The presentation of a variety of images invites us to enjoy unusual impressions of possibly unnoticed parts of sensory systems of diverse animals. Some of these images are taken from actual research projects and will present these systems in a rarely seen way. For instance, images of the brain of Drosophila melanogaster showing antibody stainings of various nervous cells, which either perceive sensual information or transfer this information in the brain (scans with the Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope). Other images will present detailed pictures of sensing organs as, e.g. the simple eyes of a jellyfish.

CellF is Guy Ben-Ary’s self-portrait but also the world’s first neural synthesizer. CellF’s "brain" is made of a biological neural network that grows in a Petri dish and controls in real-time an array of analogue modular synthesizers, which were custom-made to work in synergy with the neural network. It is a completely autonomous cybernetic musician driven by In-Vitro Intelligence – ‘intelligence’ generated by living neurons growing outside of the donor’s body.

The Munich artist Ekkeland Götze has been working on a picture of the EARTH for more than 30 years. To do this, he obtains EARTH from previously determined sites within clearly defined individual projects. He prints this pure, unmanipulated EARTH onto paper or other substrates using a standardized process he developed.

Could we ever again smell the flowers driven to extinction by humans? This installation allows us to smell extinct flowers, lost due to colonial activity. Using tiny amounts of DNA extracted from specimens of three flowers, the creators used synthetic biology to predict and resynthesize gene sequences that might encode for fragrance-producing enzymes and reconstructed the flowers’ smells in their lab, using identical or comparative smell molecules.

The Bavarian State Natural Science Collections (SNSB) present objects and research related to the senses: see the world through the eyes of a chameleon, marvel at the sensory wonder of the owl, or be fascinated by the scents of magnificent bees and their perfumed flowers!

Animals have developed amazing sensory capabilities over millions of years. With the help of electrical, chemical, or acoustic signals, they can easily orient themselves, hunt, and communicate. We humans can apply these abilities in developing new technologies such as sensors, warning systems, and antennas.

At the Bionicum booth, you can learn what robots can learn from how bats orient themselves in the dark or which organism is the natural model for the latest technical sensors. And as a highlight, robot Nao will be putting on small shows throughout the day to demonstrate his sensory abilities.

Many creatures use smell to communicate with their kind and even with other species. Find out how plants and fungi communicate via scents, how they even can even make each other immune to diseases; why soil has a very particular smell after a rain shower; and how scientists are researching this "scent alphabet" to learn more about communication in nature.

Visitors can immerse themselves in the lives of bats: greater horseshoe bats can be admired via live stream from the bat house in Hohenburg, Upper Palatinate. You will learn a lot about these fascinating animals!

True to the motto of our citizen science and arts project Dawn Chorus, we invite you to take a moment to listen to the sounds of nature. Together with our project partner LBV (Landesbund für Vogelschutz), we invite you to immerse yourself in the sounds of bird songs from Bavaria and all over the world. Stop by and explore biodiversity and different habitats through your ears.

"Blue/Yellow" explores how most mammals - dichromats - see visible light very differently from trichromats like us, with colours limited to yellows and blues, and no secondary colors.  We ask the animals themselves: creating experiments that let dogs show us what they can and cannot see.

The ''Metaperceptual Helmets'', by artists Cleary and Connolly, go beyond human perception and allow us to explore how our vision responds to seeing like an animal or even a mythological creature.

Our five senses are well-known: Taste, smell, sight, hearing and touch. But what lies beyond them? Enter the multisensory maze to discover some of the secret tricks the senses can play on you, how one sense plays with the others, and which other hidden senses join the game. Start your multisensory journey with visual illusions and continue exploring the other of the "Big Five" senses thoughout the maze. Researchers will be here to explain what lies behind the tricks and illusions you have experienced.

Come and join our creative and play program, which is all about the senses! Test your perception through tactile bags, a game of sensory memory, a trip to our smell bar, or by looking into the distorting mirrors – we have something in store for every age. If you want to get creative, you can make your own kaleidoscope and take it home with you.

"Binocular Waves" explores our visual sense through a series of non-congruent stereoscopic animations. The central question is: "What happens in our conscious experience when different images are presented to our left and right eyes?" We explore together with the visitors how these binocular phenomena occur when the colors, shapes, and movements of the left and right images differ. The presentation is guided by the artist in direct dialogue with the audience, explaining the phenomena and giving feedback on the audience's experience.

Natural history as an experience – that is the motto of the Museum Mensch und Natur. At our stations distributed throughout the museum, you will explore the following questions: How do animals and humans perceive their environment? Why are our senses sometimes tricked? Why do cats see so much better in the dark than we do? Have fun seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, and smelling!

