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NEW - download a write-up of previous events:
Date:
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Monday 13th
September |
| Title: |
'Fusion power: safe, clean and limitless energy for future
generations?'
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Speaker:
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Michael Loughlin |
| Description: |
Nuclear fusion has great potential as a, non-polluting
and safe energy source. There are, however, huge technical challenges
which must be met before we can harness this potential. Nuclear
physicist Michael Loughlin, who has worked for more than two decades in
fusion research, will explain what nuclear fusion is and how it will be
used to generate electricity.
Come along and see whether fusion really does promise to
solve our problems of energy supply and environmental impact.
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Date:
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Monday 11th
October |
| Title: |
'The
Big Bang: what is it and do we believe it?'
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Speaker:
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Simon Singh |
| Description: |
What is the Big Bang, who came up with the idea and why do we believe in
it? Simon Singh tells the story of the Big Bang theory, from its birth
in the 1920s to the observational evidence that backed it and then
clinched it. As well as discussing the development of the Big Bang
theory, Simon will also discuss more generally how new scientific ideas
are invented, developed and adopted, which will include the partnership
between theory and experiment and the role of personalities and
politics.
Simon Singh received his PhD in physics from the University of
Cambridge. He is the author of Fermat's Last Theorem and The Code Book,
and is just about to publish "Big Bang", the story behind one of the
most important theories in the history of science. His website is at
www.simonsingh.net
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Date:
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Monday 8th
November |
| Title: |
'Nanotechnology:
what is it and why should I care?'
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Speaker:
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Anthony Walton |
| Description: |
Nanotechnology, which is simply the exploitation of extremely small (sub
100nm) structures, has been in use for over a hundred years. The technology
is now commonplace in diverse products from cosmetics to computers.
Recently, as governments and companies have been investing billions in
nanotechnology, there has been a corresponding bloom of media scare stories
which have seriously threatened public confidence in this growing industry.
Professor Anthony Walton will explain what nanotechnology actually is, why
things so small are so useful and why most of the media scares are
unjustified.
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Date:
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Monday 13th
December |
| Title: |
'Obesity:
fat chance of progress?'
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Speaker:
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Jonathon Seckl |
| Description: |
Obesity is described as an
epidemic in our society. Well technically perhaps not, but there is a lot of
fat about these days. Some question whether we should treat people for the
outcome of their (mal)adaptive eating behaviour? In this session, Prof
Jonathan Seckl will discuss obesity, its nature, causes and consequences and
how medical scientists are beginning to come up with a better understanding
of what we might do to remedy this big issue.
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Date:
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Monday 10th
January 2005 |
| Title: |
'MMR:
Science and Fiction'
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Speaker:
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Richard Horton |
| Description: |
The
controversy surrounding the MMR vaccine has inflicted deep wounds in our
public life. Scientists and doctors have pitted themselves one against
another. Parental distrust in medicine has become acute. Families have been
divided. This rancour has propelled MMR out of science and into politics.
But there has been a collective failure to conduct a reasoned debate about
an issue of vital public interest. This failure is now being repeated not
only for new vaccines (such as the 5-in-1 jab) but also for almost all new
scientific issues that bear directly on public health (eg, nanotechnology).
What has gone wrong? How can we construct a culture that tolerates, even
welcomes, dissent but values rational discussion? What are the implications
of the MMR affair for the health of our children - and for children
suffering the threat of infectious diseases in some of the poorest parts of
the world today? In short, what can we reclaim from the ashes of this
tragic breakdown in trust? The answers to these questions require nothing
less than a complete re-evaluation of science in modern society.
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Date:
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February 10th
Valentine' specials |
| Venue: |
The Oxygen
Bar, 3 Infirmary St, Edinburgh
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| Title: |
'The Science of Love'
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Speaker:
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Gareth Leng
and Dr Craig Roberts
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| Description: |
What is love?
