Whether it’s providing the people power to fuel industry, developing new technologies, documenting experiences to help understand the world from all perspectives, or smashing glass ceilings to lead their fields, Manchester has been and continues to be full of women whose influence has shaped the city and beyond. We tell the tales of these inspirational individuals on our galleries. Discover highlights in the round up below, or look out for them on your next visit to the Science and Industry Museum and uncover more about these world-changing women and the fascinating objects relating to their s ..read more

Adrian Owen Adrian Owen made headlines worldwide almost two decades ago when he announced he had found a way to communicate with the tens of thousands of unresponsive patients who had been cruelly written off as being beyond all help. Many of these patients who are in a so called ‘vegetative state’ are young, having suffered traumatic brain injuries in road traffic accidents, where their predicament has left their friends and families in anguish. His paper, published in the prestigious journal Science, has sent out shockwaves ever since. We now know that many of these vegetative patients, who ..read more

Even though scientists have spent years studying the relationship between lifestyle and cognition, from exercise to video games, many questions remain over what impact the brain has on the body, and vice versa. The brain and body have evolved together for millions of years and everyday life abounds with examples of how they affect each other, whether it’s the fuzzy headedness that results from sleeplessness, people who get ‘hangry’ if they don’t eat properly, how worry can cause tense muscles, or the breathing exercises that can calm the mind. To shed new light on the connections between mind ..read more

Wondering what to get for the person who has everything? Our curatorial colleagues have come together to create a list of gift ideas and Christmas essentials influenced by some of the wonderful objects on display in our Revolution Manchester Gallery. An Acorn BBC Microcomputer – just what every 1980s child wanted! Top of many Christmas lists in the 1980s was a home computer, like this Acorn BBC Micro. In the 1980s there was home computer boom in Britain as millions of people bought their first computer: machines like the Acorn , the Sinclair Spectrum, Dragon 32 and Amstrad CPC464. So popula ..read more

2023 has been a milestone year for one of the Science and Industry Museum’s most iconic objects. The Small-Scale Experimental Machine, better known as ‘Baby’, was the first stored program computer and the predecessor of the computers, phones and tablets we’re so familiar with today. Baby successfully ran its first computer programme on 21 June 1948, and celebrated its 75th birthday this year. The original Baby computer was built at the University of Manchester with technology used in Second World War radar and communications equipment. The work done by Manchester scientists and engineers put ..read more

The world’s only working replica of Baby on display at the Science and Industry Museum.  Science Museum Group © The Board of Trustees of the Science MuseumArkwright’s Water Frame Created by Richard Arkwright with the help of clockmaker John Kay in the 1700s, this water-powered spinning machine started a textiles revolution and transformed the way people worked. It ran day and night in Arkwright’s cotton mills. The moving rollers thinned out the cotton and the rotating spindles twisted it into yarn, meaning manufacturers could make more fabric more cheaply than ever before. Instead of spin ..read more

Entering Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You through a set of giant jaws, visitors are taken on a fascinating voyage through the entire digestive system, exploring the role of each internal organ along the way. Not afraid to make the squeamish squirm, the exhibition breaks the taboo around poo by encouraging people to get hands-on with the science inside all of us during a quest to better understand the human body. Dr Chris, Dr Xand and Dr Ronx, presenters of hit BBC Children’s show, Operation Ouch!, have provided unique inspiration for the exhibition and pop up throughout to help guide visitors ..read more

On 15 September 1983, thanks to the dedication of many people and partners in saving globally significant objects and buildings, the Greater Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (as it was then known) opened in Castlefield. Its founders planted the enduring spirit of innovation in the museum’s DNA from the outset. One of the museum’s most unique features is the opportunity we offer visitors to experience exhibitions and events about world-changing science and technology, against the backdrop of one of the nation’s most significant industrial heritage sites. The museum has always been dev ..read more

The prize—welcome recognition for a city that’s the birthplace of modern computing—was announced by the Chancellor as part of a ‘quantum strategy’ with a research and innovation programme totalling £2.5 billion. Manchester has earned its place in computing history and continues to be a pioneer in computer science today. On 21 June 1948, the world’s first stored program computer, the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine, later nicknamed ‘Baby’, completed its first successful run, at the University of Manchester, proving the basic blueprint still used in billions of computers today. Manch ..read more

Workers leaving the Metropolitan Vickers engineering works in Trafford Park, 1957. Amongst the crowds are several unidentified women of the Global Majority. Kirat’s research aims to increase our understanding of who they are and their role in industry. Manchester Daily Express/Science Museum Group In April 2022, I heard about an interesting opportunity for a PhD which looked to help address the challenge facing museums wanting to tell more inclusive stories from their inherited collections as well as informing new content for the forthcoming Power Hall and other galleries at the Science and In ..read more