OU on the BBC: Rough Science 6: Colorado - About The Series

Production team

Our scientists-without-laboratories are back, and this time they're on top of the world. They're based high up in the peaks of Colorado in an old ore-processing mill, in the San Juan mountains - part of the spectacular Rocky Mountains range. This area is rich in history, full of diverse plants and animals and is a geologist's dream. It'll provide plenty of inspiration and useful resources for the Rough Scientists.

The team includes Rough Science regular chemist Mike Bullivant, who wastes no time in making himself a chemistry corner in the mill. He has many of the toughest challenges - making concentrated sulphuric acid out of rocks, creating an antiperspirant from aluminium foil and bleach, and taking a photograph using local silver ore.

Physicist and engineer Jonathan Hare proves himself once again to be a creative genius, who can build just about anything out of the most unpromising of materials. The piles of junk around the mill are transformed into a water wheel, a washing machine and even a clockwork torch.

American botanist Ellen McCallie is on home ground here and makes the most of the rich biodiversity of the region. She taps into native American knowledge to find just the plants they need. And she explores the local wildlife too, from bees to beavers.

They’re joined by Earth-scientist Hermione Cockburn who provides the geological knowledge that’s essential for many of the challenges. She gets to travel the furthest of all the team in the hunt for minerals that can be transformed into the vital ingredients they need.

Their first tasks will be to make the mill safe and habitable – finding a way of providing power and light using only the natural resources around them. In later programmes they'll be making a fire extinguisher to keep themselves safe and cleaning up the environment after a century of pollution; they'll be climbing a mountain to work out how much it weighs; and they'll even be venturing underground to explore using equipment they've made themselves.

At 3000m in altitude they face physical as well as scientific obstacles. It’s the highest Rough Science ever.

Rough Science 6: Colorado in more depth: