John O’Neill, group leader in the LMB’s Cell Biology Division, has helped develop a new display about body clocks for the London Science Museum’s Who Am I? exhibition.
Launched on the 10th October 2017, and featuring until Spring 2018, the body clock display is the latest component of the Who Am I? exhibition. The display explores how light is crucial to regulating our body clocks (also known as our circadian rhythm) and what happens when this signal is disrupted. Visitors can discover how scientists, including those at the LMB, are studying circadian rhythms to make treatments and therapies for disease more effective.
John said, “I became involved in developing the exhibition after a member of the Museum’s Contemporary Science Team got in touch to ask about our work and how we communicate our research to the public. After making some suggestions and contributing some cool movies of the body clock in action, I was very happy to see how well the exhibit came together. Circadian rhythms are a fascinating topic that everyone can relate to, as well as being very important for human health, so it really matters to us that we get our message across to the wider community that exists outside of the lab.”
Who Am I? invites visitors to explore the science of who they are through intriguing objects, provocative artworks and hands-on exhibits and is open daily at the Science Museum.
John’s group focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of cellular circadian timekeeping and how this biological clock regulates other cellular systems, such as the actin cytoskeleton.
Related links
John O’Neill’s group page
Science Museum Who Am I? exhibition