Hidden in Plain Sight: Small Inventions that Made a Big Impact

Whether it’s the stitches that hold our clothes together or the syringes that deliver life-saving vaccines, small things really do make a big difference. Yet these modest but essential components of everyday life are often overlooked. In this talk, Helen Pilcher counts down her ten favourite small inventions, and celebrates the joy of the small yet mighty.

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Helen Pilcher is a science and comedy writer. Her book, Life Changing – How Humans are Altering Life on Earth, was The Times 2020 Science Book of the Year, whilst Bring Back the King – The New Science of De-extinction, was Radio 2’s ‘Fact not Fiction’ book of the week.

Helen is also Science Advisor to the Beano, and has a PhD in Neuroscience from London’s Institute of Psychiatry. A former reporter for the academic journal Nature, she now specializes in writing quirky off-the-wall science for the likes of Science Focus and BBC Wildlife. Her 2021 book, Small Inventions That Made a Big Difference, celebrates the little, often over-looked inventions that make our lives better and have changed the world.