Preparations are now under way for our annual festival of science and ideas, New Scientist Live, which takes place in London in just one week's time. The show opens on Saturday 12 October for two days packed with talks, hands-on activities and demonstrations, with something for everyone regardless of your age or interests. Explore the exhibition space, where some of our most popular interactive exhibits are back this year, including the hospital of the future – where you can try out surgical robots and virtual reality at the cutting edge of medicine – as well as the adrenaline-filled virtual rollercoaster ride. There are also brand-new experiences, involving ocean beasts, dinosaurs and more. We have some amazing speakers joining us this year, including Alice Roberts, Turi King, Robin Dunbar and our own columnist David Robson.

New Scientist Live, the world's greatest festival of ideas and discovery, is returning to ExCeL London from Saturday 7 until Sunday 8 October, with a dedicated Schools' Day on Monday 9 October. There is a stunning line-up of more than 50 speakers, five stages and a wide array of exhibitors and experiences. Whether you are interested in deep oceans, distant galaxies, mental health, technology or ancient humans, there will be something to entertain and educate you, but here is what seven members of the New Scientist editorial staff are most looking forward to seeing there. Alison Flood Comment & Culture Editor This is my first time at New Scientist Live and there's so much to choose from, but I'll definitely be at Claudia Hammond's talk on the science of kindness, in the hope of picking up some tips. My kids will be coming along too and are very excited about seeing Maddie Moate in the flesh – Maddie's Do You Know? has been a staple in our house for years.

Detected for the very first time in 2015, gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime that occur when massive objects move around. The first waves were detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) four days before it was scheduled to officially begin scientific observations. The signal came from two black holes more than a billion light years away, spiralling towards one another and eventually merging. Since then, LIGO has detected several more black hole mergers, and in 2017 it allowed us to observe a pair of neutron stars smashing together for the first time. It was one of the most-observed events in scientific history. In just three years, gravitational wave signals have given us the first direct evidence that black holes exist, taught us how the heaviest elements in the universe are formed, and helped us measure the expansion of the universe.

THE UK public is well-informed and positive about science and technology, but its hopes and fears are largely being ignored by politicians. That is the key finding of an exclusive New Scientist survey of public attitudes to science, technology, medicine and the environment. The 2018 New Scientist Asks the Public survey reveals that the issues uppermost in people's minds are genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, cancer and climate change. They believe these things are "most likely to have an impact on society and human life". But people are not expecting a sci-fi apocalypse – public opinion is surprisingly upbeat.