From the microscopic to the vastness of the Universe, medicine to robotics and supercomputing, there is something for everyone.

Plate to Poo
Tue 7 Apr – Wed 8 Apr

Discover how the food we eat shapes the tiny living organisms (microbes) living in our gut. People around the world eat different foods, and those choices create different “microbial communities” within their gut. Learn about your gut health on a microbial adventure as you follow the food you eat on its journey from plate to poo!

Invisible Invaders
Tue 7 Apr – Fri 10 Apr

Explore the microscopic parasites responsible for foodborne and waterborne illnesses through hands-on microscope viewing. Discover how they affect our health, explore simple ways to stay safe, and learn how to build a simple, effective handwashing station using everyday household items.

Dark Universe Detectives
Tue 7 Apr – Fri 10 Apr

Everything we see – from stars and galaxies to planets and people – amounts to only 5% of the Universe we live in. Most of the cosmos is invisible. Understanding it remains one of the biggest puzzles scientists have still to solve. Launched in July 2023, the Euclid space telescope is on a mission to map the Universe, capturing billions of galaxies in incredible detail along the way, and help astronomers shed light on mysterious dark matter and dark energy like never before.

Meet mission scientists and engineers from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and become a ‘Dark Universe Detective’, helping the team find the clues that reveal the missing Universe!

A Physics Journey: From Dark Matter to Biofilms
Tue 7 Apr – Fri 10 Apr

Travel with us from the infinitely small to the infinitely large. Join our physicists for some fun hands-on activities about the research we are currently doing, at all scales from atoms to galaxies. Help us build a giant model of a Lego microbial community, discover new planets in the Universe and touch meteorites, explore with us what the mysterious “dark matter” which surrounds us could be, and much more.

Data and You
Tue 7 Apr – Fri 10 April

When we go to the doctor or attend school, data is collected about us. After personal information has been removed, this data can be used in research to help benefit the public. Our interactive drop-in activities will show how researchers use data to answer big questions about health, society, and the environment. Join Research Data Scotland and our research partners to explore how data shapes the world around us – while having plenty of fun along the way.

Step Into Medicine: History, Science and Virtual Reality
Wed 8 Apr  – Thu 9 Apr

Discover the science behind medicine by stepping into immersive virtual environments created as part of Edinburgh Medical School’s 300th anniversary. Explore medical spaces, ideas and technologies through virtual reality, and see how science, medicine and digital innovation come together in new and unexpected ways.

Teach Me: Interactive Robot Learning Experience
Wed 8 Apr – Thu 9 Apr

Have you ever wanted a robot to help with your daily chores? Join us to learn how robots perceive and act in the world and get hands-on experience teaching a robot a variety of tasks, from simple pick-and-place manipulation to cleaning your room.

Can Deepfakes Fool You?
Fri 10 Apr – Mon 13 Apr

Be a detective and assist fellow Investigator MisInformed to spot deepfakes from real evidence.

Your task will be to review a small inventory of “evidence” and record your observations about what is real and what is fake. At the end, you will be able to compare your intuitions against the lab results from investigator MisInformed, and speak to their lab scientists about the “telltale signs” of deepfakes.

What Happens In Your Brain When You Are Really Listened To?
Fri 10 Apr – Mon 13 Apr

Pay attention! Your brain really does react differently when you concentrate, and it makes a big difference to the person you’re listening to too! Discover brain pattern synchrony when you really listen hard to what the person next to you is saying. Reflect through art on your experiences of being heard and see a live EEG demonstration to see how neurons react to human interactions and uncover the neuroscience of listening and learning.

Healthy Homes
Fri 10 Apr – Mon 13 Apr

Ever wondered what really happens when you insulate your home or open a window? Step inside our interactive game and take control of a cartoon house and family! You’ll decide how to heat and ventilate the home (adding insulation, switching on extractor fans) and instantly see what happens to warmth, energy bills and indoor air quality. You’ll discover how well-intended net zero actions can sometimes trap invisible nasties like pollution and viruses, and how smart ventilation keeps homes both warm and healthy.

When Bubbles Bite
Fri 10 Apr – Mon 13 Apr

What happens when bubbles collapse? Discover how tiny bubbles can create powerful jets that damage ship propellers and turbines, and how engineers are learning to harness these jets for useful applications.

Powering the Future with Light
Sat 11 Apr  – Sun 12 Apr

Explore how light can be transformed into energy through hands-on experiments, glowing nanoparticles, and interactive solar demonstrations. Step inside the world of real research with a glovebox experience and interactive displays showcasing how cutting-edge materials are shaping the future of sustainable energy.

Story of a Protein
Sat 11 Apr  – Sun 12 Apr

Curious about how proteins work in our bodies? Join this hands-on activity to assemble proteins from their basic building blocks. Discover how AI can be used to bring them to life in 3D and explore their fascinating structures with augmented reality!

BioDiscoveries
Sat 11 Apr – Mon 13 Apr

Join scientists from School of Biological Sciences to find out what we’ve been investigating this year. Use a microscope to look up close at butterflies that give important clues about evolution, and get hands on with some (fake!) cat poo to discover how tiny parasites survive. Find out why we need computers to explore how to best fight dangerous microbes, and play a computer game to help our biologists gather data about how viruses spread between people.

How Do Supercomputers Work?
Sat 11 Apr – Mon 13 Apr

Supercomputers are impacting an ever-growing part of our lives, from weather forecasting to engineering and, more recently, the growth of artificial intelligence. Come and learn how to think like a supercomputer and how processors make decisions. You can also have a go at training your own A.I. model! All of our activities are hands-on and open to a range of ages. We will also have some giveaways highlighting the range of science that supercomputers are used for.

Big Swirls & Tiny Swimmers
Sun 12 Apr  – Mon 13 April

Drop in and discover how the same fluid can behave wildly differently at different scales. Try hands-on demos that reveal the science behind our swirly, turbulent ocean and atmosphere—and see how Earth’s rotation helps drive currents and storms. Then dive into the microscopic world, where water feels as sticky as honey to tiny creatures. Find out why simple flapping won’t move a bacterium but will move a fish. A fast, fun introduction to the strange, scale-dependent rules of fluid flow—perfect for curious minds of all ages.

Presented by Dynamic Earth and The University of Edinburgh