3. Science for peace

The little known story of the Welsh scientists who developed atomic weapons and how their research eventually turned to peace.

The third episode tells the story of how some Swansea women led the way in the protests at Greenham common, while others believe that the nuclear deterrent is our only way of maintaining peace. To what extent did the blitz of Swansea influence the scientists at the University? How effective is a nuclear deterrent? We explore motivations and beliefs.

Other scientists from Swansea University chose to work at CERN - an establishment that began in the aftermath of the war, exactly 70 years ago – enabling physicists to discover how the universe began and to practise science for peace. Swansea Boys went from being bombed, to building bombs, to forging science for peace.

But common to all is the fact that Wales, and Swansea in particular, has a legacy in pioneering and advancing science. As the former Swansea University student, Lyn Evans, who built the Large Hadron Collider at CERN once said. 'We may be a small nation, but we punch well above our weight’.