Science of Love
Saturday 18 th August
11am and 2pm (duration one hour)
Join author and broadcaster Toby Murcott for this presentation as he explores how and why we fall in love.
"Your eyes meet, your pulse races, your heart flutters and a warm feeling spreads slowly throughout your body." Descriptions of love are often based on how our bodies react and science is very good at detailing those changes in all their glory. But why do we fall in love? What is it about a face that makes us catch a breath? How can we recognise our loved one in a crowd? The science of love doesn’t have all the answers but the ones that are available may surprise you! Come and find out why beauty is balanced and how your nose can lead you to your life long partner.
The Magic of Love
Saturday 18 th August
on the Streets of Merthyr
All day from 10am
Illusionist Richard Robinson takes an entertaining look at how we deal with emotions.
Richard Robinson is author of 'WHY THE ONE YOU FANCY NEVER FANCIES YOU'. He is also an expert on practical jokes. Could that be why nobody fancies him? Or is it because of his taste in hats?
Shakespeare's Surgeons
Tuesday 21st August
11am and 2pm (duration one hour)
Find out about the horrible illnesses and vile medicines that were around in Shakespeare’s time, with Toby Murcott.
Many of Shakespeare's heroes die a gory death at the hands of others but the commonest killers of the Elizabethan era were the myriad of nasty diseases. Plague, TB, typhoid, diphtheria, diseases that are almost unknown in modern Britain killed thousands. Yet the doctors and medics of the time weren’t totally powerless. They had herbal remedies and crude surgery that sometimes cured and sometimes killed! While they were largely ignorant about what caused disease, they did have some successes treating them, and some dismal failures!
Lucid Dreaming
Thursday 23rd August
11am and 2pm (duration one hour)
Learn about the fascinating world of dreams and how to control them, with Mike Richards.
Whether you remember them or not, we all have dreams every night when we’re asleep. Imagine if you were aware of the fact that you were dreaming, and could learn to control them. This state is known as lucidity. Many people experience it naturally on rare occasions and there are well known techniques which can help you to learn to achieve it at will. In this presentation these will be explained to you, along with examples of how people have used dreams creatively in the past. Come along and learn about the power of dreams.
Who killed Romeo & Juliet?
Saturday 25th August
11am and 2pm (duration one hour)
What techniques would forensic scientists use to discover how Romeo & Juliet died? Join Helen Reardon to find out. Over 12s only.
If the final scene of Romeo & Juliet were real, there would be lots of clues for modern forensic scientists to examine the crime scene. But would they be able to work out how Romeo & Juliet died, and if any crimes were committed? What techniques would they use to look at evidence such as hair and fibres? Is it possible to work out who stabbed someone? How would poisons examined? And how do the police identify fingerprints? This workshop will explore these questions and more!
The Mad Musical Instruments Show
Saturday 25th August
All day from 10am
See (and hear!) presenters from Techniquest demonstrate their weird and wacky home-made orchestra.
An entertaining show that explores music and sound through all sorts of instruments. How many people can play a musical instrument? What different instruments can they play and how do they play them? Is it possible to play the bucket or hear the sound made by a coathanger? Such instruments are much cheaper than a piano and just as much fun! What is a mooing bucket or a clucking cup and whatever does a bum fiddle look like? The show includes instruments you can make at home and also some bizarre things, which you don't often see in your local band or orchestra.