LONDON.- From our daily commute to our genes, more and more information about our lives is being recorded as huge amounts of data, whether we are aware of it or not. Our Lives in Data, a new exhibition at the Science Museum investigates the rapidly evolving role of big data in all our lives and how it is being used to transform the world around us.

Our Lives in Data explores some of the diverse ways that our data is being collected, analysed and used, from a toy that learns the personality of a child to become a better playmate to new virtual reality tools created by game designers to help researchers understand vast collections of data. Visitors have a chance to test facial recognition software through an intelligent mirror, designed to guess your age, gender and emotions.

As the amount of data collected grows so does the debate around data ownership. This exhibition highlights some of the new products developed to help individuals protect their data, including a Cryptophone designed to prevent access to your mobile phone data and paint that blocks WiFi signals. Our Lives in Data also looks at the data we share openly through social media and consider the consequences of living in a more connected world. Visitors are able to join in the debate and compare their views with others through an interactive exhibition quiz.

There has been a huge acceleration in data collection over the last fifteen years, driven by recent advances in technology and data science. Our Lives in Data looks at the crucial role of big data in planning and improving public transport in London as well as its importance in medical science.

Exhibition Developer Sheldon Paquin said, 'Big data is still new but it is already revolutionising the world around us. We hope all visitors to Our Lives in Data will get a sense of just how much of our data is captured and processed every day and consider the huge benefits as well as privacy concerns this can create.'

The first human DNA sequencing took about 13 years to complete but now takes just two days. Exhibition visitors will see an example of a modern DNA sequencer and find out how it is helping the 100,000 Genomes Project to uncover the causes of rare diseases and cancer.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England said, 'Through the 100,000 Genomes Project being delivered by Genomics England, we are demonstrating how genomic technology can transform the way people are cared for. The UK is leading the world in this exciting area of medical discovery, and by using big data we are starting to understand about how these conditions work, who might be susceptible to them and how they can be treated. My next annual report will be on the subject of Genomics and will look at the opportunities for using big data to improve health outcomes for the population.'