The science behind The Hunger Games

Clothes that burst into synthetic flames, lethal bioengineered wasps and lotions that can heal deep wounds overnight: these are just some of the technological feats that appear in hit film The Hunger Games, currently taking cinemas by storm.

But what of the science behind them - are they feasible, or destined to remain in the realms of science fiction? Here is a rundown of four of these creations that appear in the film's dystopian vision of the future.

Consciousness: the hard problem?

A fascinating discussion took place at the Royal Institution this week, tackling the challenging subject of consciousness: what is it? Why do we have it? How do we lose it?

The questions can go on and on, and it all made for a lively, and very popular, event. I volunteered to live-tweet the talk, chaired by Guardian reporter Alok Jha, so rather than do a traditional blog post, I thought I'd turn to Storify to provide a taste of what the evening was like.

Sounds of science: using audio to bring science podcasting to life

We now have more ways of communicating science, or anything else for that matter, than ever before, with podcasting now one of the most effective tools in a communicator's bag of tricks.

Despite some believing at one stage that podcasting was on the wane, the medium continues to grow, with more that 8 million adults in the UK (16% of the population) saying they've downloaded a podcast, a bigger percentage than those using Twitter, says the BBC.

But with an estimated 150,000 podcasts available out there, how do you make yours stand out? And how can you use the power of audio to enhance science storytelling, and bring your subject to life? This was the subject of Talkfest - Sounds of Science, an event held in London yesterday evening (February 29).