Theme: The Theory of Everything
From the Quantum Universe to Perfect Parents, The Theory of Everything has a huge range of events exploring anything from physics to the evolution of everyday objects.
What's on
Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat
Paul Halpern tells the little-known story of how Einstein and Schrödinger searched, first as collaborators and then as competitors, for a theory of everything that transcended probabilistic quantum mechanics.
Freedom Regained: The possibility of free will
Do we have free will? This is a question that has puzzled philosophers and theologians for centuries, and has only become more complex with recent advances in neuroscience and genetics as Julian Baggini explores.
Is Anybody Out There?
For more than 50 years, giant radio telescopes have looked for signals from extra- terrestrial civilisations. We’ve discovered some amazing astronomical phenomena but so far nothing that looks like a message from space. Tim O’Brien from Jodrell Bank will discuss what the future might hold for our attempts to answer the question: “Are we alone in the Universe?” The talk will begin at 7pm with a presentation for the Schools’ Physicist of the Year Awards.
Mini magnetospheres
One of the biggest dangers while travelling in space is exposure to potentially lethal bursts of radiation from the sun. Ruth Bamford, from RAL Space, will discuss how to protect astronauts with Star Trek-style deflector shields, and the importance of these shields on future manned missions to Mars. The talk will begin at 7pm with an awards presentation for the winners of the Astrocampus Astrophotography competition.
A Zoo of Galaxies
Karen will talk about how our knowledge of the different types of galaxies has evolved since we first understood they were objects outside our own Milky Way galaxy.
Let There Be Light!
Why is our sun yellow not blue, how can police sirens tell us about other galaxies, and how did pigeons get in the way of one of the biggest scientific discoveries? Find out with live demonstrations and hands-on activities: from hidden messages and special glasses to lasers and plasma balls!
Big Telescopes: Family day
Join us to explore the Big Telescopes exhibition. Discover how astronomers use different types of light to study the Universe. With interactive activities, an inflatable planetarium, and giant models, find out how we know about the Big Bang, black holes, galaxies colliding and much more!
In Space, No-One Can Hear You Scream!
How do we get into space? And once we’re there, what happens to our bodies? Why can’t we breathe in space? Just how cold is it up there? And why is it that in space, no one can hear you scream? Find out all this and more with live demonstrations and hands-on activities including boiling blood, exploding marshmallows and a rocket launch!
From Stone Age to Phone Age
In this talk, historian and historical consultant to CBBC’s multi-award winning Horrible Histories, Greg Jenner, guides us through the story of how our basic rituals and routines have evolved since the Stone Age.
Astrobiology: Hunt for alien life
Join Dr Lewis Dartnell on a tour of the other planets and moons in our solar system which may harbour life, and even further afield to alien worlds we've discovered orbiting distant stars, to explore one of the greatest questions ever asked: are we alone...?
The Quantum Universe
Quantum physics describes a very strange and counter-intuitive world, where tiny particles act as if they are in several places at the same time. Jeff Forshaw will present the crazy rules that control the behaviour of a quantum particle and show how they impact upon questions about the world around us.
