BingeWatch Academy: Superhero Science Episode III

Supergirl and The Flash

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to run as fast as The Flash or Supergirl? Join host Barry Fitzgerald to discover what is possible.

Many superheroes are fast. In fact, they are super-fast and this allows them to cover vast distances in little or no time. Two characters with the ability to run very fast are DC Comics’ Supergirl and The Flash, and their super-speed comes from contrasting sources. In the case of Supergirl or Kara Zor-El, the key to her super-speed is contained in her alien Kryton DNA. On the other hand, The Flash or Barry Allen gained his superpowers after an accident involving dark matter and a lightning bolt. Regardless of the origin of their super-speed, thankfully, both use their super-speed to stop evildoers.

In BingeWatch Academy: Superhero Science Episode III, you will be introduced to some important issues to consider when you acquire super-speed in the future. First, Wouter Terra and Alexander Spoelstra from TU Delft will discuss their work on the aerodynamical forces experienced by professional cyclists and how these forces can influence the design of sporting garments.

Then you’ll hear from Monique de Leeuw and Venda Mangkusaputra from the TU Delft iGEM 2018 team. For athletes, running faster comes from training hard, but there are some who turn to gene doping. They’ll introduce you to gene doping and the innovative approach iGEM developed to detect if someone has already used gene doping. Finally, Maia Rigot will consider the implications on modern society if everyone had super-speed just like Supergirl or The Flash.

There are many ways to use super-speed. We just have to make sure that we develop this superpower in a safe way.

“My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive.”

– The Flash

Register here: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/library/about-the-library/bingewatch-academy/