The science of CSI comes to Drake Circus

Researchers from the University of Plymouth and Peninsula Medical School will be bringing the science of CSI to Drake Circus on Thursday 25 June at what is hoped to be the first of a series of 'Science Cafes' in the Plymouth city mall. Visitors to Drake Circus will be able to take part in DNA-related experiments, including extracting DNA from bananas and having a go at some of the techniques they would have seen on the hit TV programme, CSI. There will also be coffee break, lunchtime and afternoon tea lectures where the team will talk about the work it does with DNA, the science behind CSI and where the TV series gets it right - and wrong. In addition to the information and displays concerning DNA, visitors to Drake Circus will also be able to learn more about one of the most significant pieces of medical research to come out of Plymouth in its history - the discovery that type 1 diabetes is caused by a virus or group of viruses, a revelation that could, in time, lead to a vaccination for the disease. As well as the science element, the cafe element will be run by popular mall drink and snack business, Juice Moose, with freshly made juices and smoothies and homemade cakes. Waterstones will also be involved with displays of books related to the topics discussed at the Science Cafe. Karen Gresty from the University of Plymouth who helped organise the event alongside her colleagues from the Peninsula Medical School said; "The name of the activity is a pun on the Hollywood film 'Men in Black', where you get to see strange things that are going on around you but don't necessarily notice them normally.