From the ancient uses of silk to the biologists who learned the secrets of silk-producing animals: manipulating the habitats, physiologies, and threads of moths, spiders and molluscs, this talk will explore the work of some of the women who have been key to understanding the natural history or developed technological applications of a unique material that has fascinated the world for millennia.

Ada Lovelace Day is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths which aims to increase the profile of women in STEM and create new role models for both girls and women studying or working in STEM. Watch the Ada Lovelace playlist here:    • Ada Lovelace Day 2023  

Ada Lovelace Day Live 2023 was held at the Royal Institution on Tuesday 10 October.

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Dr Aarathi Prasad is a writer, broadcaster, and researcher interested in the intersection of science and technology with cultures, history, health, and the environment. She is the author of Silk: A History in Three Metamorphoses (2023), In The Bonesetter’s Waiting Room: Travels Through Indian Medicine (2016) which was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and won the Popular Medicine Award at the BMA Awards 2017, and Like A Virgin: How Science is Redesigning the Rules of Sex (2012).

Aarathi has a PhD in genetics from Imperial College London and is an honorary research fellow at University College London’s department of genetics, evolution and environment, where she is part of an international team excavating and analysing ancient DNA from archaeological sites in Valencia, Rome, and Pompeii.

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