At the end of the 19th century, physicists were finally beginning to understand the nature of matter itself, including the discovery of electrons – tiny particles of negative charge that surround the nucleus. Here’s how J.J. Thompson separated the electrons from their atoms and uncovered their nature.

AstronomyCast 376: The Miller-Urey Experiment

by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Evolution explains how life adapts and evolves over eons. But how did life originate? Chemists Miller and Urey put the raw chemicals of life into a solution, applied an electric charge, and created amino acids – the building blocks of life.

AstronomyCast 375: The Search for Life in the Solar System, with Morgan Rehnberg

by Fraser Cain & Morgan Rehnberg

With the discovery of water ice in so many locations in the Solar System, scientists are hopeful in the search for life on other worlds. Guest Morgan Rehnberg returns to Astronomy Cast to explain the best places we should be looking for life.

AstronomyCast 374: The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

In the world of quantum mechanics, particles behave in discreet ways. One breakthrough experiment was the Stern-Gerlach Experiment, performed in 1922. They passed silver atoms through a magnetic field and watched how the spin of the atoms caused the particles to deflect in a very specific way.

AstronomyCast 373: The Becquerel Experiment

by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity completely by accident when he exposed a chunk of uranium to a photographic plate. This opened up a whole new field of research to uncover the source of the mysterious energy.

AstronomyCast 372: The Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay