Week In Geek: 23-29 April 2012

M@
By M@ Last edited 143 months ago
Week In Geek: 23-29 April 2012


London events for people with curious minds.

Monday 23 April

BONES: The remains of 84 people and animals were discovered at UCL in 2010, during construction work. The exhumed items are thought to be the remnants of a long-buried teaching collection. An exhibition about the discovery starts today at UCL's Grant Museum. FREE, until 13 July.

CODES: Ever heard of steganography? The Royal Society tells us that this is the "art of concealing messages so they are only visible to sender and recipient". Tonight's Cafe Scienifique at said venue explores the theory of hidden information, but is making no secret of the presenter, who is Dr Andrew Ker from Oxford. FREE, 6.30pm

MEDICINE: Could malaria, which kills a million people a year, ever be eradicated? Join a discussion at Gresham College (Barnard's Inn Hall, Holborn) tonight. FREE, 6pm

SHARKS: Tonight's PubSci meetup, upstairs at the Ritzy in Brixton, promises five things that are worse than being eaten by a shark. Not for the faint-hearted. FREE, 7.30pm

IDEAS: "The world is full of problems, but it’s also full of brilliant people, chipping away at those problems with their ideas and expertise." So begins the blurb for Think Positive, a kind of Dragon's Playpen of ideas taking place tonight at Camden People's Theatre on Hampstead Road. UCL academics will give their ideas for changing the world, and the one with the most votes wins £1,000 towards funding. £5, 7.30pm

Tuesday 24 April

MEDICINE: Learn about Joseph Lister's contributions to pathology at a lunchtime talk at the Royal College of Surgeons. £3, 1pm

SPORTY MATHS: A geeky look at the world of sport, as John Barrow (speaking at the Museum of London) compares scoring systems between disciplines and how they affect the relative importance of luck and skill in a given sport. FREE, 1pm

LONDON: Much-respected author Jerry White lifts the lid on 18th Century London during a talk at Guildhall Library. FREE, 6pm

ARCHITECTURE: RIBA's headquarters at 66 Portland Place are open all evening for a series of talks and exhibitions about architecture. This month, the theme is women in architecture. FREE, 6-10pm

ARCHAEOLOGY: As well as its usual function as a music venue, The Monarch in Camden Town has a reputation for hosting quirky intellectual get-togethers. Tonight sees an Archaeology Showoff, in which 10 dirt-sifters share their anecdotes and insights. FREE, 7pm

COSY SCIENCE: A new meetup to get top scientists talking directly with the non-scientific public starts tonight at the Exmouth Arms in Finsbury. Cosy Science begins as it means to go on, with a short talk and longer informal discussion with Nobel prize winner Timothy Hunt. FREE, 7pm

Wednesday 25 April

ATOMS: How round is the electron, and why does it matter? Not-so-weighty weighty stuff at the Institute of Physics (Portland Place), whose lecture tonight covers "shape of the electron, the direction of time and the existence of anti-matter". £2, 6.30pm

LATES: Time once again for the Science Museum's late opening, with music and wine and no children. Sounds like they've got a bouncy castle, too. This month's theme is the science of mental health. FREE, 6.45pm-10pm

Thursday 26 April

PECHA KUCHA: Eight speakers have just over six minutes each to present 20 slides about their pet subjects on the theme of Innovation. The evening, with wine and sushi, takes place at Goldsmith's College and is organised by CAST (the Centre for Creative and Social Technologies, not the Britpop band). FREE, 6pm

BEER: This month's Geekpub meetup takes place in the Smithfield Tavern. A chance to show off your geekiest T-shirts. FREE, 6.30pm

LITERARY CONSPIRACIES: Was Shakespeare Shakespeare? We're not best placed to answer, though we're pretty certain chart toppers Shakespeare's Sister weren't actually Shakespeare's sisters. This month's Fortean meetup looks at conspiracy theories surrounding the Bard. £3/£2, 7.30pm

Friday 27 April

FLIGHT: Head along to the Royal Society for a lunch time talk about the pioneering aerial engineer George Cayley, one of the first people to seriously examine the possibilities of heavier-than-air powered flight. FREE, 1pm

COMICS: Graphic novelist Darryl Cunningham talks about his latest publication investigating science myths and controversies at North Finchley Library. FREE, 6.30pm

LATES: The Natural History Museum stays open throughout the evening, with special events, music and the chance to drink with the extincts. FREE, 7-10pm

Sunday 29 April

COSTUMES: Sci-Fi London Film Festival gets off to an hilarious start with a science fiction costume parade of the Embankment area. FREE, 12pm.

What did we miss? Let us know below, or email matt@londonist.com to tip us off about upcoming events.

Last Updated 23 April 2012