The bars were full, restaurants packed and the city buzzing. Around 28,000 people enjoyed the Science in the City festival last week during European Researchers’ Night. Attracted to the capital to try some hands-on science and arts, either to sit down with a jazz musician, extract DNA or make light push light.
In 2008, 5.6 million people visited science festivals. These are estimated to have spent $55-100 per day with those who stayed overnight spending more (the info is extrapolated from US sports festivals, no data on science festivals exist). The evidence locally is anecdotal with visitors complaining that no restaurants were available without previous booking. The economic value is significant.
There has been a huge boom in science festivals. They first started just under 30 years ago and are now found all over the globe. They tend to be pushed for their inspirational role by attracting huge crowds to science, a phenomenon tricky without the fanfare a festival generates. Festivals powerfully place research in the spotlight. But a festival could also be linked to a city’s marketing and urban regeneration strategies to maximise impact. Communities need to be part of the festival – over 70 organisations (including several NGOs) are part of the festival – but the Valletta community is still not strongly involved.
Festivals can benefit communities. In South Africa, studies showed that small towns benefit the most with bigger, longer festivals having a greater economic impact. Locally, we still need to extend the festival in some format over multiple days. An issue held back by human resources, logistics and funds.
Our surveys have shown that most attendees like the festival and over half do it to learn more about science in Malta. However, while nearly half were first-time attendees, over two-thirds were interested in science. Considering the tens of thousands who came, perhaps Maltese society is more enthusiastic about science than normally given credit for – some surprises are worth celebrating.
Dr Edward Duca is the festival manager. He is also a lecturer and organiser in science and innovation communication.
Sound bites
• Professors J. C. Hall, M. Rosbach and M. W. Young received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine this week for their work on the importance of the body clock, or circadian rhythm. This internal clock regulates almost every gene in the body, in many species from humans down to bacteria. A series of molecular events can be controlled by our exposure to light, food and other parts of our surroundings. This work has helped us understand how gene regulation is so reliant on our external environment, explaining the horrible sensation of jetlag following a long-haul flight.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171002092603.htm
• A team of researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology are working a way to power electricals such as smartphones, MP3s and even a pacemaker with the energy of the human body. By using strategically placed cushions and gel inserts, the group can use the force of normal walking to generate a ‘tidal wave’ of liquid, powering a small generator which can then be used to transfer electricity. Short-term applications have so far been confined to use in prosthesis, but could be used in sports shoes and more for performance tracking in the future.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171002085650.htm
For more interesting science news listen to Radio Mocha every Saturday at 11.05am on Radju malta 93.7Fm.
Did you know?
• NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope identified 219 earth-sized, new planet candidates this week, bringing the total number of potential other life-sustaining stars to well over four million.
• You can now take a 3D selfie – thanks to a team of computer scientists in the UK a 2D projection can be transformed into a 3D projection using facial reconstruction technology.
• Starfish do not have brains, neither do jellyfish, sea urchins or other radially symmetrical animals. Their basic nervous system allows movement, digestion and reproduction without the need for control from a higher neural system.
• The human microbiome weighs up to two kilos, is 10x more numerous than cells in the body and contains 150x more functional genes than are present in the human genome.
For more trivia see: www.um.edu.mt/think