In the grand tradition of Calvin and Hobbes, it was time to show and tell, though we had no idea if any scientist would bring a transmogrifier.

Scientists, teachers and enthusiasts did however bring along some of their favourite objects to explain why they love them and what they mean – from fossils to weird curvy things made out of metal that may have been used to do something to the Victorian pancreas.

We ran a number of these events at Conway Hall in London and the Cambridge Science Festival.  The Conway Hall events were sell outs and at the Cambridge Science Festival we ran for a full afternoon, with an open door policy in a big lecture hall as people dropped in and out as a parade of Cosmic Genome contributors showed and told.

Just some of the people who appeared at these events were Robin Ince, Prof Steve Jones, Prof Andrea Sella, Prof Sophie Scott, Dr Adam Rutherford, Dr Simon Singh, Prof Jon Butterworth, Helen Arney, Ginny Smith and The Trowelblazers.

Given the success of these events, we’ll no doubt stage some more again.