Droopy the wandering robot is totally legless, and when things are quiet
and the lights low, he begins to explore, seeking warm, dark places to hide
in. He is one of the stars of this year鈥檚 Edinburgh Science Festival which
opens on Saturday 11 April. Other gems this year include a lecture on the
physics of bagpipes and a lecture on science and toys 鈥� from the Hornby
train and Russian pecking hens to pop guns and steam engines. And for children
under seven, there鈥檚 the perennial attraction of the 鈥楳ad Lab鈥�, a grotto
of unrivalled scientific and technological achievement.
If visitors are sufficiently recovered from the traumas of the general
election on 9 April, they might have the energy to attend slightly more
highbrow debates covering such topics as 鈥業nequalities in health鈥�, 鈥榃hy
the human genome project?鈥� and 鈥楽cience and religion鈥�. For those who are
not recovered, there鈥檚 a seminar on 鈥楽tress control鈥�. For those caught in
an election time-warp, there鈥檚 鈥楽cience after the election鈥�, a discussion
between representatives of Save British Science and the main political parties.
In other mainstream lectures and debates, Lew Allen, the former chief
of staff of the US Air Force, examines defence research following the end
of the Cold War, while Helen Sharman, Britain鈥檚 first astronaut, shares
her experiences of 鈥榁iews from space鈥� with Valentina Tereshcova, the first
woman in space, and Heather Couper, the astronomer and broadcaster.
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If it鈥檚 all too much for you, you can always go back and hunt for Droopy.
The festival ends on Saturday 25 April.
