Events with an intellectual twist.
Monday 31 August
FIRE!: The atmospheric remains of the Rose Theatre on Bankside is the setting for a talk on the Great Fire of London and the prophecies that supposedly heralded it. £8, prebook, 7.30pm
Tuesday 1 September
ROYAL SYMBOLISM: A new exhibition at the Royal College of Physicians, next to Regent's Park, looks at 800 years of royal authority and symbolism through a series of charters, seals and deeds from the college's collections. FREE, just turn up, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
SCIENCE OF WONKA: Great idea from the Barbican: a screening of the 1971 version of Willy Wonka at which a chemical engineer talks about the nuts and bolts of a real chocolate factory. But can any scientist explain how Gene Wilder's Wonka is simultaneously so avuncular and terrifying? £9.50, prebook, 6.30pm
ECONOMICS: Is another crash coming? How can we avoid them? What part does debt play? Steve Keen is at Conway Hall to speculate, and at a price that won't cause financial upheavals. £5-£10, prebook, 7.30pm
Thursday 3 September
NUCLEAR SPACE: The UK Space Agency hosts a full-day conference on developments of nuclear power for space propulsion. Perhaps one more for those already working in the field, James Bond baddies and Stewie Griffin. FREE, prebook, 9.30am
SEARCH FOR LIFE: Join NASA scientist Lynn Rothschild at UCL for a talk on the possibilities of life beyond Earth. FREE, prebook, 6.30pm
NAME THAT DISEASE: Some venues have mystery speakers or surprise locations. Wellcome Collection has a pair of mystery infectious diseases for you. Hear how those diseases have affected different cultures across the centuries. FREE, prebook, 6.30pm
CHEMISTRY: The Royal Society of Chemistry recently challenged researchers and undergraduates to communicate their work in one-minute presentations. An event at the RSC's swanky headquarters in Burlington House asks two of the better entrants to expand on their videos. Learn about nanoparticles for drug delivery and manipulating fat molecules to reduce obesity. FREE, prebook, 6.30pm
WRITING STYLE: Want to see a massive, gratuitous close-up of Steven Pinker's increasingly craggy face? Then click here. More importantly, you can catch the linguist in action at the Royal Institution today as he argues why writing style is very important. People who write press releases: he's looking at you. £12, prebook, 7pm
Friday 4 September
PUB DATA: It's not uncommon for Londoners to go down the pub of a Friday lunchtime. How about seeing hundreds of pubs in your lunch break? Head to the Open Data Institute in South Shoreditch for a look at pub datasets and how to map them. FREE, prebook, 1pm
THAMES LEGEND: A lunchtime lecture at Guildhall Library, with tales of death and mystery on the river Thames. £5.95, prebook, 1pm
LHC: If you thought the only gag about the Large Hadron Collider was to lewdly transpose two of the letters of Hadron, then here's a comedy show to tell you different. Queen Mary, University of London presents a Higgs-hunting evening in which you're encouraged to bring smartphones and tablets. FREE, prebook, 7pm
WORK, REST AND PLAY: Wellcome Collection's Friday Late explores the opposed concepts of activity and relaxation. Find out what happens to your brain when you rest or when you work and experience a live stream of random noise from Heathrow Airport. FREE, just turn up, 7pm
Sunday 6 September
GAMES GALORE: Head along to Doodle Bar in Battersea for an afternoon of board games, card games, video games and competitions. Organised by BOARD London. Free, prebook,
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