National Museums Scotland Features WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, ARCTIC CONVOYS and More

The National Museums Scotland's listings until April 20th are below. They include exhibits such asWildlife Photographer of the Year, Power of Ten: Inventing Logarithms, and much more. There are also many activities and events for families and for adults.

Exhibitions

National Museum of Scotland

Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF

Mammoths of the Ice Age

Until 20 April 2014

Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3

Cost: Adult £9, Concession £7.50, Child (5-15) £6, Under 5s free, Family of 3* £19, Family of 4* £25 (*must include at least 1 adult and 1 child), National Museums Scotland Members free, National Art Pass holders receive 50% discount

Journey back in time millions of years and discover the animals of the Ice Age at the first UK showing of this interactive, family-friendly exhibition. Joust with mammoth tusks, feel mammoth fur between your fingertips and touch the replica teeth of a colossal mastodon. Then meet Lyuba, a detailed replica of the 42,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth, and learn why early humans both hunted and honoured these majestic animals. This exhibition was created by The Field Museum, Chicago.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

17 March - 1 June 2014

Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3

Free

Through the lens of wildlife photography this exhibition captures the intrigue and beauty of our planet. These awe-inspiring images, selected from 43,000 entries by amateur and professional photographers in 96 countries, give us a glimpse of the natural world as it has never been seen before. From charismatic animal portraits to dramatic landscapes and provocative photojournalism, this year's breathtaking exhibition raises the bar of wildlife photography once more, exciting loyal fans and new audiences alike. The 100 award-winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 competition are beautifully displayed on back-lit installations, with each image accompanied by its photographer's story and technical details.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.

Power of Ten: Inventing Logarithms

28 March - 6 July 2014

Grand Gallery, Level 1

Free

Four hundred years ago, John Napier's pioneering work on logarithms enabled more calculations to be completed in an hour than had previously been managed in an entire day. From the introduction of the decimal point to the development of slide rules, explore how Napier's revolutionary innovations advanced and influenced mathematics from the 17th century to the present day.

National War Museum

Edinburgh Castle, EH1 2NG

Arctic Convoys

Until 13 March 2014

Free with admission to Edinburgh Castle

Sailing from Scotland, Iceland and North America to ports in northern Russia, the Arctic convoys carried vital supplies to the Russian allies. As well as facing the constant possibility of attack from German U-boats, the men who sailed on these ships faced some of the toughest conditions of the war: freezing cold, storms and treacherous fog. Thousands of British merchant and naval seamen lost their lives in this operation. Through photographs, letters, interviews and personal possessions, this exhibition tells the story of the courage and determination of these wartime heroes.

Next of Kin

18 April 2014 - March 2015

Free with admission to Edinburgh Castle

1914 brought war to Scotland on an unprecedented scale. How did families cope with the absence and loss of their loved ones? Through a selection of family treasures, this exhibition reveals the profound personal experiences of Scottish families during the First World War, and the methods used to remember those they loved.

Next of Kin will tour eight venues around Scotland until 2018 and will be accompanied by digital and learning resources. Each venue will develop additional content related to their local areas which will be captured and preserved in an online resource. Find out more atwww.nms.ac.uk/centenary

Next of Kin is supported by the Culture Division, Scottish Government and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Events/Activities

National Museum of Scotland

Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF

For Everyone

Oskana Mavrodii and Juliette Philogène

8 March, 15:15-16:00
Grand Gallery, Level 1
Free, drop-in

Enjoy a live recital from soprano Oskana Mavrodii and pianist Juliette Philogène in the opulent surroundings of the Museum's Grand Gallery. Part an uplifting series of concerts with Live Music Now, every second Saturday of the month.

Lung Ha's Theatre Company: The Hold

12 - 16 March, various times (see www.nms.ac.uk/lungha for details)

Cost: £6/£5 (Wed 12 March, 11:30 performance only) £9/£7 all other times

The Hold, written by Adrian Osmond, is the poignant, lyrical and profoundly moving story of one man looking back over his life - but with a future still yet to be written. Peter, a man for whom holding onto every moment of his life has become a physical obsession, realises that letting go of the past is the only way he can look forward, and perhaps even find peace. The Hold is a site-specific, promenade performance which will be staged at National Museum of Scotland.

For Adults

Saturday Showcase: Scottish Enlightenment - Ideas and Objects

22 March, 13:30-16:00
Auditorium, Level 1
Cost: £10, £8 Members and Concessions. Book online or call 0300 123 6789

The Scottish Enlightenment was a period of great creativity, both intellectually and culturally. Join our speakers, including Professor Alexander Broadie of Glasgow University, to explore the connections between the Enlightenment's 'beautiful ideas' and the equally beautiful, and useful, objects produced alongside them.

In conjunction with National Trust for Scotland, Newhailes.

For Families

Trunks and Tales

Join us during weekends in Mammoth March for special themed Magic Carpet story activity sessions and the chance to explore our ice age handling collection:

Saturdays: 8, 15, 22 and 29 March
Object Handling in the Grand Gallery: 14:00-16:00. Free, drop-in
Magic Carpet story activity sessions: 14:30 (25 mins). Free, suitable for ages 5 and under, limited places, sign up at the Lighthouse Lens in the Grand Gallery 10 mins before start time.

