Date: 26-30 October
Time: Drop-in, 1-5pm

Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT.

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book
Age group: Family activities

The Future of Species: Conservation Controversies

Date: Tues 27 October
Time: 6.30pm

Location: JZ Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT.

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book.
Age group: Adults

Following this year's celebrations of Darwin and The Origin of Species, 2010 will see scientists address the next big question: how can we safeguard the future of species? Is keeping animals in captivity the answer? Are reintroductions really a good idea? Do GM crops have the potential to boost biodiversity? Is Ecotourism inevitably a contradiction in terms?

Dr. Roger Key (formerly of Natural England) and Colin Butfield (Head of Campaigns at WWF) give their expert opinions on these matters and more, before inviting you to have your say in an evening of open debate and interactive voting. After the event, join us for a free glass of wine in a private view of the Grant Museum and continue the discussions and disagreements at your leisure.

Date:Wed 28 October
Time: Drop-in 11am - 4pm

Location: South Cloisters, Wilkins Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 2151

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book
Age group: All are welcome

Whoever you are and whatever your artistic ability come to UCL for a festival of activities around the University’s amazing Egyptian, zoological, geological, art and archaeology collections.

Make a travel journal inspired by Victorian archaeologists, try you hand at spectacular experiments with UCL Chemistry, make your own camouflaged critter with the zoology museum or simply take the chance to draw some of the incredible objects from the collections, on your own or as part of a massive mural.

Guardian artist Patrick Blower and the Slade School’s Andrew Stahl will also be running activities to get you to try new skills and change the way you think about drawing.

Date: Sat 31 October
Time: Drop-in 10.30am - 4.30pm

Location: Wilkins Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT.

Tel: 020 7679 7900

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book
Age group: All are welcome

Activities for everyone to celebrate in a partnership event between UCL and the Geologists Association and Rockwatch.  Take part in brilliant activities allowing you to handle fantastic fossils, marvellous minerals and remarkable rocks.  Try your hand at gem panning, identifying minerals and casting fossils; or come and listen to Professor Iain Stewart and friends with talks ranging from the woolly rhino to Romano-Egyptian decorated mummy cases with UCL's Dr Ruth Siddall; enter the photographic competition with a chance to win £100, or browse the
stalls selling books, equipment and specimens. 

Field trips will be taking place on Sunday 1st November within London and around Surrey.

Visit www.geologists.org.uk for more info.

Witches and Lizards: Halloween at the Grant

Date: Sat 31 October
Time: Drop-in, 5.30-8pm

Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: £3 payable on the door. Includes a glass of wine or soft drink.
Age group: All ages

Where better to spend Halloween than in a room of scary skeletons and skulls? Come and join us, if you dare, for this special spooky night exploring the role of animals in scare-stories, rituals and superstitions from across the world. From werewolves and vampires to eyes of newt and animal bogeymen, take part in this chilling evening drinks reception with unusual exhibit labels for this ghoulish occasion. No booking necessary.

Date: Wed 11 November
Time: 5pm

Location: Darwin Lecture Theatre, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book
Age group: Adults

Charles Darwin's vision of nature-history was meliorative and hopeful. A rich and impeccably upright gentleman, Darwin went out of his way to develop privately a subversive image of human evolution, and he pursued the subject tenaciously for three decades before publishing The Descent of Man in 1871. Underpinning this work was a belief in racial brotherhood rooted in the greatest moral movement of the age, for the abolition of slavery.

But slavery did not evolve out of existence; it had to be destroyed. Intractable slavery collided with Darwin's post-Christian progressivism during the American Civil War. The triumph of the abolitionists' `sacred cause' enabled him to carry `the grand idea of God hating sin and loving righteousness' into The Descent of Man, where the driving of formerly enslaved races out of existence is naturalized as a by-product of human progress.
 
James Moore has researched Darwin's life and times for many years while teaching at the Open University and abroad. With Adrian Desmond, he wrote the best-selling biography Darwin, now widely translated, and his other books include The Darwin Legend and The Post-Darwinian Controversies. For the Darwin bicentenary, Moore and Desmond have published Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins (Allen Lane, 2009).

Following the lecture, there will be a drinks reception and a private view of the Museum. This event is free and there is no need to book.

Date: Thurs 26 November
Time: 6.30pm

Location: Christopher Ingold Auditorium, Christopher Ingold Building, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ.

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free; There is no need to book
Age group: Adults

Set in a fog-bound Wales, The Wolf Man tells the doom-laden tale of Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.), who returns to the estate of his wealthy father (Claude Rains). Bitten by a werewolf, Talbot suffers the classic fate of the victims of lycanthropy: at the full moon, he transforms into the very same beast.

With a cast packed with Oscar winners and nominees, The Wolf Man is one of the truly great monster movies. Curt Siodmak’s script was so rich and well written that some of the concepts he invented for the film have taken root in many of our minds as real, old-world werewolf folklore. The dreamlike atmospheres, elaborate settings, and chilling musical score all combine to make The Wolf Man a masterpiece not only of the genre, but for all time.

Dr Joe Cain, UCL Historian of Science will introduce the film, and afterwards a free glass of wine will be served in a private view of the Museum.

Date: Tues 8 December
Time: 6.30pm

Location: JZ Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT.

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free; There is no need to book
Age group: Adults

Geologists, like cats, have nine lives. Over the last 40 years, Richard Fortey has used up 8 of his in collecting trilobites around the world. In this lecture, he will describe some of his many adventures and misadventures in the cause of discovering and describing new species, in order to reach a better understanding of the Ordovician world and how to date it.