What can scientists tell us about it? Come and spend an evening discussing
this most enigmatic of human behaviours. Who knows, you might even pick up
some tips for a successful Valentine's Day!
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Date:
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March 14th |
| Venue: |
The Oxygen
Bar, 3 Infirmary St, Edinburgh
|
| Title: |
'Can we really control the
climate and do we want to'
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Speaker:
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Prof Stephen Salter
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| Description: |
Professor
Stephen Salter will talk about an exciting new approach to tackle the
problem of climate change. By changing the properties of clouds, he thinks
we can reflect more sunlight and limit global warming. Furthermore, this
could be achieved even without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Come
along and ponder this potential solution to this massive issue.
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Date:
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April 11th |
| Venue: |
Filmhouse
Cinema Bar, Lothian Road,
|
| Title: |
'Is
the first 1000-year-old already in middle age?'
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Speaker:
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Dr Aubrey de Grey |
Description:
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Aubrey de
Grey wants to develop a cure for human aging. He believes the fundamental
knowledge necessary to develop truly effective anti-aging medicine mostly
exists, but the impetus is not there in the scientific community and society
at large to make it happen. He will discuss the current and foreseeable
biology of mammalian (and specifically human) life extension and the
sociological, ethical and political ramifications of success in seriously
postponing aging and age-related disease.
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Date:
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May 9th 830pm |
| Venue: |
Filmhouse
Cinema Bar, Lothian Road
|
| Title: |
'Relativity
and the Specialness of Now'
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Speaker:
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Dr John Kennedy |
| Description: |
One of
the first consequences of Einstein's ruminations on time and relativity is
that the concept of now has no singular meaning. The relativity of
simultaneity, absent in Newton's theory, means that what events count as
simultaneous with any given event happening here right now -- now, as I snap
my fingers - becomes an observer dependent notion. But surely this is in
conflict with many of our intuitions about reality. Is it not that events,
objects, and persons which exist now are special, in that they have a
privileged ontological status over the things which existed in the past?
But how can that be, if what is now for us is the past for someone else?
Isn't reality the same for all of us? And where does it leave determinism?
Albert Einstein thought that the theory of relativity meant that the past,
present and future were all on a par with respect to reality. Dr John
Kennedy, of University of Manchester and author of 'Space, Time and
Einstein' begs to differ. Walking us through the Minkowski four-space that
is the arena for events in relativity, and discussing what we might mean by
'reality' in physics and in life, Dr. Kennedy will argue that in fact the
present can be said to sustain its privilage over the past and its
ontological specialness, while staying faithful to the formal consequences
of Einstein's theory.
This is
the first of three Albert Einstein-themed Café Scientifique meetings of the
year, to coincide with the Institute of Physics' 'Einstein Year' and the
International Year of Physics.
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Date:
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June 13th 830pm |
| Venue: |
Filmhouse
Cinema Bar, Lothian Road
|
| Title: |
'The
New Renaissance in Mathematical Science'
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Speaker:
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Dr
Andrew Green |
| Description: |
The
renaissance was a special time in the history of intellectual thought; a
time when individuals could expect to understand the full range of current
ideas from art to science and from engineering to philosophy. The story of
science since this time has been one of ever increasing specialization.
This is
an exciting time for mathematical scientists. A new subtlety in the way in
which mathematics is applied to the world has emerged, which has opened up
new disciplines to mathematical analysis. Once again, it is possible for
mathematical scientists to be renaissance men and women with careers
spanning areas as diverse as cellular biology, information theory, finance
and economics, theoretical physics, and ecology.
Andrew
Green will discuss these ideas from the perspective of a theoretical
physicist, using examples from a range of disciplines to illustrate the
nature of this new connectivity in science.
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Date:
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July 6th 730pm |
| Venue: |
Filmhouse
Cinema Bar, Lothian Road
|
| Title: |
'Tissue
engineering and biomaterials: making the bionic man'
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Speaker:
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Professor Steve Howdle, University of
Nottingham and Professor Paul O’Brien, University of Manchester
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| Description: |
Imagine implanting biodegradable polymers to
generate or repair human organs; using flexible plastic electronic
newspapers every morning to download the daily news; and living and working
in smart buildings with nano-coatings that are able to regulate temperature
and lighting automatically.
