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Hundreds of schoolchildren from all over London flocked to the fifth Queen Mary University science festival in Whitechapel to learn about—things like snot!
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Body fluids such as mucus are among different substances studied in medical science, the youngsters discovered.
Pupils from Bethnal Green’s Hague Primary were among youngsters from London schools who came to hear fun talks on snot, sick and scabs from Queen Mary’s team at Whitechapel’s Centre of the Cell.
Other schools included Compass Secondary in Bermondsey, Heartlands High in Wood Green, Forty Hill Primary in Enfield and Epping St John’s Secondary.
They were also given a crash course in the Higgs Boson particle, one of the most important scientific discoveries of our time.
“We were able to bring together scientists from a range of backgrounds to help explain everything from hearts to snot and the Higgs Boson,” festival organiser Jane Batchelor explained.
“The festival was an opportunity to demonstrate the research at the university while giving the kids a chance to ask the scientists involved in the work questions about science, which hopefully inspired them at the same time.
“The demonstrations and displays captured the imagination of all the schoolchildren who came and even the adults, too.”
The children found out why some bees become queens and some become workers—it’s to do with a special jelly they eat, university boffins revealed.
They also learned how to become a particle physicist with Lego blocks and why zebra fish can teach us about the way we behave.
The annual festival at the Centre if the Cell celebrates science and medicine in all forms, aimed at inspiring the next generation of young scientists.
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