2005
Coffee Houses and the Rise of Science
Jan 25th
Dr. Markman Ellis, London University
In the 17th and 18th century coffee houses in London became fashionable. This was the first time that different social classes could meet and talk on equal terms. Conversations about science became commonplace and The Royal Society even performed experiments and dissections on the long tables. How much did science benefit from public discussion? (And is there a lesson for us all here?).
The Sperm’s Tale
Feb 15th
Prof. Tim Birkhead
Sperm cells have been in the news, because of the falling sperm count in males. But sperm is the most diverse and variable of all cells. This is bizarre; all sperm have the same basic goal – to fertilise and egg – so why should they vary so much in shape, size and motion? There are several possible answers but the most intriguing is that females are responsible for the shape of the sperm. This is now an active are of research in science.
Science in Drama
Feb 25th
Rachel McGill, the playwrite, and Nigel Hooper, professor of biology at Leeds University
'The Lemon Princess', a play, written by Rachel McGill, concerns the effect of CJD on a family during the BSE epidemic. This is an emotive, political and also scientific subject. Rachel will talk about the problems this raises for a writer and Nigel Hooper will talk about the effect it has on science and a scientist. There have been a number of plays dealing with scientific subjects in the last few years, including 'Arcadia' and 'Copenhagen'. Are dramatists now confidently taking on science or are the two cultures still as far apart as ever?
The collapse of healthcare research in the UK
Mar 21st
Dr. Stephen Dealler, consultant microbiologist
Dr. Dealler will describe the alarming fall in independent research carried out within the NHS, which has now become stifled by politics, administration, auditing of enforcement procedures, and many other bureaucratic and quasi-ethical pressures. What are the consequences for the patients, and how might this slide be reversed? It sounds like a topic that we all have a stake in.
What on earth is going on?
May 16th
Rene Oudmaijer, Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics at Leeds University
Cosmology is one of the oldest sciences and yet it seems to be throwing up new ideas and problems almost every month. We hear of Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Inflation, Singularities and Parallel Universes. It is one of the most exciting areas of contemporary science.
A manufactured plague?
Jun 7th
Abigail Woods
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a curable disease that poses little threat to human health. So why is it currently regarded as one of the world's worst animal plagues? And why, in the epidemic of 2001, did the government's control strategy still rely upon Victorian trade restrictions and mass slaughter?
Why Most Things Fail – Evolution, Extinction and Economics.
Sep 12th
Paul Ormerod
Is there any connection between biology and economics? How is it that phenomena as diverse as stock market crashes, biological phenomena and contacts on the World Wide Web are described by a ‘power law’ in which the frequency of an event falls away with the square of its size? Are there deeper forces at work?
Beam Me Up Scotty! – Quantum Entanglement and Supercomputers.
Sep 26th
Vlatko Vedral, professor of Quantum Information Science at Leeds University
Einstein didn’t believe in Quantum theory and was skeptical of quantum entanglement, which he called ‘Spooky action at a distance’. Two ‘entangled’ particles are connected because the fate of one depends on the other – even if it is at the far side of the universe. It sounds crazy, but was recently proved to be true and could be the basis of teleportation, as in StarTrek.
From Nerves to Body and Back Again - The Neuro-emotional Basis of Modern Ailments
Oct 18th
Dr Read
50% of visits to doctors are for illnesses that have no obvious physical cause and cannot be cured. Drawing on research in affective neuroscience and psychology and extensive clinical experience, Dr Read offers an explanation for this seemingly modern epidemic and an alternative means of dealing with it.
Global Warming - Is It All Hot Air?
Monday 28th
Piers Forster, climate change scientist
Global Warming, like many other scientific topics, has now become a complex series of argument and counter-argument involving politics, economics, history and technology so that it is often easy to loose sight of the physical basis for current theories.
Piers is the youngest leader of a chapter writing team for the next IPCC report on climate change and the person who first recognised a human impact on climate through the 'weekend' effect.
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