Me and my colleagues posing in our lab coats in front of a tree decorated with gall cards

A workshop participant collects a gall card from a tree using a litter picker

Attentive nature detectives examine insect cards to find the gall causer

Workshop leaders show participants how to examine gall specimens under a microscope

Last week I had the honor to lead an outreach workshop about Plant Galls at the award-winning #NorwichScienceFestival

Participating nature detectives competed in teams to match galls to their insect inducers using custom-made flashcards with beautiful illustrations...

Fleeting Persistence. The ~600 year old tower of #StPeterMancroft in Norwich accompanied by the fleeting presence of bubbles. Taken whilst I was doing some event photography for #NorwichScienceFestival

#ShareMondays2026 #fsprintmonday #fujifilm_xseries #bubbles #bubblephotography #Norwich

Doom scrolling and blue light, are they as bad as we think? 📱💤
UEA graduate Gab Astorga spoke with @bengarrod.bsky.social and Dr Jo Bower from our School of Psychology, asking what bad habits are affecting our sleep quality.

#ResearchMatters #NorwichScienceFestival

Had a great time volunteering at the microbe zoo in #NorwichScienceFestival manning the soil tunnel and plant pathogen board. Last chance to give the exhibit a visit tomorrow!

Thanks @samfrowe.bsky.social for organising the volunteers.

@norwichmicro.bsky.social
@sawtrust.bsky.social

A group of five people stands in a large indoor venue beside tables with promotional materials. Banners read "Creating a sustainable future" and "Climate Ambassadors."

Person demonstrates a water runoff model with a small-scale neighborhood setup, indoors. Onlookers observe educational exhibits in a bustling, lively space.

A woman kneels by a water-filled tub with floating purple rubber ducks. She observes as a child uses a net. Bright display table and banner in back.

A wishing tree with blue, yellow, and white paper leaves, each bearing handwritten messages, is adorned with small lights. In the background, posters display environmental themes, featuring people engaged in nature activities and solar panels. The scene conveys a hopeful and educational atmosphere.

It’s #NorwichScienceFestival time! This year the East of England @climateambassadors.bsky.social is partnering up with #AnglianWater to demonstrate sustainable drainage and water pollution through lead piping. Children have written #ClimateAction pledges on leaves that we’ll send to their schools!

Photo of the Norwich Playhouse stage, with Robin Ince standing on the left hand side. A large screen with “The universe and the Neurodiverse’ is projected onto it, with fun graphic of Earth with flowers & other things coming from it. Part of Norwich Science Festival.

Had a brilliant night watching @robinince.bsky.social at the Playhouse in Norwich. Laughter, poetry & positivity, which is much needed right now!

Also, Happy Birthday for today Robin! 🥳🎂

#NorwichScienceFestival

Ever wondered what makes you rush to the cinema after watching a trailer? 🎬

Our very own Dr Keith Johnston spilled the secrets at the Norwich Science Festival on how film trailers use clever triggers to get you excited for the big screen!

#NorwichScienceFestival

Quadram Institute researchers wearing Quadram polo shorts talking to children about bacteria at Norwich Science Festival

A Quadram Institute researchers wearing a "Microbe Zoo" tshirt talking to a family

Professor Martin Warren gives a talk about hidden hunger in the auditorium at Norwich Science Festival

A close up of hands doing an activity at Norwich Science Festival

We're having a fantastic time taking part in the #NorwichScienceFestival including being part of the Microbe Zoo 🦠 Yesterday our researchers ran the Evolve, Survive, Thrive and spoke about hidden hunger too.

Find out where you can find us at the festival
➡️ buff.ly/gdaiyxL

Spectacular astronomy in Suffolk: past, present, and future Discover Suffolk’s astronomical heritage – from a Victorian observatory to today’s passionate amateur and professional stargazers

Fascinated by the night sky?

The Orwell Observatory is still in use today under the watchful eye of The Orwell Astronomical Society.

Bill Barton shares how you may also explore the heavens.

#NorwichScienceFestival #Ipswich

Spectacular astronomy in Suffolk: past, present, and future Discover Suffolk’s astronomical heritage – from a Victorian observatory to today’s passionate amateur and professional stargazers

The space race didn’t start in space – it started with amateurs.

A wealthy eccentric, a pioneering woman astronomer, and a Moon-obsessed Suffolk legend all helped shape modern astronomy in unexpected ways.

Bill Barton explains.

#NorwichScienceFestival #OrwellObservatory

Spectacular astronomy in Suffolk: past, present, and future Discover Suffolk’s astronomical heritage – from a Victorian observatory to today’s passionate amateur and professional stargazers

Suffolk has been quietly watching the skies for over 150 years.

Thanks to a Victorian tycoon’s private observatory stargazers have enabled some remarkable scientific leaps and continue to do so.

Bill Barton reports during #NorwichScienceFestival on #Astronomy

Spectacular astronomy in Suffolk: past, present, and future Discover Suffolk’s astronomical heritage – from a Victorian observatory to today’s passionate amateur and professional stargazers

Ever looked through a Victorian telescope at the night sky?

You can – and you don’t need to be an expert.

Read on to discover where you can enjoy open lectures, observatory tours, and hands-on stargazing. Bill Barton reports.

#NorwichScienceFestival #Astronomy

Naegleria Fowleri microbes

Why are free ranging amoebas so hard to control? Dr Manal Mohammed reports on the brain-eating microbes. From _The conversation_ -- thanks!

#NorwichScienceFestival #ClimateChange

eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/health/...

Naegleria Fowleri microbes

The “brain-eating amoeba” (Naegleria fowleri) lives in warm freshwater. Dr Manal Mohammed explains what we can do to avoid infection. From _The conversation_ -- thanks!

