Theme: Science: The Final Frontier

Timing to Perfection with Chemical Clocks

Join Glenn Hurst of the University of York for an interactive talk using electronic clickers, before taking part in a competition to make your own clock reactions.

The Chemistry of Breaking Bad

Walter White (a.k.a. Heisenberg), the anti-hero of the TV show Breaking Bad, is a man for whom time is very much running out. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, the chemistry teacher turns to manufacturing illegal drugs to try and provide his family with a financial future. Join David Smith of the University of York to explore some of the fundamental chemistry underpinning the show and find out just how realistic it is.

Origins of YOU – Times TWO

Unfortunately this event has been cancelled due to illness.

No Time Like the Present?

We like to think that ‘now’ is special, a distinctive moment of reality between a past that no longer exists and a future that is yet to be. We see ourselves as moving forward through time, taking the present moment with us. But is that moment the same for everyone – or as Einstein’s theories suggest, might what is present depend on how fast you are moving? Join us for a mind-boggling trip through the philosophy and physics of time.

Tick Tock Layers of Rock

Unfortunately this event has had to be cancelled due to ill health. Our apologies for any disappointment.

Tick Tock: Stories of Clocks

Tick tock: The sound of time passing, inevitably, one interval after another. But time hasn't always been so abstract, so linear, so regular. Join us for an evening blend of stories and science, exploring clocks and the concept of time

Bees and Beetles

The time to act to support nature is now. Join us and learn about two Buglife projects in York - Tansy Beetle Champions and Urban Buzz York. Find out about York’s key role in supporting the conservation of the endangered Tansy beetle, and how urban environments can play an important role in providing habitat for our pollinators throughout their lifecycle. Discover how the Museum Gardens is supporting both projects and how you can get involved and do your bit too.

Ripples from the Big Bang

By looking far out into space, we can see back almost to the dawn of time. Faint microwave light is reaching us now that set off on its journey almost 14 billion years ago. Jo Dunkley of the University of Oxford explains how space satellites and telescopes at the South Pole and in Chile are helping us to study this light. Find out what we are learning about the beginning of the Universe.

The Science Communicator’s Story

Science communication comes in all forms - from giving advice for future policy decisions or reaching out to millions of people through social media. Come along and meet science communicators and learn how they help transform primary research into policy and make it accessible on a global scale.

Three Minutes to Midnight

The closest the Doomsday Clock has ever been to midnight was in 1953 when the first tests on the hydrogen bomb were conducted. The latest report, published in January 2016, places us at three minutes to midnight. Our Festival launch night explores the findings and recommendations of this report. How do we combat the threat of climate change and the proliferation of nuclear arms in fragile states? What kind of multi-lateral agreements will be effective? What is the likely impact of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by Iran and six world powers, or the Paris Climate Conference agreement?

Science out of the Lab

Come along to this hands-on, interactive event which will bring local scientists and their research out onto the streets of York.

Science out of the Lab

Come along to this hands-on, interactive event which will bring local scientists and their research out onto the streets of York.