Week In Geek: 4-10 July 2011

M@
By M@ Last edited 152 months ago
Week In Geek: 4-10 July 2011

Events for Londoners with curious minds.

Two biggies this week, as the Royal Society runs its annual Summer Science Exhibition and the London Film and Comic Con wheels out a guest list of geek stars that would make Commander Worf grin like a tomfool, and probably wet himself.

Monday 4 July
FICTION: The lablit bookclub returns to the Royal Institution. This month's book choice is The Giant, O'Brien, the story of a very tall Irish man whose body ended up in the specimen cases of John Hunter. FREE, 7pm

FUTUROLOGY: Join Mark Stevenson in Camden's Monarch for a look at the near future. The event is hosted by London Skeptics in the Pub. £2, 7.30pm

POPULATION: Bright Club returns to the Wilmington Arms tonight with the theme of 'population'. Bright Club mixes comedians, scientists and even lawyers for the ultimate mix of brains and jokes. £5, 8pm

Tuesday 5 July
FESTIVAL: The Royal Society's annual Summer Science Exhibition starts today, a chance to talk with British researchers about their work. You may remember last year's extravaganza on the South Bank to mark the society's 350th anniversary (pterodactyls and flying penguins etc.). They might be back at base this year, but the science will be just as fascinating. FREE, runs till 6pm on 10 July

NEUROSCIENCE: As part of the Summer Science Exhibition, the Royal Society is also putting on a few events. The first is a look at the neuroscience of emotion. As well as top researchers in the field, this panel debate also includes a professor of art and novelist Ian McEwan. It's already booked out, but any free seats can be claimed by people hovering at the doors just before it begins. FREE, 6.30pm

QUANTUM: The second RS event tonight is all about string theory. Can two leading scientists explain these tricky ideas to a non-scientific audience? FREE, 5.15pm

ARCHITECTURE: Architects Nicholas Grimshaw and Jack Pringle are at the South Bank Centre to discuss the Skylon, symbol of the 1951 Festival of Britain. £10, 7.45pm

Wednesday 6 July
FICTION: Gormenghast author Mervyn Peake would have been 100 this year. To mark the centenary, his son Christopher is at the National Archives in Kew to discuss Peake's life. £5, 6pm

Thursday 7 July
EVOLUTION: Neuroscientist Raymond Tallis is at the Royal Institution to discuss his new book, which will 'expose the exaggerated claims made for the ability of neuroscience and evolutionary theory to explain human consciousness, behaviour, culture and society'. £10, 7pm

Friday 8 July
SCI-FI: The London Film and Comic Con starts today at Earl's Court 2. The attendee list is, frankly and almost literally, out of this world: Brent Spiner, Karen Gillan, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lambert, Derek Jacobi, Sylvester McCoy, Richard Hatch...the list goes on and on. Bookings are closed but tickets are available on the door. Prices vary, Fri 6pm-Sun 5pm

BIODIVERISTY: Tonight's RS discussion asks why a fifth of vertebrates are threatened with extinction. Again, the talk is fully booked but any free seats will be given over to people lingering outside. FREE, 6.30pm

SOIL: Another RS event, this time in conjunction with Cafe Scientifique. Professor Richard Bardgett of Lancaster University discusses the science of soil. FREE, 5.15pm

Saturday 9 July
ASTRONOMY: Should we worry about solar flares? An expert panel puts over the facts at the Royal Society. FREE, 3pm

MEETUP: The London Sci-fi and Fantasy meetup group hold their fortnightly get-together at the Mad Hatter pub in Southwark. FREE, 6pm

Sunday 10 July
LANGUAGE: How come humans can talk but chimps can't? Find out why our hairy cousins never developed a language at the Royal Society. FREE, 3pm

Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments.

Last Updated 04 July 2011