National Science Week 2025
Saturday 9 August to Sunday 17 August
Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature's hidden language
Unearth hidden worlds, meet the minds behind the Museum, and experience science in action during National Science Week 2025. This August, Museums Victoria invites you to Decode the Universe through rare encounters with collections, researchers and ideas that shape our understanding of life, Earth, and the cosmos.
Wander through deep time and living science as the Museum comes alive with pop-up talks, and behind-the-scenes insights. From glittering minerals to prehistoric giants, discover the secrets of our natural world alongside the scientists who study it every day.
Activities
Exhibitions
Education Programs
Science is a Superpower Series
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Season 2 Episode 5
Can you guess the superpower?
What do ancient artists and dead spider robots have in common?
Season 2 Episode 4
Make a change
Explore fatbergs, superworms and dandelion seeds.
Season 2 episode 3
Learning to thrive
What links microbes, vaccines and the stages of sleep?
Season 2 Episode 2
Observing the world
Follow the clues as you explore lucid dreaming, seeing colour and experiments with rainbows.
Season 2 Episode 1
Developing new skills
What links cat vision, silent fish and invisible bears?
Season 1 Episode 5
Super kind
Can kindness be a superpower? Sometimes small acts of kindness have big impacts.
Season 1 Episode 4
Super energised
Want more power? Discover how electricity works and harness the power of the wind.
Season 1 Episode 3
Super calm
Holly explores the impact of technology and social media on our brains—and learns some tricks for staying calm.
Season 1 Episode 2
Super curious
Asking questions is the secret to science. Join Holly as she discovers that things are not always what they seem.
Season 1 Episode 1
Super strong
It’s the classic superpower. But what’s the secret to being strong? Holly finds strength in surprising places.
Watch
New Australian dinosaurs, and the oldest megaraptorid fossils in the world
New fossils, and old, are giving us the latest insight into what once was a dinosaur-era ecosystem in Victoria, Australia. New research, led by Museums Victoria PhD student Jake Kotevski, details the first discovery of Carcharodontosaurs in Australia. But these are tiny, unlike their gigantic relatives in South America, raising more questions. Join Jake and palaeontologist Tim Ziegler as they explore these new finds.
The 1980s computer revolution that began under the gaze of a champion racehorse
The Sunrise School led to a revolution in computing, but you’ve probably never heard of it. Intended as a school of the future, this late 1980s program began at the Melbourne Museum, and led a shift in computing that would result in the world’s first laptop classroom. But it wasn't all smooth sailing—the project met an untimely end, with a student walkout. However, its legacy carries on to this day.
How do we know what the solar system looks like?
Have you ever wondered how we know the Sun is at the centre of the solar system? Or why, for most of human history, scientists believed that Earth was the centre of the universe?
Join Dr Tanya Hill, Astronomer at the Melbourne Planetarium, for a closer look at the history of our astronomical understanding of the universe and our place in it.
