Events: Brighton Science Festival

This year’s Science Festival shakes up Brighton with the theme Catastrophe

An exciting festival for all ages, shaken to the core by both the oldest and the latest ideas: quantum, consciousness, religion – what’s it all about? Catastrophe is one theme, and Robin Ince, Marcus Brigstocke and Helen Keen leave you shaking with laughter as they take science to a new place – comedy.The first weekend of the festival, 11–12 February, has plenty of family events including ‘How to be Magic’. Explore the science of magic and the magic of science alongside award-winning magicians Simon Ambrose, Dan Edwards and Leon Simmonds.

Now in its eighth year, the festival is a fun way to discover where we come from and debate about where we may go in the future. The Duke Of York’s cinema will show special screenings, on the 17 and 26, of The Day The Earth Caught Fire and Mulholland Drive. Latest Musicbar’s ‘Pocket Science Funfair’ entertains with ‘Guess The Weight Of The Cake’ and Richard Robinson questions why the toast always lands butter-side down. This month’s Cafe Scientifique ‘Fone Fun’ looks at how your mobile actually works, so bring your phone and explore the science behind it, while White Heat weekend at Hove Park School offers a feast of hands-on, challenging and amazing games. The final weekend of the festival sees ‘Intuition and Ingenuity – An Art Exhibition In Celebration Of The Life Of Alan Turing’ at Lighthouse, in honour of the father of the computer.

Big Science Saturday will offer talks and debates for those of us who want to understand our future before we even get there. For instance the discussion ‘The Doomsday Handbook’ unveils the science and sociology behind some of the ways the world might end. In ‘The Geology of Catastrophe,’ Todd Hinkley of the US Geological Survey, runs through some of the disasters we’ve avoided. In ‘You’re Looking Very Well,’ biologist Lewis Wolpert explores aspects of old age. We now live longer than any time in history. Join in the discussion as to how we should deal with this, and can, or should we, prevent it? It’s time to get your family enthusiastic about science!

Brighton Science Festival 2012, 1–29 February, for a full list of events and ticket prices visit www.brightonscience.com