PUPILS turned into super sleuths to help crack a murder mystery.
A budding team of young scientists from Sharples High School in Hill Cot Road, Bolton, were drafted in to help TV newsreader Anna Ford solve a fictitious case.
The year eight and nine pupils were invited to take part in a mock investigation organised by the University of Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences.
Forensic profiling for the 'murder' was just one of a number of experiments the children carried out during a Science Stars Open Day.
The students were given a talk by Anna Ford, the University's Co-Chancellor, and Professor Nancy Rothwell, Vice-President for Research, before touring the faculty's labs.
As well as the murder mystery, they tested the smelling sense of maggots, carried out DNA extractions from cheek swabs, saw how frogs adapt to their environment and learned about muscle tissue formation. Prof Rothwell said: "The university asked schools across the North-west that specialise in science to choose their star pupils to take part in this event.
"Schemes like this that enable youngsters to see the cutting-edge research being carried out in Manchester can only help fuel their interest and encourage them to pursue a science career."
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