Valentine’s Day lab work at the Science Gallery

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching there is no better time for the Science Gallery to unravel its new exhibition, LOVE LAB: THE SCIENCE OF DESIRE. Opening on February 11, LOVE LAB will be aiming to discover the scientific basis for attraction and desire. They will be challenging the truth about the love that has inspired so many poets and writers throughout the course of time. They seek an answer to whether science can predict who you will fall in love with and why you would find that person attractive.
Researchers will be investigating what lies behind the butterflies one feels when falling in love and whether romance in fact exists or if it our partners are predetermined according to genes thus aiming to prove that romance is down to scientific chemistry. They are going to take issues to do with attractiveness and desire and run experiments in an attempt to understand what is behind it.
The LOVE LAB is an interactive exhibition inviting students and the public to take part, calling on them to donate their heart.  Running right through February 14th the exhibition has many valentines’ season events such as, dark aphrodisiac dinners to discover a heightened sensual experience. There will also be the use of f-MRI scanning to determine the image of rejection in the brain and the t-shirt test to investigate the way in which we use smell to determine potential mates. In addition to this there will also be experiments on judging the attractiveness of faces, voices and walks.
The exhibition shall be drawing on neuroscience, psychology, genetics, physiology and biochemistry. Furthermore, there will be a significant input from leading scientists including Boyle medal winner, Trinity immunologist Professor Luke O’Neill and geneticist Dr Aoife McLysaght, Professor Fiona Newell and Science magazine’s Gonzo Scientist John Bohannon.
Moreover, the Science Gallery café is getting involved in perfecting their own love potion.
The exhibition runs until 12 March and is open Tuesday to Friday 12.00-20.00 and Saturday and Sunday 12.00-18.00.
The science gallery are holding a special VIP preview of the exhibition for members on the 10th February, however non-members can gain access through ticket booking. 
More information on the exhibition and membership can be found of the Science Gallery website, sciencegallery.com/lovelab.