New Scientist Live: What we are most excited about seeing this year

New Scientist Live, the world’s greatest festival of ideas and discovery, is returning to ExCeL London from Saturday 12 until Sunday 13 October, with a dedicated Schools’ Day on Monday 14 October. There is a stunning lineup of more than 60 speakers, five stages and a wide array of exhibitors and experiences. Whether you are interested in artificial intelligence, weird animals, cutting-edge astrophysics or the best things to eat for brain health, there will be something to entertain and educate you, but here is what eight members of the New Scientist editorial staff are most looking forward to seeing.

Leah Crane
Senior reporter
This is my fifth New Scientist Live, and it has never been anything less than delightful. The thing I am most excited for is on Sunday, when Chelsea Whyte and I are putting on a live episode of our podcast with New Scientist, Dead Planets Society. It’s a slightly unhinged podcast where we take wild hypotheticals about how to tinker with the cosmos and subject them to the scrutiny of actual science, with the help of a special guest who’s an actual scientist. This year we’re going to play an interactive game about wrecking the universe, and it promises to be extremely fun. Aside from that, I’m excited to meet some robots and hear lots of talks outside of my usual bailiwick, from dinosaur behaviour to the evolution of free will.

Rowan Hooper
Podcast editor
Two in five of the world’s plants are threatened with extinction, yet most people aren’t aware of the problem due to what is sometimes called “plant blindness”. Chris Thorogood, who is deputy director of the Oxford Botanic Garden, is on a mission to raise the profile of plants and restore our vision. At New Scientist Live, I’m looking forward to hearing him describe an epic expedition to Indonesia to investigate one of the world’s most extraordinary plants: Rafflesia, sometimes called the stinking corpse lily. The plant produces the largest flower in the world (a metre across), which emits the scent of rotting meat. It has no roots or leaves, instead parasitising a host plant and flowering when it needs to reproduce. As Chris says, Rafflesia is a fraudster and a thief, and I can’t wait to hear more about it.

Tim Boddy
Picture editor
While officially a cat person, I’ve found myself terribly excited about Rachel Casey’s talk on the important role that dogs play in our lives. I will offset this with a talk about all things human, with David Robson on the laws of social connection. David has been on a fantastic run of sensitive and moving writing for New Scientist about human relationships and the psychological barriers that affect our day-to-day.

I also cannot wait to see New Scientist staff members Bethan Ackerley and Alison Flood on a panel with our former editor Emily Wilson, debating “what is the greatest science fiction novel of all time?” on the always engaging Engage Stage. I’m expecting belly laughs, and for it to get seriously heated. Away from talks and panels, I’m intrigued and mildly scared by the Incredible Oceans experience, where there is a promise to get up close and personal with the giants of the ocean.

Carissa Wong
Health reporter
I’m excited to hear Kimberley Wilson’s talk on what to eat to boost our brain health, as well as Venki Ramakrishnan’s insights on why we die. After those, it’ll be a tough choice between David Spiegelhalter on how uncertainty influences our lives or hearing Adam Rutherford speak about human origins and how science can be a weapon against racism. I’m also looking forward to hosting the Mind and Body Stage on the Sunday, where Camilla Nord will talk about the science behind mental health and Robin Dunbar and his colleagues will discuss the psychology of group dynamics – human behaviour is always fascinating!

Obomate Briggs
Trainee video producer
This year I’m looking forward to the talks on the Future Stage, particularly Christopher French’s exploration of anomalistic psychology. It’s a sub-discipline I hadn’t heard about, but as an avid watcher of shows and films containing paranormal phenomena, I am fascinated by the idea that science can provide an explanation for seemingly supernatural events. Christopher promises to reveal how psychological factors can influence our perception of extraordinary experiences, and it will be interesting to watch him dissect examples of spooky goings-on.

On the same stage is Anne Coxon’s talk comparing and contrasting the media portrayal of forensic science with reality. Having been very close to becoming a forensic scientist because of the masterpiece that is Silent Witness, I am looking forward to finding out whether I will be disappointed or happy with my choice.

Alexandra Thompson
Assistant news editor
This is my third time at New Scientist Live, and I’m thrilled to be hosting the Mind and Body stage on Schools’ Day. Over the weekend I’ll be attending as a guest and will be sure to catch Nobel prizewinner Venki Ramakrishnan explaining why we die – and what we can do about it. And amid the seemingly never-ending debate over whether we truly have free will, it will be fascinating to hear Kevin Mitchell’s take… but am I genuinely choosing to attend his talk? While I rush around the stages and other experiences at the show, hopefully having a ride on the rollercoaster simulator, I’ll also stop off to hear Vincent Deary explain the necessity of rest and relaxation… you don’t have to tell me twice.

Eleanor Parsons
Chief subeditor
I look forward to New Scientist Live every year, not only to meet so many wonderful readers but also for the fascinating talks on offer. This year I’m going to make a beeline to the Our Planet stage on Sunday afternoon to listen to David Hone talk about dinosaur behaviour. I read his delightful interview in New Scientist and can’t wait to find out more about how these prehistoric beasts lived.

Once David has finished, I plan to stay put to make sure I bag a seat for the always-popular Alice Roberts. Alice is a fantastic and engaging speaker, and this year she’s talking about life, death and disease in the Middle Ages, a period of history that has long fascinated me.

Matthew Sparkes
Technology reporter
I’m excited to catch Neil Lawrence’s talk on the difference between human and machine intelligence, and how AI can be safely used in everyday life.

I speak to so many cutting-edge researchers about AI and hear wildly varying opinions about where the current boom in research will take us and what the risks and benefits are. I may not always be convinced by an opinion, but any time I hear an expert talk I come away with a greater understanding.

New Scientist has published a lot of stories about the harms that AI can do and the problems that need solving in the field, but Neil seems to have a more optimistic stance than some other experts. He believes that our fears of being replaced by AI might be misplaced, and he promises to talk more about that, which I hope is as convincing as it would be comforting to hear.

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