Manchester Science Festival explores ‘extremes’ at the Science and Industry Museum this autumn

One of the UK’s largest celebrations of science and discovery returns to the Science and Industry Museum later this year.

The biennial Manchester Science Festival, produced by the Science and Industry Museum, returns from Fri 18 Oct – Sun 27 Oct with a programme dedicated to exploring ‘extremes’.

Festivalgoers will be invited to get hands-on with cutting-edge developments while exploring some of the biggest questions facing our planet through multi-sensory experiences and immersive performances.

Ahead of this year’s event, the festival has collaborated with researchers at Western University, Canada, to launch a pioneering series of online brain games that will support world-renowned neuroscientists to discover more about the links between physical and cognitive health.

As well as being fun to take part in, each completed survey will give participants instant results and help them to learn about how their own brain functions, while simultaneously helping neuroscientists identify activities and lifestyle habits that could improve or maintain the functioning of our brains for longer.

Anyone who signs up will have a chance to win Amazon vouchers (equivalent to $100CAD), and the findings of the experiment will be explored at this year’s Manchester Science Festival.

The study is being spearheaded by celebrated neuroscientist, Professor Adrian Owen of Western University, who said: “Manchester Science Festival is one of the most popular events of its kind in the UK and we are really excited by the thought of using this mass experiment to help shape the programme this year and find out new things about how our brains affect our bodies and vice versa.”

The survey can be completed online here using a desktop, laptop or tablet, though it is not possible to take part in the survey using a phone. It takes around 75 minutes to complete, includes fun brain games and cognitive challenges.

Find out more about Manchester Science Festival here.