Come and discover the senses of tiny animals! We use binoculars and microscopes to engage with the insect world. Do the eyes of mosquitos really process five times more images than ours?  Do ticks have senses in their legs? What do butterflies perceive through their antennae? Ask our experts and become a scientist yourself. The BIOTOPIA Lab also has some other surprises in store for you.

How good is a canine nose? What is the job of a scat detection dog? At SENSE Festival, you will meet the conservation dog Tane from SNIFFX – Detection.Dogs and you will have the chance to experience the dog’s detection abilities and compare it to your own skills in a test trial – good luck!

The Smell Lab is a scent station where all festival participants are welcome to drop by spontaneously and work on designing a scent composition with the available aroma molecules and oils! In this scent unit, you will be able to compose the scents of a green planet earth!

What does a forest smell like? And a healthy park in a city? How does the burning Amazonas feel? And how did it use to smell? Come and blend the scents from a healthy breathing green planet earth with us.

Whether it’s vision, touch, or hearing, we need our brains to make sense of the world. But what is the neural basis for perception? We make sensory neuroscience accessible through hands-on experiments, demonstrations, and immersive experiences that involve humans, animals, plants, and even computers.

We ask various questions about our senses. For instance, how do our sensory organs work? How do senses work in other animals? Do plants have senses? Can computers ''see''? And how easy is it to trick our eyes and ears?

We humans perceive the world quite naturally with our six senses. If we consider hat the world looks like to a robot, we realize how complex our sensory perceptions actually are. At the SENSE Festival, you can meet our robots and perceive the world through their senses.

The Munich-based Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance presents itself with "Dance Workshops for All" and various surprise performances. Among other things, Iwanson International trains young students from all over the world to become contemporary dancers and dance teachers.

The plant world is full of wonders. Did you know that plants have senses just as we do? They can see, hear, and feel you! Come and join Peppina and Pimpernell on a journey into the senses of plants. Using dance, spoken word, music, and installation, the two performers introduce young audiences to basic plant biology, exploring some of the wonderful things plants can do.

Discover how the apple tree makes sure that all its apples are red at the same time. Find out what secret messenger system the willow tree uses to fight off the caterpillar, and join us in exploring what plants need to grow and survive. You can even plant your own seed to take home with you!

Many wonders of nature can only be discovered by listening. Biologist and musician Dominik Eulberg takes you on a contemplative, acoustic excursion and re-sensitizes your ears to the voice of nature. Explore everything that nature's entertainment system has to offer right at your doorstep!

Spider-Man, supposedly the most famous spider, often escapes dangerous situations thanks to his Spider-Sense. But spiders do not need any mental superpower; they simply use their legs, more precisely, the hairs on their legs. Those long fine hairs can sense vibrations or air currents. In the audio-guided installation Spider-Sense, humans are invited to transform into a spider and experience the challenges of locating and catching prey on a web.

Come and experience first-hand what an earthquake feels like - in the earthquake simulator of the Museum Mensch und Natur! Six different earthquakes that have occurred worldwide in the past can be simulated in two dimensions. During the event, you will learn all about earthquakes.

Artist and filmmaker Karel Doing has discovered Phytography in 2016. The process takes place in full daylight and makes use of biodegradable chemistry. The delicate outline of the plant and the internal structure of leaves, flowers, and petals are rendered visible in subtle colors.

During the workshop, he will explain his technique, placing it in a historical lineage of experimental photography and film while also connecting it to ecological awareness. After this introduction, a hands-on demonstration will be provided. The participants can take the results of their own experiments home at the end of the workshop.

Fragrance compositions, flower structure, colours, flowering time, pollen structure, and nectar composition... All characteristics from which can be deduced how flowers are pollinated. The multi-faceted interaction between flowering plants and their pollinators is presented in a guided tour through the outdoor facilities and greenhouses of the Botanical Garden.

During the guided tour, various aromatic plants are shown, and interesting facts about botany and ingredients are shared. Information on preparation and use as well as interesting facts from cultural history, complete the picture of the individual plants. Small samples of aroma and food delight the senses of smell and taste.

Plasmodial slime molds are known for their ability to network, learn, survive adversity, and navigate complex systems efficiently and equitably. In this interactive workshop, we enlist slime molds to solve problems vexing human civilization by modeling political and economic predicaments in Petri dishes.

Issues may range from taxation to immigration to environmental regulation. Participants will learn about slime mold biology and will use this knowledge to expose slime molds to policy dilemmas in terms relevant to the plasmodiums’ wellbeing. The workshop will culminate in the interpretation of the slime molds’ behavior, which will then be translated into policy advice for the German government.