London events for people with curious minds.
Monday 19 November
VOLCANO: Alison Rust is at the Royal Society to talk about the latest research on volcanoes. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
POLITICS: Parliament Week offers many talks about our democracy and its institutions. We've rounded up some of the best in a separate post.
Tuesday 20 November
HISTORY: Andrew Saint discusses the monumental Survey of London, a project ongoing since 1894 to describe the entire architecture of London. He speaks in a Gresham lecture at Museum of London. Free, just turn up, 6pm
DOOM: Dallas Campbell and Lorraine Bowen round up the most popular ways for ending the world, at the Royal Institution, hopefully without a practical demonstration. £10, prebook or turn up, 7pm
BRIGHT CLUB: This month's evening of academics attempting stand-up is at the Wilmington Arms. £5, just turn up or prebook, 7.30pm
PUBSCI: This month's Science in the Pub, upstairs at the Ritzy in Brixton, looks at the importance of museum collections, particularly natural history collections. These events are always good fun, and we'd encourage you to give it a go if you're in the area. Free, just turn up, 8pm
Wednesday 21 November
CLIMATE CHANGE: The Dana Centre screens The Island President, a documentary about the threat to the Maldives from climate change, followed by a discussion. Free, prebook, 6pm
EVOLUTION: Did the eye evolve just once, or many times? William Ayliffe takes a look, at a Gresham lecture at Museum of London. Free, just turn up, 6pm
DATA: As we collect ever more information about genes and proteins, how can the vast amounts of data be put to medical use? Sarah Teichmann speaks at the Royal Society. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
WEB: Wired's Editor-at-Large Ben Hammersley reveals how the Internet actually works, at a Royal Institution talk. £10, prebook or turn up, 7pm
Thursday 22 November
DIY SURGERY: The Hunterian Museum opens late for a look around the collections and a chance to try your hand at suturing. A few tickets for a 'pop up operating theatre' are also available. Free, just turn up, 6-9pm (pop-up surgery is £5, prebook)
SUPERHEROES: Find out how extreme human anatomy can become, and whether the muscular build of superheroes is realistic at the Wellcome Library (Conan the Librarian?). Free, prebook, 6pm
TECHNOLOGY: In what senses has new technology made us more free and in what ways more burdened? A Battle of Ideas discussion at the Royal Academy of Engineering pushes the buttons. £5, prebook, 7pm
PATTERN RECOGNITION: Chris French at Goldsmiths College descRibes how Our brainS havE evolved to Behold patterns all aroUnd us, even in ranDomness. £2, just turn up, 7pm
AVIAN FLU: At Wellcome Collection's late opening, Jeremy Farrar gives an update on the risks of avian flu. Free, prebook, 7.30pm
Friday 23 November
ASTRONOMY: UCL invites you to explore your universe with a two-day programme of talks, demonstrations and hands-on fun. See the full programme here. Free, just turn up, all day
MEDICINE: More UCL action, with a double-headed lunchtime lecture looking at (1) medical missionaries and (2) the brain's immune system. Free, just turn up, 1.15pm
PARTICLE PHYSICS: A talk about the Large Hadron Collider and the search for the Higgs Particle takes place at UCL as part of their astronomy festival. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
Saturday 24 November
MORE DOOM: Another UCL Astronomy festival event tackles end-of-the-world scenarios, on the hook of the nonsense surrounding the Mayan calendar. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
Booking Ahead
Helen Keen’s Spacetacular!, in partnership with Londonist and supported by the UK Space Agency, takes place at the Leicester Square Theatre on 27 January. Space scientists, comedians, musicians and others share an enthusiasm for space exploration, with the audience dressed in tin foil. Earlybird tickets are now on sale for £7.50. Book now. Follow Spacetacular! on Facebook.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below, or email [email protected] to tip us off about future events.