How will advances in materials change the
way we live over the next century? Scientists are developing smarter
materials that can respond to their environments and new electronic
materials are set to change the size and type of electronic products we use.
Advances are coming out of the exciting field of nanotechnology but are also
being inspired by replicating how biological materials are formed. More
importantly new materials will improve energy efficiency and greener methods
will make processing and synthesis cleaner and greener.
Come and find out more about the materials
of the future and discuss the shape of things to come…
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Date:
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Monday 12th December |
| Title: |
'Avian Flu: how worried should we be?'
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Speaker:
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Bob Dalziel and Sheila Burns |
| Description: |
Bob Dalziel, a
research virologist, will provide an introduction to what flu viruses are
and how they affect us. Sheila Burns, a consultant virologist for the NHS,
will deal with the more clinical and public health aspects of bird flu. We
hope to have brief talks followed by both speakers taking questions.
Chaired by Philipp
Wesche.
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Date:
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Monday
16th January 2006 |
| Title: |
A cold winter: climate change in the UK
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Speaker:
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TBC |
| Description: |
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Date:
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Monday 13th March |
| Title: |
Genes, patents and the law |
Speaker:
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Paul Chapman
and Gerard Porter |
| Description: |
The
patenting of genes is controversial. Gene patents are needed to protect
investment in research - but should genes remain unpatentable products of
nature? Do patents on DNA make the human body a commodity? Rapid advances in
genetics pose difficult ethical questions, and patent law seems to struggle
to keep up with the pace of change.
In this
Cafe Scientifique, patent attorney Paul Chapman will describe current patent
law practice and explain why and how genes are 'patentable'. Gerard Porter,
research associate at the University of Nottingham, will outline the history
of patent law in relation to biology and kick-start a discussion on the
consequences of gene patents for industry, health care services and the
freedom of academic research. Come and join in with the discussion.
Chaired
by Dr Jenny Bangham. |
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Date:
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SUNDAY 18th
JUNE, 6 - 9pm
Venue:
Ocean Bar & Grill – First Floor, Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive, Leith,
Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ |
| Title: |
Ships of the Ice |
Speakers:
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Geoff Swinney
ARSGS, Royal Museum Edinburgh
Captain Nick
Lambert, CO, HMS Endurance
Brian Kelly,
RRS Discovery Dundee
|
|
Description: |
How do
modern ships of the ice compare to those of the earlier explorers? What
were, and are, the challenges of moving around Antarctica?
|
|
Date: |
Monday 18th
September |
|
Title: |
HIV: still a fatal infection |
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Speaker: |
Gordon Scott |
|
Description: |
With current
drug/treatment regimes in the western world becoming increasingly effective
at 'controlling' HIV infection in sufferers, should it still be regarded
with fear and trepidation? Conversely, how and why was this 'controllable'
disease able to kill 2.8 million people last year? |
|
Date: |
Monday 16th
October |
|
Title: |
Sleep - do we need it? |
|
Speaker: |
Chris
Idzikowski |
|
Date: |
Monday 13th
November |
|
Title: |
Killer viruses - threats & risks
Download a
poster for this cafe (jpg) |
|
Speaker: |
John
Fazakerly |
|
Date: |
Monday 11th
December |
|
Title: |
Childhood IQ and its impact on adult life
Download a
poster for this cafe (jpg) |
|
Speaker: |
Ian Deary |
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Date: |
Monday 29th January |
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Title: |
Shedding light on dark matter |
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Speaker: |
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Date: |
Monday 12th March |
|
Title: |
Living in a time of plague
- the emergence of infectious diseases and its relation to how we interact
with our environment |
|
Speaker: |
Mark Woolhouse |
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Date: |
Monday 26th March |
|
Title: |
Communicating natural disasters with
scientific content |
|
Speaker: |
This event, co-organised with the BA, will focus on how
information about natural disasters with a scientific content is
communicated to the public. The speakers will look
at examples such as
bird flu and tsunamis/earthquakes. However as with every Cafe Scientifique,
the subsequent discussion session is likely to cover numerous different
examples, dictated by the audience!
