Science festival asks if biotechnology is a Pandora's Box, and looks at a `superbug'

Will we grow or clone our food in the 21st century? How can we avoid the "superbug" as antibiotics begin to fail against microbial mutants? Where is the Web taking us?

The answers to these and thousands of questions are the stuff of the annual British Association for the Advancement of Science's Festival of Science, which began yesterday in London. First organised more than 150 years ago, it brings together the public and researchers from universities and institutes, who describe their work in talks and presentations using ordinary language.

The event highlights the contribution made by research, but its organisers trade heavily on the "fun" side of the sciences to appeal to the widest audience.

This is particularly true this year with the "Creating Sparks" exhibition, which begins today and continues all month at its South Kensington base at Imperial College London. The BAAS event therefore becomes but a part of the longer "Creating Sparks".

The more formalised weeklong BAAS event will have its usual mix of the remarkable, surprising and challenging, but around it the "Creating Sparks" programme will deliver a livelier change of pace with 400 events.

"Creating Sparks" celebrates creativity of all kinds, whether in the arts or sciences, and blends celebrity talks, concerts, experiments, performances, dance, poetry, film and exhibitions.

The Irish Times will be reporting daily from the festival, which continues until next Tuesday. Work by some of the world's leading scientific researchers will be discussed, with members of the public able to question the experts on what it all means.

There are sessions today on the science of adhesives, how the Web was born and how researchers are seeking to cure stage fright in musicians. The dangers posed by a "superbug" resistant to all known antibiotics is discussed tomorrow, as well as sessions on how the brain works and on the meaning of time.

How humankind might fare in a rapidly changing environment is discussed on Friday, along with research into animal welfare. Biotechnology researchers ask whether it is a panacea or Pandora's Box.

Sessions over the weekend include studies of how computer technology and advanced imaging is changing the practice of medicine. On Monday the question whether science can predict the future is raised, along with the science of ageing and attempts to learn how babies perceive, remember and understand.

The final day of the festival includes sessions on the evolution of life on Earth and on living in space. The social life of trees and understanding the effects of music are also discussed.

The festival includes hundreds of research presentations and typically attracts thousands of visitors. Imperial College London hosts the festival and then the continuing "Creating Sparks" exhibition.