Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,04 Oct 2014,40 mins

Self Assembly

The Forum

Available for over a year

Cells working together to build a human embryo, a swarm of bees, robots joining forces to explore challenging terrain. These are all examples of self assembly – the coming together of simple units to form something of great complexity. To explore this wide-ranging area of research Bridget Kendall is joined by experimental biologist Jamie Davies, chemical engineer and physicist Sharon Glotzer and robotics engineer Roderich Gross. (Photo: Bees working together: Credit: Matt Cardy/ Getty Images)

Programme Website
More episodes