| |
· Past speakers
· 1998
· 1999
· 2000
· 2001
· 2002
· 2003
· 2004
· 2005
· 2006
· 2007
· 2008 |
|
2008
Academics, Science and The Drug Industry
Jan 22nd
Dr. Blumsohn
Dr. Blumsohn will discuss important ethical issues arising from the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and universities. Who has ownership of, and rights of access to, data? How accountable for the final results are all the authors of scientific papers? Is it possible to ‘spin’ the results of scientific experiments and data so that they look more acceptable? How ethical are the drugs regulators? How independent are medical journals? And where does this leave the patient?
The Science of Sleep
Feb 5th
Prof. Horne of the Sleep Research Centre
This is The Science of Sleep – not the dream sequence film, but a look at how and why we sleep. Have you ever fallen asleep unexpectedly (theatre, cinema, bath, etc)? How does it change you if you don’t get a “good night’s sleep”? Have you ever seen a car swerve on the road and wondered if the driver’s eyelids may have closed for longer than a blink?
“Sleep knits the ravelled sleeve of care,” said Macbeth as he reached his low point, and we all know that things can look better in the morning. Surely there must be more to sleep than the idea that being tired makes you feel bad and being well rested makes you feel good.
Science and Religion – Dissent over Descent
March 4th
Professor Steve Fuller - Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick
Steve Fuller adopts a revisionist theory of Intelligent Design. Instead of seeing at as the modern and respectable face of Christian fundamentalism he argues, from a historical perspective, that Intelligent Design was responsible for the 17th Century Scientific Revolution and has helped to build modern histories of physics, mathematics, genetics and social science. This confident, even arrogant, view of humanity has enabled the West to triumph in the modern era.
Ants, Bees and Altruism
May 6th
Francis Ratnieks, Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at Sussex University
Altruism is defined as an action that, on average, decreases the lifetime direct fitness of an actor and benefits one or more recipients. The altruism of insect workers has puzzled researchers for decades. Altruism in nature is nowhere seen as plainly as in insect societies, in which the workers sacrifice most or all of their direct reproduction to help rear the queen’s offspring. How did natural selection, which normally favours increased reproduction, cause individuals to help others at a cost to their own reproduction? This is a controversial topic which has recently caused a public argument between Richard Dawkins and E.O. Wilson.
Inclusive fitness theory suggests that high relatedness has been key in promoting such altruism. Recent theory, however, indicates that the intermediate levels of relatedness found within insect societies are too low to directly cause the extreme altruism observed in many species. Instead, recent results show that workers are frequently coerced into acting altruistically. Hence, the altruism seen in many modern-day insect societies is not voluntary but enforced. Prof. Ratnieks will also discuss the role of coercion in promoting altruism and cooperation in other social systems, such as vertebrate and human societies.
Will We Ever Discover the Origin of Language
June 17th
Greg. Radick, the Senior Lecturer in History and Philosophy of Science at Leeds University
In the early 1890s the theory of evolution gained an unexpected ally: the Edison phonograph. An amateur scientist used the new machine—one of the technological wonders of the age—to record monkey calls, play them back to the monkeys, and watch their reactions. From these soon-famous experiments he judged that he had discovered “the simian tongue,” made up of words he was beginning to translate, and containing the rudiments from which human language evolved.
Again in the early 1980s a team of ethologists announced that experimental playback showed certain African monkeys to have rudimentarily meaningful calls. The talk will chart the scientific controversies over the evolution of language from Darwin ’s day to our own.
Is there Evidence for Psychotherapy – Or Not? What is Psychotherapy – Science or Religion?
July 15th
Dr. Larry Brownstein
Psychotherapy is in the news once again. And the news as usual is either unbalanced or insufficiently critical. An old question concerning whether psychotherapy is scientific or not has been raised again though the context is slightly different. Some behavior therapies are claiming virtual universal utility and that they are the only scientific therapy in town. Do the data support them? Neuropsychology is making substantial inroads into our understanding of brain function, particularly the discovery of mirror neurons, but does this make for greater understanding of psychological functioning as some maintain? Is the medical model an appropriate one for psychotherapy?
The assessment of psychotherapy as a treatment regimen is both complicated and multi-faceted. It is not quite as straightforward a matter as has been claimed. And some of these assessment procedures are quite different from those found in the natural sciences.
The Science of Smell
October 7th
Professor Tim Jacob, Cardiff University
Smell is one of our most powerful senses. Hence its importance in perfumery, flower fragrance, literature, poetry, memory enhancement, appreciation of food and wine, etc.. But how much do we understand about it? Are perfumes really subtly different, or just marketed as such? Why does smell evoke powerful memories? How is it related to sexual attraction? Tim Jacob is Professor at the School of Biosciences in Cardiff , and he is a researcher into olfactory functions in humans, smell perception and pheromones
|
|
