The month ahead

Vampires of an intellectual persuasion will be out in force between 14th-16th May, when museums all over the country throw open their doors after dark. The Museums at Night weekend gives smaller jewels, like UCL’s Grant Museum of Zoology, a chance to shine. The family-friendly UCL venue will run torchlit tours exploring nocturnal nature (garlic optional). www.culture24.org.uk Should organ donors be paid for a kidney? The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has launched a public consultation on this. It will also cover the ethics of egg and sperm donation. An IVF clinic recently caused a scramble when it held an “egg raffle,” with the winner receiving treatment at its American sister clinic (where, unlike in Britain, paid egg donation is legal). Doctors of the future might not be doctors, but computers loaded with a virtual simulation of your body. Find out more at the “Model Body” event on 6th May at London’s Dana Centre, which will host speakers from the Virtual Physiological Human project, and drop-in sessions on personalised medicine (www.danacentre.org.uk). 22nd May is International Biodiversity Day, and wildlife areas across the country will be putting on special events to mark it. Go pond-dipping at Fleet Pond in Hampshire, bug hunting in Lewes, or brave a “Be Nice to Nettles” walk in Glasgow. For more details visit your local park or nature reserve.