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The Humble Braggs and X-ray Crystallography

Patience Thomson, daughter of William Lawrence Bragg, presents an intimate portrait of her father. From his detailed artworks to his love of detective stories and puzzles, Patience reveals how Lawrence’s unique character and analytical mindset led to numerous scientific breakthroughs.

The film describes how he reacted to receiving news of his Nobel Prize while serving on the front during World War 1 at the age of 25 and how the Braggs applied their scientific knowledge to aid the war effort.

Professor Stephen Curry demonstrates just how important the Braggs’ discovery was and how the field of x-ray crystallography has revealed the structure of hundreds of different molecules, from enzymes and proteins to entire viruses.

This film was produced by the Royal Institution.

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