Life Science Centre

Brain Zone

Explore what makes you 'you'. Find out how your brain works and how it controls so many of your body's functions – often without you even realising it.   Play memory games, step into an optical illusion and (attempt to) interact with exhibits that require some mind over matter.   Developed with the national curriculum in mind, the Brain Zone has much to offer psychology students, but it also offers broader science insights, such as how scientists carry out experiments when data is hard to capture.    Don't miss: ​ Sip of conflict – A drinking fountain disguised as ...

Curiosity Zone

There are no right or wrong answers, no instructions, no rule book. Just follow your instincts as you experiment with a range of exhibits, including spinning turntables, sound-based games and a ‘Bernoulli Blower’ that floats a beachball in mid-air – always popular with younger children!   Ask yourself the kind of questions that a scientist would: “what happens if?”,  “what can I see here?” and “why is that happening?”. All of the exhibits in Curiosity Zone can be used in a variety of different ways, so you choose what you want to explore. When you come back next time, ...

Experiment Zone

In the Experiment Zone YOU are the scientist! Ever wondered what it's like to be a real scientist? Find out in the Experiment Zone.Carry out practical experiments using real tools and materials.Work on your own, in a team, or enlist the help of a friendly Science Explainer.Meet real-life working scientists. See them at work and ask questions.Help in actual research projects taking place in the region's universities.New for Christmas 2018: Fake snow!We may not get real snow this winter, but come and discover this fun new experiment that investigates how different salts 'melt' our fake snow polymer.Experiment Zone opening ...

Making Space

Drop into the Making Space to design, play, weave, construct or create something special! All Making Space events are included in your Science Centre admission. Activities change regularly. The Making Space is open most weekends and during school holidays.    Find out more about our Christmas craft activities >

Prehistoric Autopsy Hominins

Get up close to our collection of skeletons and full body recreations of Neanderthal, Australopithicus and Homo erectus.These six models were created for the BBC TV series Prehistoric Autopsy, presented by Alice Roberts in 2012. They are highly accurate recreations of what the creatures would probably have been like. They are relatives of modern humans, but apart from Homo erectus they are not our direct ancestors. Find them on the ramp between the ground and upper floor.

Young Explorers' Zone

Children learn through play – it’s how they make sense of the world. Our Young Explorers’ Zone for under-7s is designed to encourage open-ended play and to help children build their imagination and other key skills, whilst having fun! Activities include:Big blocks, which are just waiting to be crafted into something wonderful. Will your child design a rocket, a unicorn or something totally new?A sensory den, where smaller tots and babies can explore light, colours, shapes and sounds – tucked safely away from some of the more energetic play from older toddlers! A fresh take on soft play, with linkable pieces ...

Alien Worlds

22 September 2018 - 7 January 2019 Our Earth is a welcoming place for us humans, but what might it be like on different, alien, worlds?​Humans love exploring – and we’re not stopping at our own planet! Although we can’t travel to most other worlds (yet!), in the immersive environment of our planetarium we can experience what it might be like.Dive through Saturn’s rings, fly above the Martian surface and find out what it’s like to walk on moons.

Little Bear goes North

1 December 2018 - 7 January 2019 An enchanting planetarium show especially for under 7s. Little Bear likes to look at the stars. One day she encounters a lost polar bear cub and uses her knowledge to help him find his way home to the north, where they discover the Northern Lights.

Planetarium

Life Science Centre is home to the North’s biggest and best planetarium.   Here, the skies are darker, the stars are brighter, the planets are so clearly defined, it looks like you could reach out and touch them.   Thanks to the most sophisticated digital technology available, you can:   Experience the most immersive, absorbing journeys through space and the solar system. See stunning space films and visuals that you won’t see anywhere else in the region. Experience real-time Live Skies shows where you can find out what’s happening in space right now. Zoom through space and land on ...

Space Robots

19 May 2018 - 30 November 2018 We all love to explore gardens, playgrounds and secret hideaways, but when exploring space is too dark and dangerous for human explorers, we send robots who act as our eyes and ears, sensing around them and sending us messages to tell us about it.A lot of what we know about our Solar System comes from the space robots that scientists have sent to other planets. Listen in to Mission Control as the messages roll in.

4D Motion Ride

You can expect to be blasted with wind and smoke, and you'll even be able to smell the action! For safety reasons you have to be at least 1.2 metres in height to use the Motion Ride. There are plenty of other things to enjoy if you’re smaller - just ask a member of staff. Shows are on at various times throughout the day, daily show times are available on arrival.

The Polar Express Journey to the North Pole

10 November 2018 - 7 January 2019 When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.​The Polar Express: Journey to the North Pole is a six minute film based on the inspiring and beloved Caldecott Medal winning children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.For safety reasons, you must be at least 1.2 metres in height to use the 4D Motion Ride.

How to be an Evil Genius

2 October 2018 - 7 January 2019 An evil genius has a dastardly plan to take over the world by stealing the keys to a magnificent Moon rocket. As you can imagine, stealing a Moon rocket isn’t easy, so the evil genius is recruiting a team of minions to help. On-the-job training is provided for wannabe minions, so step inside our theatre to uncover the science needed to complete the mission.

Science Theatre

Awesome experiments and audience participation help to unravel science fact from science fiction in our fun, family-friendly shows. Shows change regularly and cover all sorts of science themes like dinosaurs, the weather, aerodynamics (with fake flying pigs as test pilots), reactions, chain reactions... the list goes on! The Science Theatre is equipped with an analogue induction loop. ​Shows are on at various times throughout the day, daily show times are available on arrival.

