How do we make up names for things?  Are you an apple or a pear?  How does DNA work and what happens when it goes wrong?  These questions will be tackled along with many others, when Bristol University moves out of the laboratory and into The Mall Galleries, Broadmead, for Science Alive! [March 7 and 8]. 

Science Alive! is the University's contribution to National Science and Engineering Week - an annual event arranged by the British Association for the Advancement of Science to increase public engagement with science.

People of all ages will be able to find out how the energy of vibrating buildings can be captured and used; what keeps the heart beating and how the universe started.

There will be 17 interactive displays giving the public a chance to explore aspects of science, medicine, engineering and technology and providing the opportunity to chat with scientists and engineers about their work.  This year there are also exhibits from the University of the West of England and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).

The event will show the public some of the world-class research that is taking place in and around Bristol.  It's a chance for the local community to share the discoveries and give their views.

The displays will include:

Back to the Big Bang.  The Large Hadron Collider is probably the biggest physics experiment in the world and it starts this summer.

Sensational neuroscience!  Neuroscientists study the brain and nervous system in lots of different ways.  Find out how the brain works.

Your kidneys suck!  See how many miles of blood vessels filter the blood and how many miles of tubule suck back in the good stuff to make urine.

The science of the past! Try out the Time Line or see if you can use geophysics to find a Roman wall in a sand box.

Wet world drying?  Half of the world's wetlands have already been lost over the last century.  Find out how WWT is saving these essential ecosystems and their wildlife.

Kathy Sykes, Professor of Sciences and Society at Bristol University and Director of Science Alive!, said: " Science Alive! is a great opportunity for people in Bristol to find out about some of the astonishing research that's happening on their doorstep.

"It's also a great opportunity for our scientists to talk with local people and hear what they think about issues around science."

This year Science Alive! has been organised by Bristol University's Centre for Public Engagement in conjunction with the Mall Galleries, the University of the West of England and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.