Richard Fortey was a senior palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum until his retirement in 2006. He is the author of several best-selling books, including Fossils, A Key to the Past and The Hidden Landscape (winner of The Natural World Book of the Year in 1993); Life: An Unauthorised Biography, Trilobite! (short-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize); and The Earth: An Intimate History. He has won the Lewis Thomas and Michael Faraday medals for his science writing. Richard was president of the Geological Society of London during its bicentennial year in 2007, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. His most recent book, a look behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum, was published this year by HarperCollins and is called Dry Storeroom No. 1.

Following the lecture, there will be a drinks reception and a private view of the Museum. This event is free and there is no need to book.

Date: Thurs 17 December
Time: 6.30pm

Location: Darwin Lecture Theatre, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free; There is no need to book
Age group: All ages

Who are we and where do we come from? Genetics, archaeology and fossils come together to provide some answers. Amazingly, we can all trace our ancestry back to Africa, where our species appeared around 200,000 years ago. Dr. Alice Roberts, presenter of the BBC series, tracks the ancient migrations that took our ancestors to the corners of Earth: through stones, bones and genes, the story of our incredible human journey unfolds.

Dr. Alice Roberts is a clinical anatomist, palaeopathologist, television presenter, and author. She has taught anatomy at Bristol University for over ten years, overseeing anatomy on the medical course as well as providing advanced anatomy courses for qualified surgeons and anaesthetists. Her broadcast media work include the BBC series Coast; Dr Alice Roberts: Don’t Die Young (about anatomy, physiology and health issues), and – most recently – The Incredible Human Journey (about human evolution and ancient migrations). She works regularly with local school and community groups, and has written two popular science books.

Following the lecture, there will be a drinks reception and a private view of the Museum. This event is free and there is no need to book.

Date: 22 and 23 December
Time: Drop-in, 1-5pm

Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book
Age group: Family activities

How do Arctic animals cope with the cold? Do penguins shiver and why don’t the fish freeze? From mountains to icebergs, and glaciers to tundra, the Grant Museum’s specimen-based hands-on activities investigate the world’s snow-bound beasts. Interactive games will also look at ice-age animals and what will happen if all our ice melts. This event is free and there is no need to book.

Date: 3-7 and 10-14 August
Time: Drop-in, 1-5pm

Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book
Age group: Family activities

Celebrate the summer holidays by crossing the continents in an afternoon at the Grant Museum. Grab your Super Safari map and find out about the bizarre beasts and incredible creatures of Asia, Africa and the Americas. Cheeky chimps, colourful chameleons, super-long serpents, scary scorpions, and vicious vipers all await the intrepid Animal Adventurers…

Why not bring a camera, take a snap of a specimen, and then enter our Darwin 200 Photographic Competition?

Date: Tues 15 September
Time: 6.30pm

Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free; There is no need to book
Age group: Adults

“It’s alive! It’s alive!” He’s the original mad scientist. His experiments test the very limits of scientific investigation. This ‘Film Night’, The Grant Museum are showing one of the greatest monster films ever made: Frankenstein. The 1931 original stars Boris Karloff in the role that defined his career and set the standard for movie monsters ever since.

But this is much more than a just another monster film. Who’s the victim? Who’s the villain? Should the desire ‘to know’ give science permission to work without limits? Plus, there’s dancing Bavarians, a wedding, and a fantastic climax. It’s the perfect film for the start of a new term.

Dr Joe Cain, historian of science at UCL will introduce the film. A complimentary glass of wine will be served in a private view of the Museum after the screening. The film is 70 minutes long and carries a PG-12 rating.

Date: Sat 19 September
Time: Drop-in, 10am-4pm

Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT.

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free; There is no need to book
Age group: Family activities

For London Open House, discover what Mother Nature can teach us about technology by examining real animal specimens that have inspired our inventions. What do aardvarks and vacuum cleaners have in common? What have scientists learned from earthworms? Which car’s design was based on a boxfish? Join us for hands-on activities and games in this free family fun day.

Date: Wed 30 September
Time: 1.15-2pm

Location: Meet by the Housman Room, North Cloisters, Wilkins Building, University College London, Gower Street. WC1E 6BT.

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free; There is no need to book
Age group: Adults

Join us for a lesson in anatomy, nineteenth century style. Discover how zoology once struggled for recognition as a science, and changed our perceptions of ourselves in the process. The Grant is one of the oldest zoological museums in the country. This is your chance to experience how classes there used to be taught.

Tom Quick from the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL will lead the tour.

Date: Thurs 15 October
Time: 6.30pm

Location: Cruciform Lecture Theatre 1, Cruciform Building, University College London, Gower Street. WC1E 6AE.

Tel: 020 7679 2647

Nearest tube: Euston Sq, Euston, Goodge St, Warren St

Price: Free, there is no need to book
Age group: Adults only

Join animal sexpert Dr Ed Sykes for everything you ever wanted to know (and some of the things you probably didn’t!) about the weird and wonderful world of sex. From bedbugs and butterflies, to porpoises and people, this will be a frank discussion about the battle of the sexes and the sordid techniques males and females use to get one over on each other.

Dr Ed Sykes trained as Zoologist in Sheffield before heading north to do a PhD in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Edinburgh. He is an experienced science communicator and winner of the 2007 NESTA FameLab Vodcast award for his video podcast about the sex lives of bedbugs. Ed is currently employed as a press officer at the Science Media Centre of the Royal Institution.

Following the lecture, there will be a drinks reception and a private view of the Museum. This event is free and there is no need to book.