by James Brown, Education and Public Engagement Manager

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to leave my Christmas shopping to the last minute. Every year I think I have plenty of time, but then before I know it it’s December 24th and I haven’t bought so much as a sprout. So, in an effort to be more organised and to help those of you who are like me, I present the quintessential gift guide for the insatiably curious. And if anyone is looking to get me something, this blog post happily doubles as my wish list. #multitasking

The Virtuali-tee T-shirt

This augmented reality T-shirt uses an app to bring anatomy to life in all its gory detail. See how your internal organs work whilst keeping ahead of the latest fashion trends(?).

Giant Microbes

You can choose to give someone a horrible disease or the means to protect themselves. If you can’t decide which of the strangely cute pathogens to give to your nearest and dearest, the ‘Christmas Ornament’ pack combines Kissing Disease, E. Coli, Penicillin, Salmonella, Red Blood Cell, Flu, Fat Cell, Bookworm, Nerve Cell, Sore Throat, Stomach Ache and exclusive red Amoeba all with suitably festive accessories.

Exit: The Secret Lab Boardgame

In a scenario which might just be too close to reality for some, this board game challenges teams of up to six people to solve puzzles and riddles in order to escape the locked lab. Like an escape room, but you don’t have to leave home and go to an abandoned warehouse. If the thought of spending more time in a lab setting doesn’t appeal, there are plenty of other themes including The Abandoned Cabin and The Forgotten Island.

Brain Specimen Coasters

I know what you’re thinking: sometimes your tea break just doesn’t contain enough specimen slides. Well, fret no-more, for now you can enjoy your cuppa while enjoying these stackable brain slice coasters. You’re welcome.

Origami Organelles

Looking for something that will keep the little ones occupied for a couple of hours? Try these wonderful little paper-based biomolecules. They’ve got everything from ATP synthase to Xylem. If you want to keep them busy for the whole day, why not get them the full cell kit which includes Cell Membranes, Cell Nucleus, Mitochondria, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Golgi Apparatus & Lysosome.

Multi-coloured Microbiomes

The Microbiology Society have created this gorgeous book which explores the microscopic world through the medium of colouring in. The perfect stress relief for when the festive season all gets a bit much – who wouldn’t be calm after colouring in Candida, or shading Pseudomonas?

Pandemic

When was the last time you saw a contingency planner being the hero and saving the world? In Pandemic, scientists and researchers join forces with contingency planners and dispatchers to save the world from deadly diseases in this cooperative board game.

Krebs Cycle lunch bag

Be the envy of everyone in the canteen with this reminder of what’s going on under the surface as you tuck into your cold turkey sandwich.

Lab Notebooks

When the time comes for your lab notes to be be displayed in a museum or pored over by historians writing yet another book about your greatest discovery, make sure they’re presented in these handsome notebooks. Future generations will thank you.

The Baby Biochemist: DNA (Volume 1)

It’s never too early to begin a proper grounding in biochemistry. This first volume is followed by volumes on RNA, Proteins and Enzymatics. By the time they start school they should be onto Stryer.

This Book Thinks You’re A Scientist

Anyone can be a scientist and this book aims to develop those scientific skills by getting kids to imagine, experiment and create. Lovely stuff. Combine with Ada Twist, Scientist, Women In Science, and Thing Explainer and the next generation of biochemists will be in fine form.

Present Indicative

There’s so many great science themed gifts on this site, it’s hard to choose just one example, so here are my top three: –

Chemistry of Wine Glass (ideal for revision) DNA Pashmina (perfect for every occasion) Cooking for Geeks (put those transferrable skills to good use)

That’s all from me for now – must dash before the shops close!