The Edinburgh International Science Festival reported one of its busiest opening days in 23 years when it opened on 9th April.
Over 5,000 visitors attended Science Festival events in venues around the city including the City Art Centre, the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden, the National Museum, St Andrew Square, The University of Edinburgh’s Informatics Building and the Usher Hall.
It was up to TV Scientist Dr Bunhead to set the festival alight when over 100 members of the audience wore the longest ever glow in the dark necklace (reaching the great length of 1071 feet or 326.44 metres). The successful Guinness World Record attempt was watched by his largest ever audience.
The Science Festival continues until the 22nd April, with an expanded programme of adult events.
Today (Saturday 16 April) science writer Simon Singh will discuss why the Scots spend more on homeopathic medicine than anyone else in the UK; Iain Stewart, from the BBC’s Making Scotland’s Landscape series, will take his audience on a journey back through time to the historic roots of the landscape that surrounds us while cultural historian Mike Jay explores the spectrum of mind-altering drugs available across the globe.
Tomorrow (Sunday 17 April) the Festival’s Guest Director, psychologist Richard Wiseman, has put together a series of events including Funny Way to Make a Living where comedian Robin Ince is joined by other comedians and commentators to conduct live experiments into the science of comedy and laughter.
Wiseman will be joined by Jon Ronson at The Jam House to explore the outer reaches of the human mind and the science of psychopaths.
On a lighter note, at George Square Theatre by Elaine Henley to investigate the science of dog training – with the participation of the canine stars of the Auchinlay Dog Agility Group.
Harvard University’s Marc Abrahams will also present two events on the Ig Nobel Awards – science that makes you laugh then makes you think. In the Improbable After Dark event, at The Jam House at 9.30pm, scientists and science journalists will perform two-minute dramatic readings from studies that were honoured with an Ig Nobel Prize.
The festival advises: "Some of the studies are on topics that might possibly, conceivably, theoretically, offend individuals who are prim, proper, and of high sensibility. We advise that anyone who is easily offended by anything should not come to this event."
More on the Edinburgh International Science Festival