Late Night Opening at the Science Museum

Explore what makes us crave, what our second gut is and how to make food more appealing at this month’s Cravings-themed Science Museum Lates, supported by GlaxoSmithKline. Join us for an exploration of the science behind taste with a Scientist’s Supper Club, expert panel discussion on cravings, and Speed Dating with a scientific twist.

The Scientist’s Supper Club

Find out how there’s much more to selecting our favourite dishes than just the food contained within it. Join a selection of members from the Crossmodal Research Laboratory and UCL’s Institute of Making for a supper club with a difference.

Controlling our Cravings

Have you ever wondered what makes you chose the food you love? Is it personal preference or are there higher powers involved? Join our expert panel of Experimental Psychologist Prof Charles Spence, Molecular Gastronomist Jozef Youssef, and Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies to find out what or even who controls our cravings.

Speed-Dating with a Scientific Twist

What happens in the opening moments of attraction? What drives sexual desire? Come and find out for yourself by participating in our speed-dating event with a scientific twist. If you haven't tried it before, it's fast, it’s fun and you may even find love. The event is organised in partnership with scientists from the London School of Economics and the University of Manchester.

This is a pre-booked event only. Tickets are available here.

Gut Feelings

Dr Emily Grossman investigates how our gut bacteria influence what we eat and how we feel, making us crave certain foods. So could a poo transplant kick our chocolate addiction? Are the bugs in our belly controlling us?

Booze on the Brain

Come and grab a drink in the Neuro-Cocktail Bar and find out what alcohol and other drugs do to our brains, and why some people are more susceptible to their effects than others.

What about the boring stuff?

Find out about objects that never go on display, but fill up every museum storeroom.

Join teams from the Museum of English Rural Life and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust to create your own collections selfie and show your support for the niche and geeky side of museum collections.

What if Yogurt Could Satisfy Your Cravings?

Join Danone as they investigate whether yogurt can combat your sweet tooth. Be immersed in a paradise of temptation, before combatting your cravings with a personalised, healthy yogurt.

Hidden Gems

Peel away the layers of the Science Museum’s collections and you’ll find a weird and wonderful world of spectacular objects. Come and marvel at a selection of items not normally on public display, brought straight from our stores.

Killer Cravings: stubbing out cancer

Why do we crave cigarettes, and how has our bad habit become a burden on the NHS? Explore world-leading research on lung cancer, and find out how science drives the policy that will stub out our craving for fags, forever!

Flirty Food

Join us as we talk about aphrodisiacs, including bananas, chocolate and more. Have a sample and see if they tingle more than just your taste buds! This is no ordinary event... this is a deep, intense, overpowering Science Museum event.

The Miraculous Gut

Our gut is almost as important to us as our brain or our heart, yet we know very little about how it works. Microbiologist and internationally bestselling author Giulia Enders explains that rather than the embarrassing body part we imagine it to be, it is one of the most miraculous parts of our body.

It Takes Guts

Follow the journey of your food into your mouth, through the acid bath in your stomach, along metre after metre of pulsating guts, and then out the other end! This show, featuring video footage of people's inside, is a gross, squirm-inducing demonstration of why exactly your poo is brown.

Can Touch This

Hold history in your hands with objects from the Science Museum’s collection. Museum volunteers will show you what they are made from and how they transformed the way we communicate and share information.

Chocolate Alchemy

Love the melt-in-your-mouth feel of chocolate? What really goes into preparing unique desserts that not only intrigues the palate but also visually appeals? Drop by and see how chefs are really just scientists in disguise.

Understanding and Controlling Food Cravings

As a nation we’re getting fatter and there are many reasons why. Dr Tony Goldstone, Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College London will discuss whether our expanding waistlines and overeating are due to poor self-control, hormones, food addiction, bad food choices or fast food outlets.

aphro-SEED-iac

Find out what foods can put you in the mood and see whether you can grow your libido by planting an aphrodisiac. Dirty and delicious!

The mechanics of Food,

Can Mechanical Engineers help in food product design and development? Dr Maria Charalambides will demonstrate that the way foods deform and break under load is an important aspect towards understanding food texture and consumer perception. Look at how this will influence the food of the future!

We eat with our eyes

Join Anna Barlow to create a ceramic ice cream sculpture. Find out how the work is made and have a go at converting your sugar cravings into creativity. See how clay and imagination can fool you into drooling over ice cream...

Regular Lates activities

Silent Disco

Whether you’re practising your moves or just in the mood to slam dunk the funk, grab a headset, select your tunes and dance until you drop.

Punk Science: The Game Show

Feed your craving for laughs with the world’s leading science themed comedy game show, brought to you by the award winning Punk Science. In this month’s fun filled food themed show we’ll find out how much chocolate could kill you and whether eating cake is good for you, as well as having the chance to win big prizes.

Tickets are limited and cost £5 per person – available from any ticket desk or pre-book here to receive Lates queue-jump.