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|
Date: |
Monday 10th September |
|
Title: |
Barcoding Life |
|
Speaker: |
Peter
Hollingsworth (RBGE)
Taxonomy - the
science of naming and classifying life - has been based on physical form, or
how things look. Three hundred years after the birth of Linnaeus we are now
bringing DNA technologies to the taxonomist's toolkit.
Is this a threat or an opportunity for Linnaean taxonomy, and how should the
science of taxonomy evolve? |
|
Date: |
Monday 12th November |
|
Title: |
Climate Change
Download a poster for this cafe
here
(jpg) |
|
Speaker: |
Simon Tett,
Gabi Hegerl & Mary Elliot (School of Geosciences, Edinburgh University)
The recent Intergovermental
panel on climate change (IPCC) recently concluded that:
• Warming of the
climate system is unequivocal…
• … that the
warmth of the last half century is unusual in at least the previous
1,300 years.
• Most of the
observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th
century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic
greenhouse gas concentrations.
• Continued
greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further
warming and induce many changes in the global climate system during the
21st century that would very likely be larger than those observed during
the twentieth century.
To assess how abnormal is
this modern ‘human induced’ change in our climate system, we compare
recent climatic trends with geological evidence for past climate change.
This evidence shows that the Earth’s climate has always changed due both
to external drivers, such as changes in the energy from the sun, the
orbit of the Earth and to internal drivers, such as instabilities of
large continental ice sheets. We will discuss climatic variations on
geologic timescale and over the last few centuries and explain the
unusual changes in the recent climate and how future climates might
change. We will demonstrate why we think human activities have changed
the climate and how the Earth’s climate might change in response to
anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases.
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Date: |
Monday 17th December
|
|
Title: |
Holes,
Hefalumps and Pooh: why we need good forensic science |
|
Speaker: |
Allan Jamieson, Director of the Edinburgh Forensic Institute
'The difficulty is to detach the
framework of fact - of absolute, undeniable fact - from the
embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established
ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferences
may be drawn, and which are the special points upon which the whole
mystery turns.' Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of Silver Blaze: The
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The forensic scientific expert
carries a heavy responsibility to interpret physical evidence for the
jury. Without unnecessarily compromising the accuracy of what is
reported the expert must provide helpful impartial explanations. It is
imperative that, as with the chain of evidential custody, there is a
clear continuity from scientific theories and facts to the
interpretation of evidence and the explanation of this interpretation to
the jury.
This presentation will explore how
the scientist can minimise the risk of serious errors and the
consequences for the profession, the system and the accused.
|
|
Date: |
Monday 14th January
|
|
Title: |
No job for a
gentleman? |
|
Speaker: |
Felicity Henderson,
Historian for the Royal Society
The Royal Society has shaped the course of Science and framed our
view of Scientists. The myth of its foundation in 1660 is of a club
for noble gentlemen, driven by amateur curiosity about the natural
world. This is exemplified by Robert Boyle- son of the Earl of Cork
- who epitomised the wealthy, disinterested, unworldly
experimentalist. For some, this contrasts with the present, where
such amateur passions have been sullied by worldly and commercial
concerns.
The records of the Royal Society present a different picture. The
early Society was closely involved with mercantile affairs,
particularly the East India Company and the Royal African Company
and some of the most active fellows were merchants and tradesmen.
Fellows were keen to develop money-making schemes including
marketing local mineral waters, patenting improvements to coaches
and growing new crops, such as potatoes.
