The annual scifest starts today, and there are plenty of events taking place around London. In fact, more than I’m comfortable listing in one blog post. So here’s part 1 of my pick:
Royal Society History of Science lecture series, begins 7 March, Royal Society Library, 1-2
A series of ten lectures, covering matters as diverse as life extension and 18th Century botany. A programme that can only be described as ‘stunning’.
Where do dolphins and whales strand?, 7 March, Natural History Museum, 12.30-1.00
Did you know that London’s Strand gets its name from beached whales? Actually, that’s not true. To find out where cetaceans really do wash up, and what this tells us, get along to this free lecture.
Developing treatments exhibition, 7-16 March, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
What did Victorian pharmacists sell to calm teething babies? What was in a “female pill”? Is there a cure for “man flu”? Find out more about medicines specifically targeted at men, women and children in history and today.
The Big Day of Physics, 8 March, Imperial College
Everything you ever wanted to know about studying and working as a physicist.
How we reached the moon
Life in the Universe
Colonies in space
8 March, Museum of Childhood, 12.30, 2.00, 3.30
A trio of events looking at our place in the universe.
Benjamin Franklin Activity Day, 10 March, Benjamin Franklin House, 10-3
Recreations of the great man’s inventions and experiments.
Does the UK need nuclear power?, 10 March, Natural History Museum Flett Theatre, 2-4
A ‘Question Time’ style debate. Participants include policymakers, the nuclear industry, environmental groups, the academic community, and ‘the man at the back with the beard and pink tie’.
Man behind the mould, 10 March, Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, 11-12
Here about Fleming in the very laboratory where he worked.
Hold the front page: Science and the embargo, 11 March, Royal Institution, 6.30-8.00
The whys and wherefores of embargoed information.
Should we trust what scientists say about food?, 11 March, Royal College of Physicians, 2-4
How to navigate the maze of gastronomic information. Great venue, too.
Ig Nobel Awards Show, 11 March, Imperial College, 6pm
If you don’t know what this is, what are you doing in science?