Although this is a debut novel, Taylor (who is a former biochemist himself – drawing on his own experience at University) imbues the book with turns of phrase which are beautiful in their precision and imagery, whether it’s describing the vast lake which dominates the campus, the life cycle of the nematode worms on Wallace’s petri dishes, or some other element of lab work.

Normal postgraduate anxieties and the recent death of his father dredging up memories and feelings of his home in Alabama, a lifestyle and circumstances he is not eager to have to return to, Wallace is already conflicted about whether a PhD in biochemistry is really for him. Sham Ahmed, Managing Director at MathWorks UK, said, ‘MathWorks is proud to be partnering with the Science Museum to highlight applications of Artificial Intelligence and deep learning in autonomous vehicles. Investment in these areas is growing year on year, and with driver assistance systems in many of the vehicles on the road today, autonomy is already woven into our everyday lives. This trend is set to increase and, with this in mind, the launch of Driverless couldn’t be better timed.’This unforgettable experience begins the moment you enter the exhibition’s departure lounge, ready to blast off into space. In this unique story-led exhibition, visitors have a vital role to play in helping an extra-terrestrial artificial intelligence understand more about humanity while exploring a vast spaceship. Guided by the AI, visitors can examine visions of the future through science and science fiction, encountering authentic items from celebrated science fiction films, television series and literature as well as significant scientific objects that have shaped modern life. Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination will be staged in the museum’s largest exhibition space, which covers an area of 1,100m2. For me, it is a book that brought up a lot of emotions and gave me plenty to think about. It has some beautiful moments that charmed me with their prose and others that made me uncomfortable but that I will be thinking about for years to come. I would love to hear what you thought of it too.

Many choose to look upon its arrival with a sense of wonder; some experience only superstitious omens of science fiction’s doom. Others, perhaps more sensibly, see it mostly as an opportunity to read more books and discover new favourite authors!This will be assessed by our staff on a case-by-case basis, and where access is permitted, you will be offered a Friday visit providing that we have available space and that you agree to abide by our Covid-19 access arrangements. Please send your enquiries to [email protected] and we will respond within 20 working days. We also offer a free enquiry service to help you find out more about the items in the Science Museum Library and Archive Collections. Science museum group collection The Energy Café, The Diner, Shake Bar, Gallery Café, main shop and Power Up shop are open all week for you to enjoy. The Basement Café is open during school holidays. Flight will open at 11.00 on Saturday 27 January 2024 and be closed all day on Tuesday 26 March 2024. Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: ‘Science fiction invites us all to be explorers, venturing across time and space while reflecting on the deepest existential question there is – what makes us human? Our ambitious exhibition is unlike any other and I cannot wait for visitors to join us on this immersive and interactive journey through the extraordinary worlds of science fiction and scientific discovery.’

she plates thousands of tiny cultures, clumps of greyish cells that grow and divide, or else die, in pools of brilliant red media. Wallace once found her there, like stumbling upon a spirit in a myth. She had been dabbing tears from her eyes with her bare forearm, dabbing and pipetting simultaneously in one unbroken motion. She had a heavy scent to her, like salt water.’ (p. 63) Volume 14 No.4 (Oct 1 1996) of the “Worm Breeder’s Gazette”, an amateur journal for researchers working on the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegan from the Science Museum Group Collection. The exhibition is supported by MathWorks (Principle Sponsor) and Direct Line Group (Major Sponsor) and PwC (Major Sponsor) and Samsung Electronics UK (Technology Partner). If you have limited mobility, access is by lift; please ask for help at the main reception desk when you arrive in the building. The exhibition also explores artificial intelligences we have engineered and imagined, from Maria in Metropolis and HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey to today’s companion robots. Are these artificial beings just reflections of ourselves and our fears, or could they ever be alive like us? To help answer these questions, visitors can examine how AI is already shaping our societies in unexpected ways such as through biases in programming which create discriminatory algorithms.For those who are unable to book online you can call our booking team on 033 0058 0058. How can I travel to the museum?

You are welcome to explore the museum for as long as you would like, but an average visit takes around two hours. Will the café and shop be open? This is a novel which, as the title suggests, is very true to the everyday experience of many people in the scientific community. It is also a novel about how scary academic life can be. Much like the work of a writer like Sally Rooney, it is also about how isolating it can be to be young, and about the challenges of love. It is a book that feels thoroughly American yet also universal. It is a novel about science, but it is also a mirror on society. The Arthur C. Clarke Awards are honoured to reveal this year’s nominees with the Science Museum once again as part of their Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination exhibition celebrations, and without further ado the shortlist for the 2023 Arthur C. Clarke Award science fiction book of the year is… This year we’ve shortlisted authors that have never made the Clarke Award’s top six before. It’s always good to see new authors or authors new to science fiction standing out from so many submissions. I look forward to what I suspect will be a passionately argued decision.”Visitors will answer a distress call from an unexplored world and beam down to the planet in a dazzling blaze of light to investigate. As this unfamiliar and eery place is explored visitors will encounter an unusual lifeform that reacts to their presence and discover more about the planet in this captivating experience before returning to the spaceship to continue their adventure. Gavin Fox, Creative Director at Framestore, said: 'Framestore have been taking people to fantastical worlds for many years and our dedicated immersive team’s work in theme parks and attractions has raised this to new levels. Working alongside P&P Projects, one of the foremost scenic design and build companies in the world, we’re delighted to take our immersive work to new heights, to outer space even, to bring this ambitious, innovative and exciting concept to life for the Science Museum.' Michael Ellis, Future of Mobility Minister at Department for Transport, said, ‘Self-driving technologies have tremendous potential for road safety, mobility and the economy, and the Government is exploring these opportunities through its Future of Mobility Grand Challenge. It is great to see the Science Museum exploring this exciting innovation and its implications for future transport, and inspire the next generation of engineers.’