The notion of the scientist changed rapidly. By the 1700s,
scientists were ridiculed for investigating fleas and worms or
weighing air – scientific investigations were seen as worthless and
beneath the dignity of gentlemen. One of the few Fellows to be a
paid scientist was Robert Hooke and some have argued that he was
looked down upon by more gentlemanly Fellows.
What lessons can be drawn from this founding period of the Royal
Society? What is the purpose of Science and how should it be funded?
What is the difference between amateur and professional scientists?
Felicity will use a range of examples from the historic records to
highlight these and other questions.
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|
Date: |
Monday 18th February |
|
Title: |
Why robots
will never rule the world
Download a write-up of this event (pdf)
here |
|
Speaker: |
Chris Malcolm,
School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
It is
sometimes suggested that there is a dangerous possibility that computers
or robots or some unholy combination thereof might become so much
cleverer than us that they would take over the world, by force if
necessary. Moore's Law, by which computers become twice as powerful
every 18 months or so, is often cited in support of this.
I will
explain what more is required than computer power, plus the brake on
Moore's First Law which is provided by his little known Second Law, plus
the important differences between biological and machine evolution which
have given us such a large and decisive advantage over our creations.
|
|
Date: |
Monday 10th March |
|
Title: |
Braneland: a
romance of many dimensions |
|
Speaker: |
Hannu Rajaniemi,
ThinkTank Mathematics
A
recent ambitious attempt to formulate a Theory of Everything -
string theory - suggests that some of Edwin Abbot's ideas may have
been remarkably prescient. Tiny higher dimensions could be lurking
in the world of high-energy particle physics. Or perhaps we are not
that different from Mr Square: some physicists suggest that we are
stuck on a Flatland-like slice - a brane - inside a much larger and
stranger Universe...
I
will discuss the emerging understanding of the relationship between
physics and higher-dimensional geometry and give some pointers on
living in Braneland.
|
|
Date: |
Monday 14th April |
|
Title: |
The great game
- looking for extra-terrestrial intelligence |
|
Speaker: |
Alan Penny,
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews
Forty-seven years of searching for radio emissions from advanced
civilisations has found nothing.
The
searches are getting much more powerful and it seems more and more
likely that there are other Earths like our own but the Fermi
Paradox and the Anthropic Principle may point to us being alone. We
still have no way of telling if our searching has any realistic
chance of success.
Should
the search be called off, or should it be intensified? Alan Penny
will argue that conditions are now right for Britain to join in.
Dr Alan
Penny is an Honorary Reader in the School of Physics and Astronomy
at St Andrews, where he teaches a graduate course on The science of
SETI in the SUPA (Scottish Universities Physics Alliance) graduate
school. He spent two years at the SETI Institute in California,
working as a Principal Investigator on a planet-hunting programme.
Alan is currently contributing to efforts to get Britain involved in
SETI.
|
|
Date: |
Thursday 8th May
2008, 7.00pm
Venue: Edinburgh
Camera Obscura, Castlehill, The Royal Mile
Please note
change of date and time for this special event |
|
Title: |
Moving Objects With Light |
|
Speaker: |
Will Hossack,
School of Physics, University of Edinburgh
SPECIAL EVENT: Edinburgh Café Sci at the Camera Obscura
As this first Edinburgh Café Scientifique special event we will be holding
an evening at the Camera Obscura. This is a brilliant opportunity to get
free entry into the Camera Obscura, hear a great talk on the power of
lasers, and enjoy a drink and hopefully some nice Edinburgh weather on the
roof terrace!
Lasers have been in common scientific and technological use for almost 50
years but still remain the source of surprising physical phenomena. We
find that if a laser beam is very tightly focused, it has the fascinating
ability to trap objects at its focus. If we then move the beam we can
manipulate objects entirely by light. This phenomenon is relatively easily
demonstrable with modest lasers and optical systems and can be used to trap
small objects, including biological cells, under a conventional high
resolution microscope allowing a new range of analyses to be undertaken. |
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