Selected highlights of this year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival. K marks children friendly events.
K Mission Mars Robot Workshop l'ntil 9 Apr. Assembly Rooms. 54 (ieorge Street. 220 434‘). 10am 5pm. Free. .Ages 9+. l.ego's come a long way. 'l‘oday yoti can program your lego robot in a rescue mission.
K Up Yer Hooter t‘ntil ‘) Apr. Assembly Rooms. 54 (ieorge Street. 220 4349. 10am 5pm. l-‘ree. Ages 5+. See Iixplosion.
K Vets ER l'ntil 9 Apr. Assembly Rootns. 54 (ieorge Street. 2204349. 10am 5pm. liree. Ages 8+. See lixplosion. K Bend it Like Beckham t'ntil ‘) Apr. Assembly Rooms. 54 (ieot’ge Street. 220 434‘). 10.15am. 12.30pm. 2.45pm & 4.15pm. 1-‘ree. Ages 4+. lixplore the cool science behind the lingland captain's beautiful curves.
I Eyes on the Skies [tail 4 .-\pr. Royal Observatory \‘isitor (‘entre. Blackl‘ord Hill. 668 8404. 1 1am 5pm. l-‘ree. See lfxplosion.
K Really Cool Show t‘ntil ‘) Apr. Assembly Rooms. 54 (ieot'ge Street. 220 4349. 11.15am. 2pm & 3.45pm. 1‘ree. Ages 3+. See llowers shatter. bananas turn into hammers and whip up an ice-cream in seconds.
K Ghost Box Photography l'ntil ‘) Apr. Assembly Rooms. 54 (ieorge Street. 220 4349. 9.30am 5pm. Free. Ages 8+. Make some tny sterious images with a biscuit tin catnera and learn the secrets ()1 the darkroom.
I Flight Magic: Balloon Shows Mtiseum of Night. liast l-‘ortune Airlield. 01620 880308. 10am 5pm. £3 (£1.50). Iixplore the magic of llight with a special balloon show at this fun museum.
I Behind the Scenes at the Museum of Flight t'titil Tue 13 Apr.
VANITY VITALITY AND
VIRILIW
Royal Museum, Sat 10 Apr, 4-5pm, £7 (£5).
‘1 have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.’ When Joan Rivers uttered this immortal line, lovely ladies everywhere breathed a hefty sigh of relief. Rivers encapsulated women’s fears about the aesthetics of their bodies and the mechanisms of how the human form looks and acts. As people’s desires change, modern society is increasingly aesthetic-led, as is the chemistry we use to negotiate the way we look. Victoria Beckham won’t leave the house without her lip gloss (in a bid to perfect that ridiculous pout), while the beautiful Cat Deeley won’t be seen without her Elizabeth Arden face cream and mascara.
Museum ol‘ l'light. liast liortune Airlield. 01(i20 880308. .\'oon & 3pm. £3 (£1.50). All things flight-like haye reyolutionised themselves in recent years. (io behind the doors of this flight-driven pertnanant attraction.
K Professor Egghead’s Beginner’s Guide to Rocket Science t'ntil Wed 14 Apr. Scottish Seabird (’entre. the Harbour. 0|(i20 890202. 2 3pm. £4.95 (£3.50); lattiin ticket £13.50. Prol‘ess’or ligghead leads the masses as the younger audience haye a chance to becotne junior rocket scientists for the day". designing. making and launching their own rockets. Ages 8+.
I Tomorrow’s People Royal Mtiseum. 2 (’hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 2 3pm. £7 (£5). The essence ol‘ the sell~ imagination. free will. loye. learning. memory. desire is something eyeryone takes for granted. Here. the discussion rey'olyes around what would happen it" all that we hold dear becomes obsolete.
I “ruins and What they Teach Us Royal Museum. 2 ('hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 4 5pm. £6 (£4). An exploration ()1 the genetic and environmental influences on human development.
I How to Clone the Perfect Blonde Royal Mtiseum. 2 ('hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. (i 7pm. £7 (£5). See hitlist.
I Flight Magic: Balloon Shows Museum ()1. Flight. liast Fortune Airlield. 01620 880308. 10am 5pm. £3 (£1.50). See Sat .3.
K Dastardly Dinosaurs: Face Masks and Finger Puppets t'ntil 13 Apr. Dynamic liarth. llolyrood Road. 550 7800. 1 2.30pm. £1. Become one ()1 these great creatures. be it a tyrannosaurtts rex or a lt‘icet'atops. as you make a lace mask or linger puppet and put your creature of choice to the test.
1511.177 Allll VIBIUTY
Stigmas aside, chemicals play an equal role with the gents. Wagra sales have boomed. As the butt of jokes (actor Will Smith famously announced in 2001: ‘I am a sexual machine now. Raring to go every second of the day. I’m human Wagra. I am Will-agra’) or as a medical necessity, chemicals are big business.
