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If you fancy seeing the rarest knob in the world, discovering the science
in your Sunday lunch, or hearing about deviant scientists, then head for
Scotland’s capital between Easter and 23 April. That’s when this year’s
Edinburgh Science Festival takes place, with 400 talks, 20 exhibitions,
a dozen or so conferences and ‘performances’.

The rarest knob in the world is part of what is claimed to be the most
complete collection anywhere of TV memorabilia. ‘You’ve seen the twentieth
century – now see the box it came in,’ says Bruce Durie, the organiser of
the festival.

As usual, the ‘Science Dome’ is catering for inquisitive children. ‘Friendly
explainers’ help visitors to investigate a host of scientific phenomena
with simple, interactive exhibits. For 50p, you can design a biosphere,
or ‘bottled planet’ containing algae and shrimps.

For jazz buffs, Humphrey Lyttelton, the broadcaster and jazz trumpeter,
will explain how musicians must change their role as a jazz band expands.
His ‘performance’is part of a theme on ‘size’. Peter Nelson of the University
of Edinburgh will be premiering his Gross Concerto of electronic ‘hyperinstruments’
on the ninth.

There are regular talks such as ‘The Molecule Of The Day’, a conference
on pets, and lectures on ‘Love, Power and Knowledge’, examining the links
between science and feminism. ‘Heavier’ themes include toxicology, the global
environment, nuclear weapons and the origin of the Universe. For those who
want to escape reality, there’s an evening on the art and science of Scotch
whisky.

The festival takes over where the government-inspired Science Week covering
the whole of Britain leaves off. There may even be a postmortem of the Science
Week at a conference called ‘Building Bridges’ examining the popularisation
of science. And for those who really have had enough, there’s a play about
brain transplants.

Further details from the festival organisers. Tel: 031 557 4296, fax:
031 557 3743.