LightNight 2016

I’ve been to LightNight every year since I moved to UK. Every year is something different, but it’s always a great night out.

We’ve started the afternoon at Liverpool Medical Institution. Prepare for a lot of pictures, it was so exciting we’ve spent a lot of time there.

We were able to test our skills as a surgeon. It was amazing.

Hubby did better than me. He was able to put a small bead on that metal stick. My beads were falling off, it’s much harder than it seems.

Another test prepared for LightNight at the Medical Institution was as serious as the first one: guess the bars of chocolate by looking at a scan. I’m not that knowledgeable when it comes to chocolate, so I didn’t finish the task.

The other room was dedicated to DNA. It was just as exciting as the surgeon skill box.

This was where we’ve extracted strawberry DNA. Well, this is the type of thing you do at LightNight… extract DNA from a strawberry! It was fun even before starting the complicated procedure.

I had to crush the strawberries, then I’ve added a chemical (I can’t remember the name). After that I did a centrifuge type of movement to mix it.

The strawberry “juice” was filtered in a smaller container. Another liquid was added to start the precipitation process. The DNA is removed carefully with a cocktail stick.

This was my strawberry’s DNA, for me to take home.

I also made a DNA sequence with marshmallows.

It’s not as easy as it seems. It was a lovely idea, I’m sure the kids would remember this one, especially if they indulge in the sweets after making the sequence. They also learned a couple of things about DNA, it’s a lovely way to get them involved in science.

After Liverpool Medical Institutions, we went to Victoria Gallery and Museum.

There we had a lovely chat with the plaque doctor, we’ve sniffed some lavender to keep us safe and reminded ourselves of the medical treatment available at the time… well, the last resort was praying.

Next stop was at a Science Fair at the Liverpool Guild of Students. Hubby had a long chat about solar power and different ways to store and use it that power. It made us think, especially as solar power is something we are both interested in. We considered investing in solar panels, but from my point of view, it doesn’t make financial sense at the moment. I think the government should try to increase the incentives, not reduce them as they are doing now.

I had my eyes tested for glaucoma with a smart phone. I’m healthy and the project is great. It would offer cheap, portable and easy ways to test people from developing countries.

After that we headed up to Liverpool Cathedral, went to Tate on Albert Docks and Maritime Museum. Some of the events were finished when we arrived, so we had a look at some of the exhibits. We decided to go to the Central Library.

In front of the library we saw Morris dancers, the same group as we saw at the Well Dressing in Stoney Middleton.

This was the queue for the silent disco. We obviously skipped it and went to St. George’s Hall to see the country dances. I wanted to join in, but after all the walking I was too tired.

It was a great night out, I enjoyed extracting DNA, having my eyes tested, see the dance at St. George’s Hall and try my skills as a surgeon.

Have you been to LightNight?