Still to come at Edinburgh Science Festival 2025
From the science behind the seven deadly sins to the chemistry of Star Wars, there’s lots still to uncover at Edinburgh Science Festival 2025.
Running until Sunday 20 April, the Festival explores the challenges of living on a planet with finite resources, through the lenses of science fiction and space exploration with the theme Spaceship Earth.
This week’s highlights include:
A Climate of Truth (15 April)
We have all the technology we need to live better than ever before, and yet humanity is still accelerating into a climate emergency. Sustainability expert, Prof Mike Berners-Lee looks at the challenge from new angles, and reveals how the need for radically higher standards of honesty in our politics, media, and business is the single most critical point of leverage for those seeking change. Berners-Lee shows what all of us can do to be part of the evolution that humanity so urgently needs to deal with the polycrisis.
Seven Deadly Sins (15 April)
Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Envy. Lust. Anger. Do these sins really represent moral failings, or are they simply important and useful human functions that aid us? Professor of neurology, Guy Leschziner reveals the hidden science and humanity behind our so-called flaws and follies.
Mission Bake: From Bake Off to Blast Off (18 April)
Are you ready to see some “out-of-this-world” treats? Join scientist and Great British Bake Off finalist Josh Smalley as he showcases the wonders of space through the art of baking, with edible meteorites and macaron planets. Plus, space expert Dhara Patel from the National Space Centre will be bringing real meteorites to the show!
Josh Smalley also joins the Festival for The Easter Baking Show, also on 18 April.
Memory Lane: the Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember (18 April)
We often think our impressions of the past remain preserved somewhere inside our brains. In fact, we reconstruct our memories every time we try to recall them. But a faulty memory isn’t always a bad thing…Explore the cutting-edge science of human memory, the ethical implications of memory manipulation and the pitfalls of false recollections. Psychologists Ciara Greene and Gillian Murphy reveal the surprising benefits of a flexible memory system and explain why no two trips down memory lane are ever quite the same.
The Chemistry of Star Wars (20 April)
In a galaxy far, far away, there is a Star Wars universe packed with captivating science, from the biology of alien species to the astrophysics of hyperspace. But what about Chemistry? Join Alex Baker, a chemist from the University of Warwick, as he explores the freezing of Han Solo, the colours of lightsabers, the reactions that power star ships and much more.
DiscoveryLab (Running until 19 April)
Visit the Festival’s reimagined flagship family experience at City Art Centre and explore five floors packed with hands-on activities designed for all the family to get involved in. Children aged 5–11 can also book entry to one premium workshop including Splat-tastic, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Wild Vets.
To view the full programme, visit: