Sensational science exhibition

The Royal Society’s annual Summer Science Exhibition (RSSSE), now in its eleventh year, traces its roots back to the soirées by the Society in the late 1800s. The Exhibition offers visitors of all ages a special insight into world-class scientific and technological research – including stimulating science exhibits from the University of Cambridge, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

The Exhibition is the Society's main public event of the year and is open to members of the general public as well as students and teachers, scientists, policymakers and the media. It provides visitors with the chance to take part in hands-on activities, meet the scientists, discover new facts, ask questions about extraordinary scientific advances, and find out what it is like to work in science research.

The exhibition that explores the Big Bang looks back to the dawn of time using recently released data from the Planck satellite. A cosmic collaboration used microwave radiation - perhaps commonly thought of in the kitchen, but an energy that pervades the Universe - to show the edge of time and space in the most precise detail yet. Explore different energies, from the visible and infrared to microware radiation using thermal cameras and an impressive spherical map of the cosmos.

Other interactive exhibits include a Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute showcase, Beyond the Genome, which will demonstrate how the combination of expertise from science, technology, engineering and maths, utilising powerful computing, can uncover the changes in DNA that lead to a variety of human diseases.

Alongside numerous other universities, Cambridge will also be explaining to visitors the details behind the epic hunt for the Higgs Boson – science on a grand scale.

Quantum revolution, delivered by the University of Cambridge and Toshiba Research Europe Limited will demystify quantum theory, which revolutionised the way we describe the world at the atomic scale in the 20th Century. It told us that matter, light and indeed everything in the universe around us is made up of particles or ‘quanta’. Now, the recently developed ability to manipulate these individual particles is stimulating a technological revolution.

A team of over 10 people from the Department of Pathology, including Professor Ian Goodfellow, will be helping man the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) 'Virus Wars' stand. The Virus Wars project has been created by an interdisciplinary team at the MRC LMB, with scientists from Leo James’ lab. It is based around the lab’s work on intracellular neutralisation of viruses, but more generally covers the role of viruses and antibodies in disease.

This exhibit will show how viruses infect us and how our own immune system responds to infection. Viruses enter human cells and take them over so they can replicate and spread. How fast the immune system responds is critical. Preventing replication can stop a viral infection in its tracks.

On Saturday, families will be able to enjoy a day full of hands-on activities to mesmerise children and adults alike, from a historically accurate panto show, with the time-travelling ‘Dr Death’, for children and other people not quite so grown up, to an exciting interactive workshop that demonstrates some of the unexpected effects of gravity and other ‘weird’ forces.

Alongside these events, visitors can watch Festival of the Spoken Nerd make some science funnies, see live chemistry and physics experiments, and learn about the science of cocktails (while drinking one). We also hear that Albert Einstein, Caroline Herschel and Charles Darwin will be wandering around.

The event takes place between Tuesday 2 – Sunday 7 July 2013 in central London at The Royal Society and is free to visit. 

For more information about the exhibits and the full range of exciting events, including comedy and cabaret shows, interactive talks and demonstrations, panel discussions, and hands-on activities for children and families, visit: http://sse.royalsociety.org/2013/