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 ...

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 ...

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.Experiment Zone opening times - term timeMonday - Friday: 11.00am - 4.00pm (last entry 3.30pm) Saturday: 10.00am - 5.00pm (last entry 4.30pm) Sunday: 11.00am - 5.00pm (last entry 4.30pm)​The Experiment Zone may be ...

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. 

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.

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.

Naked Eye Astronomy

8 January 2018 - 21 September 2018 You don’t need a telescope to discover the wonders of the night sky.​With amazing imagery from telescopes and space probes filling the news, it is easy to think that we need expensive equipment to start stargazing. We’ll take you on a tour of the night sky and help you to recognise planets, find stars and constellations and see satellites using nothing more than your eyes.

Space Robots

19 May 2018 - 19 April 2019 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.

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 ...

Rusty

1 April 2018 - 30 September 2018 Meet Rusty, an extra-terrestrial robot who will catapult you on an exciting journey, flying across our planet’s surface and down a ravine – before continuing your adventure in space, thanks to one of his many engineering gadgets!

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.

Great Geordie Bridges

19 June 2018 - 30 September 2018 Did you know that 2018 is the 90th anniversary of the Tyne Bridge opening to the public? To mark the occasion, our Science Explainers have engineered a show about the many bridges that cross the River Tyne. Live demos will show the physics of bridge design and celebrate the beauty of the famous river crossings between Newcastle and Gateshead.

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.

Summer holiday

21 July 2018 - 2 September 2018 Add a high-tech twist to your summer with Robots – then and now, a blockbuster exhibition developed by the Science Museum in London. Join us on a 500-year journey through robotic invention, from the earliest 16th century automatons to the latest humanoids.​​​​​​​Children go FREE at Life Science Centre this summer!*Get one free child admission to Life Science Centre with each full paying adult, from Saturday 18 August – Sunday 2 September 2018. Use code KIDSFREE online, or buy your tickets on arrival at reception.​​​​​​​*Terms and conditions apply. Excludes concessions.Don’t forget to grab your free Family Trail booklet, full of interesting ...

October Half-Term

20 October 2018 - 4 November 2018 Concocting potions, fiendish plotting and exploring weird worlds are some of our highlights for the October half-term holidays.   Not enrolled in a boarding school for wizards? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our Potions workshops!*   Then again, if you are one of the minions helping the villain in our interactive Science Theatre show How to be an Evil Genius, maybe we should be careful about sharing our potion secrets with you!   Are you scared of the unknown? There’s lots of mystery surrounding other planets in our Solar System – come and find out more in ...

Science Sessions: Awesome Airships

Next Date: Sunday 21 October 2018, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Are you aged between 13 and 18? Want to explore what you can really do with science? Life’s hands-on sessions for teenagers include a ‘no boring stuff’ guarantee! Whether you take part alone or with friends, you’re guaranteed to meet like-minded people, learn something new and have fun.   Awesome Airships Airships are often seen as a thing of the past but they are becoming increasingly popular with a number of companies developing new forms of airships as a means of luxury travel.  Join us to make airships and attempt to make a dirigible, which can be steered around ...

Robots: hopes and fears

Next Date: Thursday 1 November 2018, 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM Will robots ultimately change our lives for better or for worse?There are many ways in which robots could improve healthcare and wellbeing: robotic surgeons are already being used in highly intricate operations, including to treat patients with pancreatic and kidney cancer; in our aging society, robots could help to care for the elderly with humanoid carers; while the many people who are unable to drive for health reasons could find greater independence thanks to driverless cars.In all of these examples, however, there are concerns that tasks once performed by a human could be taken over by a robot. Should ...

1950s Rock 'n' Roll with The Bluebirds

16 November 2018 7:30 PM - 12:00 AM It's back to the 50s for a party that celebrates great music, fashion, dancing and food!   The fabulous trio The Bluebirds are back to deliver top notch entertainment and live renditions of 1950s classics - rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, jive - we have it covered. All that dancing can work up an appetite so dig into some American diner classics of burgers, chilli dogs and fries. And satisfy any sweet tooth cravings at the candy tuck shop. Dress code: blue suede shoes, swing dresses, polka dots, quiffs and pony tails are the order of the day (but not ...

Pre-school Days

Next Date: Tuesday 11 September 2018, 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 ...

Science Sessions: Locked Out

Next Date: Sunday 2 September 2018, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Are you aged between 13 and 18? Want to explore what you can really do with science? Life’s hands-on sessions for teenagers include a ‘no boring stuff’ guarantee!Whether you take part alone or with friends, you’re guaranteed to meet like-minded people, learn something new and have fun.Locked Out - the engineering of security locksThroughout history there has been a race between those who seek to develop more secure locks and those who employ equal ingenuity to defeat them. Discover how locks are engineered, then take the challenge of defeating the mechanisms in different locks before building a combination lock.Tickets are available to book online. Booking will close at midnight on the Thursday ...

Halloween Late: Bewitching Bots

Next Date: Friday 26 October 2018, 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM For a killer (robot) party this Halloween, visit after dark and explore our Robots - then and now exhibition like never before. With technology this advanced, you'd be excused for thinking there's dark magic at play here. There’ll also be spooky action on the 4D Motion Ride and a chance to play in the Brain Zone and Curiosity Zone.