Science is more than just molecules and the life cycle of a housefly. The fourth European Researchers' Night - September 26 2008 - will show you how.

The European Commission-supported initiative brings together professionals in the field of science, students and the general public for a fun evening of learning and discussion in cities all around Europe. In Bulgaria, events will be held in Dobrich, Plovdiv, Rousse, Sliven, Sofia, Stara Zagora and Varna.

Happenings in Sofia start at 4pm at Hall 6 of NDK (National Palace of Culture). Clips from films on how Bulgarian science fits into the European sphere; on God's particle, black holes and the mysteries of CERN; on forbidden discoveries and more will be shown.

For those looking for something a bit more interactive, there will be a live performance called the Voyage of Sound, and another one called Science in Fairytales, organised with the support of the British Council, that will examine what connects the Wizard of Oz, the Little Mermaid, Andersen's Snow Queen, Alice, Gulliver, Zlatka the Golden Girl and fairytale princesses. (Hint - the show includes the participation of a chemist, two meteorologists, a doctor of molecular medicine, a physicist and a general practitioners.)

For the visual arts-inclined, there is an exhibition on turning rubbish into a fun science game and another one on Bulgarian scientific research, a project of the National Polytechnical Museum, which presents curious facts about famous Bulgarian scientists and researchers (think Stamen Grigovor, discoverer - in 1905 - of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacteria that breaks down the lactose in milk and makes yoghurt what it is).

Another display will highlight satellite technology and the possibilities it presents to manage, monitor and preserve the environment, and yet another will feature oil paintings of the southern Black Sea by Nikolai Angelov, a professor and engineer from the Technical University in Sofia.

And because science cannot happen without getting your hands into the mix, there is a Cabinet of Curiosities, where attendees can participate in fun science experiments.

Not to mention tombolas, prizes for the public, dances and cocktails.

Also, from 4pm to 8pm at the National Museum of Natural History, part of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd), an open doors day will invite guests to discover the more than 1200 species of birds, 400 species of mammals, minerals, flora and fauna of Bulgaria in its collection. The museum is the largest of its kind on the Balkan Peninsula.

The National Polytechnical Museum (66 Opulchenska Blvd, Sofia) will also hold an open doors day from 4pm to 8pm, where visitors can explore its more than 22 000 objects in the spheres of transport, time measurement, radio and television, photography and cinema technology, optics, sound recording and reproducing, sewing machines, printing presses and more.