Edinburgh International Science Festival: Four of the best

Science meets food and fashion in a mind-expanding, mouth-watering array of events at this years EISF

Science meets food and fashion in a mind-expanding, mouth-watering array of events at this years EISF

Mind games

Derren Brown, one of many big names at this year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival, invites us to pull aside the curtain of mystery and explore the science of his mind-controlling trickery, with Richard Wiseman on Sat 21 April. BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory team is back to wow the capital with shows from 13 to 15 April, with the promise of live experiments featuring explosions (a regular feature of the hit TV show). The Jam House plays host to TV funnyman Robin Ince as he looks at the humorous side of science in Humour Me: The Science of Laughter on Wed 11 April.

Clean cut

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Fans of the satirical 1951 comedy film, The Man in the White Suit, take note. On Wed 4 April, designer Helen Storey and polymer chemist Tony Ryan discuss the technology behind their clothes, which use textiles as a catalytic surface to purify the air. Cleaner air, less respiratory disease, a better world for all? Ealing fans will hope it works out better for them than it did for Alec Guinness.

Wild side

The Royal Botanic Gardens serves up a scrummy science two-course menu on Sat 7 April. In the morning, River Cottage’s foraging expert, John Wright, joins Miles Irving, author of The Forager Handbook, for a walk in the gardens, followed by a tasty breakfast at the Gateway Restaurant. Then, that evening, the foragers cook up their fave wild treats and discuss the health and sustainability benefits of raiding Mother Nature’s larder.

Sensual sensibilities

Edinburgh International Science Festival gets sexy this year with an Aphrodisiac Canapé Reception on Sun 8 April (boffins split science and psychology from myth and mystery while consoling crestfallen guests with a smorgasbord of cocktails and canapés) and a Sensory Dining Night on Tues 10 April (a comedian, two scientists and a scent technician get cunning with a linguist, we kid you not). See page 29 for a chance to win free Aphrodisiac and Foraging (see right) tickets.

Edinburgh International Science Festival runs from 30 March - 15 April.

For more information call the EISF Box Office: 0844 557 2686 or visit Edinburgh International Science Festival