In March 2014, scientists working on the BICEP2 telescope at the South Pole reported an incredible discovery: a swirling pattern in the cosmic background radiation that appeared to indicate the presence of gravitational waves.

Are you drawn to Impressionism? Or more toward 3D computer art? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or is it? Contrary to the old adage, there may be universal biological principles that drive art’s appeal, and its capacity to engage our brains and our interest.

A NASA scientist prints 3D homes on Mars. An anthropologist solves mummy mysteries. An engineer tests new toys every day. What do these people have in common? A science job! Meet them all (and more) during this interactive event that gives everyone the chance to try each cool job for themselves.

World Science Festival co-founder Brian Greene and seven-time Emmy Award–winner Alan Alda muse on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in a post-performance discussion after a reading of Alda’s play “Dear Albert.”

Today, cryptography has moved beyond the realm of dilettantes and soldiers to become a sophisticated scientific art—combining mathematics, physics, computer science, and electrical engineering. It not only protects messages, but it also safeguards our privacy. From email to banking transactions, modern cryptography is used everywhere.

This statement is false. Think about it, and it makes your head hurt. If it’s true, it’s false. If it’s false, it’s true. In 1931, Austrian logician Kurt Gödel shocked the worlds of mathematics and philosophy by establishing that such statements are far more than a quirky turn of language: he showed that there are mathematical truths which simply can’t be proven.

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg spoke about science and history, drawing from his book “To Explain the World: The Discovery of Modern Science.”

Our genes strictly dictate our personalities, appearance and diseases. Or do they? Research has revealed that genes can turn on and off; they can be expressed for years and then silenced. Sometimes, they are never activated. And these genetic instructions—how and when DNA is read—can be determined by the experiences of one’s ancestors, even those several generations back.