Launched March 2005

LAUNCH EVENT!!!!
 

Date:	16th March 2005
Title:	'When does fringe science become pseudoscience?'
Speaker:
Description:	This inaugural first monthly meeting of a St. Andrews branch of Cafe Scientifique during National Science Week will be a discussion about the limits of conventional science, fringe science and pseudo-science. Topics up for consideration include, UFOs, ghosts, cold fusion and to coincide with the "Science and Sea Monsters" event the following Saturday in the Physics department of the university, cryptozoology. All are welcome.

 

Date:	20th April
Title:	'The Evolution of Language'
Speaker:	Dr Tecumseh Fitch: School of Psychology University of St Andrews
Description:	This meeting will discuss the evolution of language from a biological perspective. Topics up for discussion will include the similarities and differences between animal communication systems and human language, along with the cognitive and neural bases for the capacity for language in humans, and their genetic determinants.

 

Date:	3rd May
Title:	'Why creationism and evolutionism are both faith positions'
Speaker:	Dr David Rosevear, Creation Science Movement
Description:

Date:	Wednesday 8th March, 7pm
Title:	Where is the mystery in quantum mechanics?
Speaker:
Description:	The discovery of quantum mechanics has had profound implications for our understanding of the nature of existence. Every theoretical prediction of quantum mechanics has been borne out by experiment. Nevertheless, physicists still disagree about what quantum mechanics actually "means". In this Café, three theoretical physicists will discuss their opinions of the mysteries and challenges of quantum mechanics.

Date:	Wednesday 15th March, 7pm
Title:	The genetics of red hair
Speaker:
Description:	Have you ever wondered why some people have "red", "ginger" or "strawberry blond" hair? How does this happen and who do you inherit your hair colour from? Come and discuss these questions over a coffee in very informal surroundings.

Date:	Wednesday 25th October
Title:	A new renaissance in mathematical science?
Speaker:	Andrew Green, University of St Andrews
Description:	The Renaissance was a singular time in the history of thought, when individuals could appreciate and contribute ideas across the whole range of human knowledge. Following pioneers such as D'Arcy Thomas, von Neumann and May, a revolution has been building in Mathematical Science. Mathematics is now indeed the language of Nature. It may be used to describe problems from theoretical physics to ecology- from cellular biology to sociology. Mathematical scientists can once again be Renaissance men and women, contributing across swathes of knowledge. We will discuss the nature of this revolution, whether it is real or illusory, and its implications for how we separate scientific disciplines.

Date:	Wednesday 8th November
Title:	Merits of long-term biological data gathering
Speaker:	Erik Rexstad, CREEM, University of St Andrews
Description:	Why does it take so long to answer simple ecological questions? Recently, a list was published of 100 questions of high policy relevance in the UK. We will take a glance at that list and discuss why many of those questions will require many years (if not many decades) to address adequately. This will be juxtaposed with the desire for rapid publication of results in science, and crisis-driven need for immediate answers on the part of decision-makers.

Date:	Wednesday 15th November
Title:	An Inconvenient Truth
Speaker:
Description:	A trip to the New Picture House cinema to see the film, followed by a discussion led by a sceptical speaker.

Date:	Wednesday 6th December
Title:	Fuel Cells
Speaker:	John Irvine, University of St Andrews
Description:

Date:	Wednesday 13th December
Title:	New surveillance techniques, their science and ethical implications
Speaker:	Graham Smith, University of St Andrews
Description: