In conjunction with the 1951 Festival of Britain, the 1951 Exhibition of Science was held at the Science Museum, South Kensington, London. The exhibition was displayed in the Biological Section of the Museum and had three sections: Physical and Chemical Nature of Matter, The Structure of Living Things and Stop Press.
‘Science is knowledge’, knowledge that can be ‘understood and enjoyed by everyone,’ declared Dr Jacob Bronowski.
Genetics and Plant Growth were two of the botanical themes in the exhibition:
Heredity … ‘Each gene has its own specific effect on the make-up of the plant or animal. How strongly this effect shows itself depends partly on the environment. The plant or the animals grows and fulfills itself, shaped jointly by its heredity and its environment.’
Plant Growth … ‘In plants, the growth of all parts unfolds at each stage from special shoots or growing points. The active cells at these growing points seem to influence the development of the whole plant, root and branch. Much research centers on these growing points and on the chemicals made by the active cells there, as well as in the new man-made chemicals which are able to influence the growth of plants.’
Read more Wellcome Collection Exhibition on 1951 Exhibition of Science
Changing Perspectives: 