A Bite Out of the Moon

1 March 2019 8:00 PM - 10:15 PM Is the Moon made of cheese? Erm… no. But the origin and longevity of the myth is interesting to discuss over some delicious cheeses and wines!   Noel Jackson, Life’s resident expert, will explore this peculiar myth and share some fun facts about the science of cheese, lunar space missions – and explain what a Blue Moon is as you nibble on delicious blue cheese!   The perfect number of cheeses on a cheese board is four, with a mould-ripened soft cheese, a young cheese, a mature cheese and a blue*. We are sourcing the very best of each type ...

An evening with Professor Paul Davies

6 February 2019 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Join us for an evening with the eminent physicist Paul Davies, in which he will share insights from his new book, The Demon in the Machine.Despite dazzling progress in biology, nobody knows what life is or how it began. The difficulty in defining life highlights an uncomfortable truth at the heart of science: there is a vast conceptual gulf between physics and biology, molecules and organisms, the animate and the inanimate, and it seems unbridgeable without fundamentally new concepts.In The Demon in the Machine, Davies re-thinks our understanding of life as ‘organised information’. From DNA to ecosystems, hidden patterns of information emerge and ...

Auld Lang Science

Next Date: Friday 25 January 2019, 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM Join us as we celebrate Scotland’s national poet in a Burns Supper like no other.   We might not be north of the border, but you’re sure to have a night to remember as we blend traditional Burns Night revelry with a few science twists.   Start off your evening with the sound of bagpipes and a wee dram of whisky, followed by a scrumptious dinner that would do Rabbie Burns proud. Then dance the rest of the night away in true Scottish style to the sounds of top North East ceilidh band Angels of the North.   We want ...

Christmas at Life

1 December 2018 - 7 January 2019 We’re putting the ‘wonder’ into winter wonderland this Christmas period with science-themed festive fun!Take a whirl on our outdoor ice rink*, investigate fake snow in the Experiment Zone** and explore the winter night sky in the planetarium!Want a white Christmas? Hop aboard The Polar Express Journey to the North Pole on the 4D Motion Ride**.Children can also be immersed in a festive storytelling or get stuck into making seasonal creations to take home, including LED decorations and winter lanterns (weekends only outside of the school holidays).Santa* will continue to make weekend trips to his rink-side grotto in Times Square ...

Dark Side of Museum of the Moon

A night where astronomy meets art.   Experience Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album like never before in our planetarium – with visuals displayed on the dome to accompany the music – and take in the awe-inspiring view of a seven-metre-wide illuminated Moon, suspended above the ground.   Museum of the Moon, created by UK artist Luke Jerram, displays the Moon’s surface in stunning detail with digital imagery captured by a NASA satellite. Grab a drink at the bar* and take a seat to slowly take in the spectacular art installation. Please note: there will be two ...

Festive tales

1 December 2018 - 6 January 2019 Join our storyteller for wintry tales this festive season, including a story about a runaway Christmas pudding.A perfect activity for little ones and families, gather round and explore winter wonderlands with our resident storyteller.Storytelling sessions will run twice a day on weekends and throughout the Christmas holidays.

Museum of the Moon (Admission from 4pm)

2 February 2019 - 31 March 2019 Created by UK artist Luke Jerram, Museum of the Moon displays the lunar surface in incredible detail on a seven-metre-wide sphere that is suspended in the air. It is massive, magnificent and mesmerising.   The exhibit uses imagery captured by the NASA spacecraft Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and, at an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the sphere represents five kilometres of the Moon’s surface.  

Pre-school Days

Next Date: Tuesday 12 February 2019, 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM These regular events, led by Life's friendly Science Explainers, provide a delightful opportunity for young children to enjoy and explore the Science Centre. Each session offers a mix of classic activities, such as Piccolo Music workshops, mini-beast handling and a toddler bubble disco alongside new activities, so that every event is different. Access to our hands-on Young Explorers' Zone and special planetarium show, Little Bear, is also available. Pre-school days are drop in events so you can arrive and leave when it's convenient for you, but please be aware that spaces in Piccolo Music Workshops are limited and do ...

Salutation to the Moon

12 March 2019 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Enjoy a vinyasa flow yoga workshop while taking in the awe-inspiring view of our art installation, Museum of the Moon.   Created by UK artist Luke Jerram, Museum of the Moon is a seven-metre-wide illuminated sphere that is covered in digital imagery of the lunar surface and suspended above the ground. The artwork is captivating and calming, providing an atmospheric backdrop for the yoga class.   Vinyasa flow yoga is the most popular yoga style practiced around the world and is concerned with synchronising movement with breath.   Please bring along your own yoga mat if you have one ...

Santa Claus at Life

17 November 2018 - 9 December 2018 Our favourite fella in the red suit will be taking time out of his busy schedule to visit Times Square.   Visit Santa Claus in his grotto in Times Square this Christmas. He’ll be here every weekend between 17 November and 23 December.   Price: £5.00 per child (includes a gift).    Pre-booking online is recommended to avoid disappointment. Slots are available between 1.00pm and 5.00pm. Simply select your preferred half hour slot and your child will see Santa within that period for approximately five minutes.  

Supermoon Supper

21 March 2019 7:15 PM - 10:00 PM In 2019, the first day of spring will be marked by a Supermoon in the night sky.  We’re marking this astronomical coincidence with a sumptuous two-course candlelit dinner* beside our Museum of the Moon installation.   Museum of the Moon, created by UK artist Luke Jerram, is a seven-metre-wide illuminated sphere that is covered in digital imagery of the lunar surface and suspended in the air.   Swing singer Paul Skerritt will add to the romantic atmosphere with Moon-inspired music for an evening to remember.   *Please note: the supper is a set two-course menu.