News

11 August 2010

Tricycle of Tricks!

In August, Edinburgh International Science Festival is taking science to the streets with an incredible new Science Busking project. Seasoned science communicators will be heading out around the city with a tricycle full of tricks to entertain crowds of passers-by with some mind-boggling science demos.

From locations like St Andrew Square, St James Shopping Centre, Our Dynamic Earth and Edinburgh Zoo, the bikes will be entertaining and educating tourists and festival goers of all ages with impressive, explosive, messy, and down-right weird science experiments. From the dangers of flatulent cows, to finding out how carbon capture could save the planet, each demo will explain some of the most interesting science happening in Scotland today.

As well as watching our expert performers do some unforgettable demos, the audience will be to get stuck in too. Volunteers can jump on the bike to produce their own electricity with a pedal-powered electric generator and power a variety of weird science experiments. They can also learn how to do their own science tricks from gravity defying water to inflating a marshmallow man.

Science busking is an unusual and entertaining alternative to traditional street performances - balloon animals are much more fun when added to liquid nitrogen!

Edinburgh International Science Festival’s Tricycles of Tricks have been developed with support from the Scottish Government.

16 April 2010

Don't Breathe The Ash

With the ash cloud from the Icelandic Volcano causing travel chaos, and concern over breathing in the mixture of pulverised rock and ground glass, perhaps now is the time to join the Edinburgh International Science Festival in celebrating one of the Ig Nobel Prize winning ideas – the bra that turns into a protective face mask.

Invented by Dr Elena Bodnar, this versatile piece of clothing was awarded a Public Health Ig Nobel prize in 2009 and can be seen being demonstrated on youtube.

Find out more about Don't Breathe The Ash...

15 April 2010

Don't Dream It... Drive It

Aged 13, Ian Callum wrote to Jaguar enclosing his design for their latest car. Now, over 40 years later, he is Jaguar’s Director of Design and will be speaking at the Edinburgh International Science Festival on Saturday 17th April.

Ian will be reflecting on how he achieved his dream, his work with some of the top car brands in the world and how he has designed the next generation of Jaguar cars including the newest model, the all-new XJ, which arrives in showrooms in May.

Find out more about Don't Dream It... Drive It

14 April 2010

How to Raise a Genius

The question “do you want your child to be either successful or happy?” will be asked by Dr Raj Persaud at an event at the Edinburgh International Science Festival on Saturday. Persaud will be speaking to Graham Farmelo, author of the 2009 Costa winning biography of the ‘British Einstein’ Paul Dirac, about the latest psychological theories on the origins of extraordinary achievement.

They will discuss whether Dirac’s bizarre relationship with his emotionally absent father could be what partly fostered the scientist’s eventual brilliance.

Find out more about How to Raise a Genius

13 April 2010

Marty Jopson Saves The Planet!

Did you know your pizza and beer could be the solution to our energy crisis? Marty Jopson, The One Show’s science expert, will demonstrate the importance of a humble little funghi we know more commonly as yeast, at the Edinburgh International Science Festival this week. From the bread base of your favourite carry out, to the fermentation process of your evening pint, these miraculous organisms are now being used to produce fuel for your car.

Find out more about From Bread and Booze to Biofuels...

12 April 2010

Hi Energy!

Sparks are flying today when TV presenter and physicist, Professor Brian Cox teams up with Jim Al-Khalili, Tara Shears and Ken Skeldon from Aberdeen University to present an event full of sparks and energy at the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Find out more about Hi Energy...

8 April 2010

BBC One's Bang Goes The Theory in Edinburgh

BBC One’s popular science magazine show Bang Goes the Theory is back for an explosive second year with its popular live and fully interactive Roadshow and will be in Edinburgh today, tomorrow and Saturday as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Find out more about Bang Goes The Theory in Edinburgh...

7 April 2010

It's Official - Women Are Saints and Men Are Sinners!

A survey conducted by psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman (University of Hertfordshire) for the Edinburgh International Science Festival has established that only 10% of the country claim never to have sinned, that men commit significantly more sin than women, and that the Scottish were more sinful than the English.

Find out more about Sinner or Saint...

5 April 2010

The Blood Bar is open!

The Edinburgh International Science Festival launched its two newest exhibits at the City Art Centre today. The Blood Bar offers families the chance to explore the science of blood, take a close look at the heart, lungs and oxygen and even make their own scabs. Dr Clot’s Blood-Curdling Adventure encourages visitors to climb through a giant artery and crawl into a capillary as they journey through the bloodstream.

Find out more about the Blood Bar...

5 April 2010

Steve Bloom to host new talks at Edinburgh International Science Festival

By popular demand wildlife photographer Steve Bloom has agreed to host two talks at Edinburgh International Science Festival this week to tie in with his ‘Spirit of the Wild’ exhibition at St. Andrews Square.

Full information

2 April 2010

Enjoy Easter at the Edinburgh International Science Festival

Do you have what it takes to be an ER surgeon? Or an Archaeologist. Or A Jungle Explorer? What about designing your own robot or the new best-selling computer game? Or climbing into an Artery? Or conducting experiments seen on the BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory Programme? Or a world famous wildlife photographer? If you think you’re up to any of these challenges, you should check out the Edinburgh International Science Festival which starts this weekend.

Click here to read on...

31 March 2010

Sonic Dreams

The Edinburgh International Science Festival today launched Sonic Dreams, an incredible acoustic experience which will take visitors into a 3D sound lab and transport them on a fantastical journey of sound to the heart of other places around the world. Presented by the Science Festival, global design, engineering and planning firm Arup and the music theatre company Cryptic and supported through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, Sonic Dreams will open to the public in St Andrew Square on Saturday 3rd April.

Find out more

12 March 2010

Spirit of the Wild takes over St Andrew Square

A stunning photographic exhibition opens today in St Andrew Square as the centrepiece to the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Spirit of the Wild, a collection of 60 spectacular wildlife images from the world renowned photographer Steve Bloom, has toured around Europe, but this is the first time it has been presented in Scotland.

More...

8 March 2010

Science Festival Seeks Saints and Sinners

www.sinnerorsaint.org

Do men sin more than women? Are the Scots bigger sinners than the English? Which sins are we most predisposed to commit? The answers to these questions, and more, are being sought on a new on-line survey launched by The Edinburgh International Science Festival today.

Continues...

4 March 2010

Inventor of DNA fingerprinting announced as recipient of
2010 Edinburgh Medal

The recipient of the 22nd Edinburgh Medal was announced today as Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, one of the first scientists to discover inherited variation in human DNA. Sir Alec went on to invent DNA fingerprinting, showing how it could be used to resolve issues of identity and kinship. Originally an academic curiosity, this has rapidly developed into a technology that has impacted directly on the lives of many millions of people worldwide, being used as the basis for a number of DNA databases, both in the UK and abroad. Sir Alec supports his work with an outspoken commitment to ensuring that these techniques are engaged for the greater social good whilst upholding the civil liberties of the individual.

Read more...

16 February 2010

We've launched! Download the launch press release here:

Edinburgh-International-Science-Festival-launches-2010-Programme.doc (MS Word Document - 174Kb)

The Edinburgh International Science Festival will run from Saturday 3rd April to Saturday 17th April 2009 at a range of venues across the city. Full details of all the events, activities, workshops and talks in all the venues can be found at www.sciencefestival.co.uk. Tickets can be booked on-line, or by calling 0131 533 0322.

For Further Information please contact
Frances Sutton, PR Manager, 07841 579481 or media@scifest.co.uk