The science of attraction

Find answers to the weird & the wonderful with the return of Brighton Science Festival in February

Science has proved what we always knew, that the most important thing in life is sex. It was not always so in the past. We, or at least our ancestors, managed to remain celibate for about three and a half billion years. When we felt the need to make babies we simply split into two. So easy! Quicker, cheaper, and it avoided all that dating, gift buying and laughing at each other’s silly jokes.

But then along came sexual reproduction, and nowadays we have to go through all those rituals. So Brighton Science Festival is giving you the low-down on sex, human-style. In the Science of Sex weekend (9–10 February) top experts will tell you all you ever wanted to know. Dr Malcolm VandenBurg, who helped develop Viagra, treated one of the UK’s first AIDS patients and has advised on numerous sex-related court cases; Susan Qulliam, who co-wrote the updated Joy Of Sex; Robert Page, creator of the world famous Lovers’ Guide series of sex education films; and Brooke Magnanti, better known as Belle de Jour.

At the festival you will find out why pairing is better than podding as the story of DNA is unravelled in this, its anniversary year. And there are more busy weekends ahead: Bright Sparks for Families (16–17 February), White Heat for Teens (23–24 February) and Big Science for Grown-ups (2–3 March), plus more than ever before in between. For the full line-up of events see www.BrightonScience.com