Up Close and Personal with the Past: Nanoscale Analysis of Artefacts

Recorded on Tuesday 15 August for National Science Week.
Hear Sophie Cottam talk about how powerful microscopes enable greater ability to understand the origins and the age of artefacts in collections.
Not all artefacts tell their full story at first glance. Scanning electron microscopy allows us to reveal information down to the nanoscale, providing a perspective unachievable with standard optical techniques!
A closer look at surfaces and materials of historical tools or artwork uncovers manufacturing methods of the past. Near-invisible particles of pollen or dust become key to pinpointing an artefact’s age and origin.
This talk introduces the physics behind a powerful tool for archaeological analysis. Journey through applications of the technique used to gain a better historical and cultural perspective. It's hard to view a museum's collection closer than this!
About the speaker:
Sophie Cottam, PhD Candidate, School of Physics, The University of Sydney