Life Science Centre

We’re not like a museum where you’ll only find stuff in cases and be expected to look and not touch. At Life Science Centre, you’re encouraged to get stuck in: explore, create and have fun – whatever your age. Our friendly Science Explainers are always on-hand to answer questions – just look out for people wearing the Life-branded blue polo shirts.

Your Science Centre ticket gives you access to ALL of the daytime activities inside Life Science Centre (see below). There are no extra fees for blockbuster exhibitions or for entry to the planetarium, live theatre shows and the 4D Motion Ride. You won’t find any hidden charges here!

Explore Life's interactive Zones - experience neurological tests in the Brain Zone and let little ones discover the Young Explorers’ Zone.

Everything below is included in your Science Centre ticket

The planetarium

This is an immersive experience – once the lights are dimmed, the doors are shut and you’re sitting on one of the comfiest seats in the region, it’s easy to forget you’re still on planet Earth. We have shows that are tailored for different ages.

Live theatre shows

A changing programme of live theatre shows developed and performed in-house by our Science Explainers to explore a science topic with storytelling, demos and a bit of audience participation (not compulsory if you’re a wallflower).

4D Motion Ride

Watch a short 3D film with seats that move with the on-screen action – plus a variety of other special effects to add to the experience, including smells and fake snow. You have to be at least 1.2 metres in height to use the ride (for safety reasons).

Young Explorers’ Zone

This is a hands-on area designed to let children explore and create. There’s a little indoor garden with a tree house, a shop, a cafe, a kitchen – and even a recycling centre to teach children some good habits at an early age.

Brain Zone

Play memory games, step inside an optical illusion and (attempt to) interact with exhibits that require some mind over matter. Developed with the curriculum in mind, it's a fantastic resource for science students – particularly those on psychology courses.

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 and sound-based games. This permanent exhibition will encourage visitors of all ages to think like a scientist.

Experiment Zone

Don a lab coat and try out some real science experiments. We provide the chemicals*, pipettes and conical flasks – you just need to bring your ‘A’ game for precise measurements and keen observations. (*Yes, real chemicals! Hence you must be 7+ to enter the lab.)

What's On

Exhibitions

Exhibitions Zones Planetarium 4D Motion Ride Science Theatre Special Events

Robots – then and now

26 May 2018 - 2 December 2018 Robots – then and now is a new exhibition booting up at Life Science Centre. This family-friendly exhibition, created by the Science Museum in London, celebrates the 500-year work-in-progress story of building automated machines.Start your journey with the humble beginnings of 16th century mechanical automatons before marching forward through the rich history of robotics to the latest humanoids. The exhibits – both old and new – will provoke much discussion and make you question your human emotional responses to inanimate machines. Are you comfortable with the idea of the human body as a conscious machine, with inner-workings similar to a ...

Perfect for all ages Included in your science centre admission

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 ...

Perfect for all ages Included in your science centre admission

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, ...

Perfect for all ages Included in your science centre admission

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 - 6.00pm (last entry 5.30pm) Sunday: 11.00am - 6.00pm (last entry 5.30pm)The Experiment Zone may be ...

Perfect for ages 7+ Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for All ages Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for all ages Included in your science centre admission

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 ...

Perfect for under 7s Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for Ages 7+ Included in your science centre admission

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 ...

Perfect for All Ages Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for Under 7s Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for anyone over 1.2m in height Included in your science centre admission

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!

Perfect for anyone over 1.2m in height Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for 7+ Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for all ages Included in your science centre admission

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.

Perfect for Adults Separate prices apply

Pre-school Days

Next Date: Tuesday 26 June 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 ...

Perfect for Ages 4 and under (and accompanying adults) Separate prices apply

Robots Activity Space

26 May 2018 - 2 December 2018 Some robots are big and some are small. Some do very complicated maths problems, while others control the laundry programmes in our washing machines.Despite looking different, all robots do what their computer code tells them to do, and they all do their jobs automatically.In the Robots Activity Space you can try out different robots and investigate how they work with a range of hands-on activities.These activities are part of Life's Robots - then and now series of special events.

Perfect for 5+ Included in your science centre admission

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 ...

Perfect for 16+ Separate prices apply

Science Club field trip

1 July 2018 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM Arrrrr mateys! It’s our 9th annual family field trip! Bring your whole family along for a day out unlike any other. This year it’s a day beside the seaside with a pirate theme. We’ll set sail for Boulmer Steel in Northumberland to race pirate ships, hunt for geological treasures, and capture seamonsters lurking in the rockpools! There’ll be plenty of the usual Science Club fun and games all in the great outdoors! Children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Booking and payment in advance is essential. This field trip is only open to current Science Club members. Sorry, but we are ...

Perfect for Science Club members only Separate prices apply

Science Sessions: Pond Life

Next Date: Sunday 24 June 2018, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Science Sessions are hands-on activities organised for young people aged 13+ who like hands-on science. These are individual events which you can choose to attend as you like, perhaps alone or perhaps with your friends. Pond Life What will you discover with a close encounter with the microscopic life in a drop of pond water? Use a microscope to view the diversity of the organisms and observe their activity in a normally hidden world. Tickets are available to book online. Booking will close at midnight on the Thursday before each session. On the day, please head to the main ...

Perfect for ages 13 - 18 Separate prices apply

Science Sessions: The World's Smallest Electric Railway

Next Date: Sunday 15 July 2018, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Science Sessions are hands-on activities organised for young people aged 13+ who like hands-on science. These are individual events which you can choose to attend as you like, perhaps alone or perhaps with your friends. The World's Smallest Electric Railway Explore the effects of electromagnetic induction to create a range of kinetic toys. Exercise your engineering and tinkering skills to construct one of the world's smallest working train sets. Tickets are available to book online. Booking will close at midnight on the Thursday before each session. On the day, please head to the main Science Centre reception ...

Perfect for ages 13 - 18 Separate prices apply

Opening times

Science Centre Times

Valid until 2 December 2018


Monday - Saturday	10.00am - 6.00pm
Sunday	11.00am - 6.00pm

The Science Centre will be busy with school groups on weekdays during term time.
For a quieter experience please visit after 2.00pm.

More info

Latest from Life

Rise of the sex robots under the microscope at Life Science Centre

Join us as we delve under the covers of the world of sex robots with an evening panel discussion featuring experts in the field. On Thursday 14 June 2018, head to the science centre after-hours for 'Love Virtually – rise of the sex robots'.