Sundays: 9, 16, 23 and 30 March
Object Handling in the Grand Gallery: 14:00-16:00. Free, drop-in
Magic Carpet story activity sessions: 11:30, 14:30 (25 mins). Free, suitable for ages 5 and under, limited places, sign up at the Lighthouse Lens in the Grand Gallery 10 mins before start time.

Magic Carpet

Wednesday during term time

10:30 and 11:30 (25 mins)

Suitable for ages 2-4 (+ their adult)

Free - sign up on day at Info Desk, Entrance Hall, Level 0, as places are limited

The National Museum of Scotland's magic carpet introduces little ones to some of the fantastic things in the museum through 20 minutes of stories, songs and activities. Join us as the carpet visits a different gallery or theme every week. Look out for special guests too!

Magic Carpet Minis

Thursdays during term time

10:30 and 11:30 (20 mins)

Suitable for ages 0-2 (+ their adult)

Free - sign up on day at Info Desk, Entrance Hall, Level 0, as places are limited

Join the National Museum of Scotland for magic carpet sessions for really little ones and their adults. Go along for songs, stories, rhymes and objects in the unique museum setting.

Feely Fridays

Fridays during term time, 13:30 - 16:30

Free, drop-in

Feely Fridays gives you the chance to explore our fascinating handling collections - from meteorites to mammals and Vikings to Victorians! Check out information screens on the day for details.

Edinburgh International Science Festival at the National Museum of Scotland, 5 - 20 April

This spring, Edinburgh International Science Festival returns to the National Museum of Scotland to bring science to life with a brand new interactive showcase: Making It... at the Museum and a series of engaging and entertaining workshops, talks, presentations and demonstrations which the whole family can enjoy. Visit www.sciencefestival.co.uk for the full programme of events.

Science Festival family events at the Museum

Making It... at the Museum

5 - 20 April, 10:00-17:00

Grand Gallery

Free

This brand new interactive display takes centre stage in the Museum's Grand Gallery for this year's Festival. Making It gives you the chance to immerse yourself in accessible technologies and discover the maker movement. And there are lots of demonstrations and things to do: from 3D printing to giant drawing machines, and from electronics to DIY biology.

Lab Rats: Mammoth Poo Detectives

7 - 11 April, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00 & 15:00 (45 mins)

Free - limited spaces, sign up on the day with your adult helper

Suitable for ages 4-7

The Lab Rats scientists are using poo clues to track down mammoths and mastodons. Explore Ice Age environments through demonstrations and hands-on messy challenges.

Ice Ice Baby

14 - 18 April, 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 & 15:30 (30 mins)

Free - limited spaces, sign up on the day with your adult helper

Suitable for ages 3 and under

Bring your little ones for sensory science story sessions inspired by our Mammoths and the Ice Age exhibition.

Family events from the University of Edinburgh

5 - 19 April, 10:00-16:30

Learning Centre, Levels 2 & 4

Free - some events require a ticket - visit www.sciencefestival.co.uk for further information

Discover science with real scientists from The University of Edinburgh. Visit the National Museum of Scotland's Learning Centre for free, family-friendly drop-in activities, workshops and shows, covering subjects from chemistry, bio-sciences and maths, to engineering, medicine and computing.

Science Festival adult events at the Museum

Bruno Pontecorvo: Physicist and Atomic Spy?

8 April, 17:30-19:00

Auditorium

Cost: £8/£6/£4 students

Join acclaimed physicist Prof Frank Close of the University of Oxford to explore the life of Bruno Pontecorvo, a brilliant atomic physicist who defected from the West to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Learn about the mystery that surrounded his sudden disappearance, and his immense value for the Soviet Union as Frank opens up a world of intelligence and counter-intelligence involving blueprints of a nuclear reactor, the theft of the materials for an atomic bomb and reveals for the first time the tipoff that led to Pontecorvo's defection.

Extinct Mammoths, Endangered Elephants

9 April, 17:30-19:00

Auditorium

Cost: £8/£6/£4 students

What caused the extinction of the mammoth at the end of the last Ice Age - climate change, human hunting, or a combination of the two? Coinciding with the Mammoths of the Ice Age exhibition, Prof Adrian Lister of the Natural History Museum in London asks whether understanding the mammoth's demise can help us to conserve their close relatives, the living elephants.

Multiple Sclerosis: A Very Scottish Problem?

10 April, 13:00-14:00

Auditorium

Cost: £5

Scotland is recorded as having the highest prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the world, with around 10,000 people living with the condition. But why is this? And what might the sun (or lack of it) have to do with it? Researchers from the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic in Edinburgh explore the impacts, advances and future outlooks for this condition and Anne Brown, a Scots writer living with Multiple Sclerosis, reads from her informative and comical blog for the MS Society.

Part of Healthy Lunches

Spotlight On: 3d At The Museum

10 April, 14:00-15:00

Learning Centre, Level 4

Free (ticket required)

Meet National Museum of Scotland curator Klaus Staubermann and Tom Seatter from Heriot Watt University and discover how the Museum is using 3D printing technology to find new ways to engage with the National Collections, from archæological artefacts to working machinery and modern jewellery.