#NorwichScienceFestival #HumanBiology

eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/health/...

Naegleria Fowleri microbes

The risk from free living amoebas is still very low, writes Dr Manal Mohammed -- but prevention matters. Read her article for why, and for what you can do. From _The conversation_ -- thanks!

#NorwichScienceFestival #Organisms

eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/health/...

Naegleria Fowleri microbes

Amoebas aren’t just biology textbook oddities, writes Dr Manal Mohammed. Some free-living amoebas thrive in soil and warm water—and one of them can cause a rare brain infection. From _The conversation_ -- thanks!

#NorwichScienceFestival #Biology

eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/health/...

Naegleria Fowleri microbes

Climate change is expanding the risk from free living amoebas. They can spread into regions that were once too cold. They are still rare, but if you are infected, mortality is almost certain. Dr Manal Mohammed reports

#NorwichScienceFestival #ClimateScience

eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/health/...

You don't have to understand science to enjoy the #NorwichScienceFestival. Go along with an open mind & take the #family. Have #fun.

Sir Thomas Browne polymath & author of 'Religio Medici' was buried in St Peter Mancroft in 1682, in 1840 his lead coffin was accidentally reopened and his skull removed it was reburied in 1922. #NorwichScienceFestival #NorwichSciFest #NorfolkHistory

On the Chajnantor plateau in Chile, home of the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA), the sky is so dark that the famous and extremely difficult to observe gegenschein (or "countershine") is sometimes visible. This is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the ecliptic directly opposite the Sun, caused by reflection of sunlight by interplanetary dust in the Solar System.

Norwich Science Festival exists to inspire curiosity — from astronomy to psychology, physics to chemistry and beyond.
Who will be the next Alice Grace Cook? Maybe it’s you. 🌟Story by Kate Moore and Bill Barton FRAS

#STEM #WomenInSTEM #NorwichScienceFestival

eastangliabylines.co.uk/science/how-...

🧵 Here's where you can find us at #NorwichScienceFestival ⤵️
buff.ly/PsegfbU

John Innes Centre | Excellence in plant science, genetics and microbiology An independent, international centre of excellence in plant science, genetics and microbiology

8. We are proud founding signatories of #TechsCommit

9. And we’re glad to be a part of @norwichmicro.bsky.social

10. We can’t wait to meet you at #NorwichScienceFestival 2026! 🌟👋

Visit our website to learn more about us: www.jic.ac.uk

Do Humans Dream of Electric Gods? | Norwich Science Festival Join UEA's Dr Lorna Richardson and Dr Geraint D’Arcy for a deep-dive in to cinema, history, and AI.

Do Humans Dream about Electric Gods? What lessons can we learn from history & past imaginaries of extra-human intelligence? How does science fiction cinema try to teach us about human hope and technological change? #NorwichScienceFestival lunchtime talk at The Forum by me & @gedarcy Feb 16th Free!

Microbe zoo advert

Aggi's Tiny Friends game

Got hold of the #NorwichScienceFestival booklet listing activities for their 10th anniversary. Aggi's Tiny Friends game will be part of the #MicrobeZoo. Come along to the festival and play the game at February half-term. See:
store.steampowered.com/app/3190840/...
@norwichmicro.bsky.social

The Wonder of Life on Earth | Norwich Science Festival Discover the incredible, unlikely story of life on Earth with paleontologist and award-winning author Dr Henry Gee.

Diary Date: I'll be doing my stand-up routine at the #NorwichScienceFestival on Weds 18 Feb between 3 and 4pm, to launch 'The Wonder of Life on Earth'. Book your tickets here norwichsciencefestival.co.uk/whats-on/the... Signed copies will be available afterwards to buy in the Festival Bookshop.

Reimagining Women's Health | Norwich Science Festival Join members of the University of East Anglia’s Women’s Health Network and leading experts from across Norfolk for an engaging and inspiring look at the future of women’s healthcare.

✨Reimagining #Women’s #Health at Norwich Science Festival!
Join us on 14 Feb, 10:30–12:00 The Forum, #Norwich for an inspiring conversation with clinicians & researchers
🎟️ Free, booking essential
#NorwichScienceFestival #UEAResearch
@biouea.bsky.social @theforumnorwich.bsky.social
#Menopause

Got home from #svp2025 to find a shiny advance copy of THE WONDER OF LIFE ON EARTH. It’s published in February and I’ll be launching it at the #norwichsciencefestival - but why wait? You can pre-order a copy now www.panmacmillan.com/authors/henr...

Thank you to everyone who visited our "My Microbes and Me" stand at #NorwichScienceFestival! 🦠✨We loved sharing the amazing world of microbes that live within us! Hope you had as much fun as we did! 🔬👩‍🔬

Last week we were at the Norwich Science Festival surprising cyclists with free Rehook tools! 🎁

If you found one of our prizes on your bike, you’re officially a Winter Warrior! 🚴‍♂️❄️

#RehookWinterWarrior #NorwichScienceFestival #KeepRiding

Child's hand holding colourful beads on a string.

Adult and child crouching down at the exhibition table, with an EI scientist, looking at a tray of string and colourful beads to make a keyring.

A pot of orange marigold flowers, behind a white plastic tray which holds colourful string, colourful beads, and green beads. Participants to the stand use these beads to build a keyring representing a medicinal compound found in the marigold.

Close up of a child's hand adding colourful beads to the keyring they're making.

Another great couple of days at #NorwichScienceFestival, huge thanks to everyone who joined us and our colleagues volunteering their time on the stand.

@theforumnorwich.bsky.social @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social