Brighton Cafe
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Launched October 2003
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Date:
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Oct
19th 2004 |
| Title: |
'The
Big Bang – the greatest story ever told?'
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Speaker:
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Simon Singh,
writer and broadcaster and bestselling author of Fermat’s Last Theorem
and The Code Book, and Andrew Liddle, Professor of astrophysics,
University of Sussex
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| Description: |
Everybody has heard of the Big Bang theory. But how many of
us can actually claim to understand it? Join the bestselling author of
Fermat’s Last Theorem and The Code Book as he tells the story of
the brilliant minds that deciphered the mysteries of the Big Bang, and hear
physicist Andrew Liddle’s take on some of the physics that underlie the
universe. |
Date:
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Nov 16th |
| Title: |
'Can science explain consciousness?'
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Speaker:
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Maggie Boden,
Research Professor of Cognitive Science, University of Sussex.
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| Description: |
There are many different ‘problems of consciousness’, and
science has already explained some of them. But the most difficult – and one
that remains a puzzle – is the explanation of 'pure' experience: the redness
of red, the hotness of heat...etc. Science has discovered many correlations
between conscious experiences and brain events, but correlation isn't
explanation, and nor is prediction. Occasionally, science can explain why
(given that conscious experiences occur at all) THIS one happens when THAT
brain cell fires, and THAT one happens when THIS brain cell fires.
Sometimes, it can even predict that a certain sort of experience MUST happen
if THIS brain cell were to be activated. This, however, takes it for granted
that conscious experiences do happen. Explaining how it's possible for ANY
EXPERIENCE AT ALL to occur is a very different matter. Nobody understands
what we mean when we talk about conscious experience. It follows that
science can't explain it – for scientists don't know just what needs to be
explained. Given a conceptual revolution in both philosophy of mind and
neuroscience, it might be able to do so in future. But HOW is, today,
inconceivable… |
Date:
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December 14th |
| Title: |
'Climate change
– what’s the story?'
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Speaker:
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Alex
Haxeltine,
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia
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| Description: |
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Date:
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Tuesday November 15th, 8.00p |
| Title: |
'The World In My Mind'
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Speaker:
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Professor Igor
Aleksander (Imperial College) |
| Description: |
"The conscious mind
has been an object of philosophical puzzlement for 2500 years. Over the last
15 years scientists have had a go at understanding it. I shall briefly
review all this and put up for discussion the suggestion that some highly
specific systems are required in the brain to create a conscious mind. This
prompts a discussion on a variety of questions surrounding consciousness:
animals, volition, mental illness, conscious machines, being unconscious
..."
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Date:
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Tuesday
December 13th, 8.00pm |
| Title: |
'The
Chemistry of Smell, Taste and Sex'
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Speaker:
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Professor Malcolm
Heggie (Sussex) |
| Description: |
The
chemistry of smell, taste and sex—an hour of sensual harassment!
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Date:
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Tuesday 17th
January |
| Title: |
Intellectual
Property
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Speaker:
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Wendy Grossman |
| Description: |
The
chemistry of smell, taste and sex—an hour of sensual harassment!
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Date:
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Tuesday 21st
February (joint event with
Brighton Science Festival)
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| Title: |
Life and the
Universe
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Speaker:
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John Gribbin |
| Description: |
An overview of the relationship between life
and the Universe, focussing on the origin of life and the prospects for
finding life beyond the Solar System. Does ET exist, and if so is he like
us?
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Date:
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Tuesday 21st
March |
| Title: |
Micro-generation: Generating energy in the home |
Speaker:
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Jim Watson
(Sussex) |
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Description: |
Micro-generation has the potential to turn our homes into mini power
stations. A variety of new micro-generation technologies is becoming
available - from micro heat and power systems to micro wind turbines. The UK
government is about to publish a strategy to encourage households to install
these technologies in large numbers. But questions remain about the
reliability of the technologies, the extent to which they will help meet
wider energy policy goals, and the impact on our energy consumption habits.
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Date:
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Tuesday 18th
April |
| Title: |
Fusion: powering the
future?
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Speaker:
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Chris Warrick
(UKAEA) |
| Description: |
Will commercial fusion
power ever be achieved? Will it be cheap? Expensive? Dangerous?
How long before fusion can make a
difference? What are the advantages/disadvantages of fusion over other
energy sources? What about radioactive waste?
Chris will answer all these questions and many more (as long as you ask
them!)
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Date:
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Tuesday 16th May |
| Title: |
Soldiers in the laboratory – what are the ethical issues? |
Speaker:
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Chris Langley
(Scientists for Global Responsibility) |
| Description: |
Dr Langley
is the author of the recent SGR report: Soldiers in the laboratory. He will
give an overview of the ways in which UK science,
engineering and technology are made military and talk about the need
for an ethical agenda in these fields.
Scientists for
Global Responsibility promotes ethical science, design and
technology, based on the principles of openness, accountability, peace,
social justice, and environmental sustainability |
Date:
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Tuesday 20th June |
| Title: |
From nerves to body and back again: the neuro-emotional basis of modern
ailments |
Speaker:
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Nick Read |
| Description: |
Fifty
per cent 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, Nick Read
offers an explanation for this seemingly modern epidemic and an alternative
means of dealing with it.
Nick
held chairs in physiology, human nutrition and integrated medicine at
Sheffield University. He now works in private practice as a physician and
psychoanalytical psychotherapist. |
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Date: |
Tuesday 18th July |
| Title: |
Bones, rocks and stars:
the science of when things happened |
Speaker:
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Chris Turney |
| Description: |
Chris did the radiocarbon dating on the recent 'Hobbit' fossil. His book,
Bones, Rocks and Stars, to
be published on June 13th, is a 'timely' take on the
controversial business of finding out when things happened.
Focusing on eleven famous dating debates (from the existence of King Arthur
to the last Ice Age), Chris reveals the leg-work behind the headlines. He
explains how written records, carbon, pollen, tree rings, constellations and
DNA sequencing can help archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists to
'tell the time', concluding that we ignore or misunderstand these techniques
and their results at our peril. |
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Date: |
Tuesday 21st November |
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Title: |
UK energy
policy -- what's science got to do with it? |
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Speaker: |
Jim Skea
(UK Energy Research Centre) |
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Description: |
With
the Energy Review complete and a new Energy White Paper in preparation, it's
a good time to reflect on what science and technology - and scientists - can
contribute to policy making and implementation.
The two
key drivers of energy policy are clearly
now
climate change and energy
security. The Energy Review acknowledges that we need to get a grip on
profligate levels of energy use, stimulate renewable energy sources and
other low carbon technologies and address the seemingly intractable problem
of transport and the environment.
Does
science and technology have a role to play? Do scientists have any useful
insights to offer? Or is it now down to economists, politicians and other
special interests to battle it out? |
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