Arguably, the remarkable success of Edinburgh’s International Science Festival can be attributed to its unrivaled ability to take (dare we say) dull configurations on paper - in this case chemicals - and contextualise them in such a way as to make them fascinating within the landscape of our own lives. With ‘Vanity, Vitality & Wrility’, Dr John Emsley from the University of Cambridge explores the infiltration of chemicals in modern life, examining the impact they have on our looks, our health, our peace of mind, and our sex lives. You'll never look at a lipstick or a pop a pill the same way again. (Anna Millar)
I Risk: Food, Fact & Fantasy Royal Museum. 2 (‘hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 5 (rpm. £7 (£5). See hitlist. I Flowers By Night t‘ntil 7 Apr. Royal Botanic (iarden. lnyerleith Row, 55: 7171. 3.30 10pm. £51124). See lixplosion.
Tuesday 6
I What Can Science Do for Sport? ()ld (‘ollege. l’laylair Library. l’niyersity' ol' lidinburgh. South Bridge. (1511 111110. () 7pm. £6 (£4). '1'\"‘s Burn 72) Hit) sports mentor 1)aye ('ollins explains how sportsmen and women benelit from the appliance of science.
I Science and Society at the Movies 1-‘ilmhouse. 88 I.othian Road. 228 2(i88. () 8.25pm. £4 (£3). See lixplosion.
I Cycling, Suicide and Chips Royal Mitseum. 2 ('hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 7 9pm. to (£4). See hitlist.
Wednesday 7
I Material World Dynamic liartli. llolyrood Road. 55117800. 8 9pm. lirec. BB(' Radio 4 my ites you to pttt your questions to a panel of experts. including meteorite expert Monica (irady. geologist Stuart Monro and biologist Aubrey Manning.
I The Space Between our Ears Royal Mtiseunt. 2 (’hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 8 9pm. £71£5).Seehitlist.
Thursday 8
I The Particle Odyssey Royal Mtisettm. 2 ('hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. () 7pm. £7 (£5). See hitlist.
Saturday 1 0
I Vanity, Vitality 8: Virility Royal Museum. 2 ('hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 4 5pm. £7 (£5). Sec preview.
I The Human Story Royal
Museum. 2 (‘hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 4 5pm. £7 (£5). See hitlist. I Easter Treasure Trail t'ntil .\loti 12 :\pl'. lidinburgh Zoo. ('orslorphine Road. 334 9171. 9am (rpm. £8 (£3 £5). 11 chocolate and animals are your treasures of choice you can't go wrong with this trail as yoti collect your animal clues and search for creatures around the loo.
I Songs of the Stars Royal Mtiseunt. 2 (‘hambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 8.30 9.30pm. £7 (£5). Not only are they beautiful to look at. stars can also sing. Open your ears to the musical secrets ol' the universe and explore astet'tiseisntology. a technique scientists Use to look underneath the stars.
Tuesday 13
I Tigers! lidinburgli /.oo. (‘orstorphine Road. 334 9171. 7.3llpnt. £7.1he loo's growing lantin ol' tigers take centre stage as Sarah ('hristie. stttdbook co- ordinator. explains the process ()1.
consery ing tigers in the wild.
Wednesday 14
I Climate Change and the Variety of Life Royal Botanic (iarden. 1nyerleith Row. 552 7171.
0.30 7.30pm. £(i (£4). ('limate changes el'l'ect all liying creatures. 11et‘e Sir ('t‘lspill iliic'kc'll (liscllsses the ptissihililies ol‘ a good functioning ecosystem and discusses the history ()1 live shows and explores the way organisms can adapt.
E'NUHINIERTIL " FESTIVAL
From pert blondes to going ape. we select the talks you can ’t afford to miss this fortnight.
How to Clone the Perfect Blonde
5": How to Clone the Perfect Blonde With a title like this. it's difficult to resist. Fast forward to 3050 and the possibilities on offer with gene therapy. cloning. artificial intelligence and cybernetics and you‘ll discover your ultimate fantasy could be a reality. Who says blondes don't have more fun? Royal Museum, 2 Chambers Street, 24 7 4279/4422. 6—7pm. £7 (£5).
15 The Human Story Humans' relationships to apes have always been well documented throughout the ages. Here Professor Robin Dunbar explores that which distinguishes us from our ape cousins. Royal Museum, 2 Chambers Street, 247 4279/4422. 4—5pm. £7 (£5).
The Particle Odyssey With daily research revealing exactly what the universe is made up of. scientists go the next step and question how it got like that in the first place. Controversial banter at its very best. Royal Museum, 2 Cl‘iambers Street, 24 7 4279/4422. 6—7pm. £7 (£75).
. The Space Between our Ears Professor Michael Morgan examines the ways the brain interprets the images in our eyes. Using a range of sowces from phiIOSOphical writings. scientific thinking. poems. novels and films. prize-- winning writer Michael Morgan reveals the problems our brains have to confront in manufacturing visual perception. Royal Museum. 2 Chambers Street. 247 4279/4422. 8—9pm. 27 (£75).
‘5: At" THE LIST 99