WE HAVE A STRANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH SCIENCE. It’s not a matter of denying its value: the response to the Covid pandemic has underlined the importance of science to everyday life, while, for example, every bit of electronic technology we use, from smartphones to LED lighting, was developed using a deep understanding of quantum physics. It’s more that science is often regarded as dull and not worth the effort to understand.
There are three problems here. One is school. Visit a year six primary school class, as I often have, and it is clear that the children are all excited by science. This enthusiasm carries on for a year or two of secondary school — but by the time the students are around
