Cox – along with thousands of other scientists – works on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the famous scientific research centre in Geneva. Professor Cox is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programmes for the BBC, including ‘Wonders of the Solar System’ (2010) and ‘Wonders of the Universe’ (2011), boosting the popularity of subjects such as astronomy and physics. He has been described as the natural successor for BBC’s scientific programming by both David Attenborough and the late Patrick Moore. The departure from physics into other life sciences for the ‘Wonders of Life’ (2013) series was based on the aim of explaining the basic scientific rules which govern all life (light, gravity, time, matter and energy) and give rise to the stunning diversity we see in the world around us.
Click here to read about the ‘Wonders of Life’ book. (Amazon).