Event categories: Science Lecture

Scientists and politicians, why are they incompatible?

Speaker: Professor Herbert Huppert FRS, Institute of Theoretical Geophysics, Cambridge Synopsis: Politicians very rarely know or understand much science, even though they have frequently to consider and make important scientific decisions, often rather rapidly. Scientists are generally not in a hurry to make a decision and if further data or ideas change their conclusions, they […]

New views of our universe with the James Webb Space Telescope

Speaker: Dr Robin Catchpole, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Synopsis: After an introduction to the telescope; where it is, how it got there and how it works, we will see how, close to home, the telescope is finding evidence for possible life on planets around nearby stars and far away, what it tells us about the first […]

Pattern formation: the secret of (multicellular) life and the key to understanding development of the brain

Speaker: Professor Jack Price, Emeritus Professor of Developmental Neurobiology, Institute for Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. Synopsis: How the ability to form patterns has driven evolution and development. How patterning is the key to understanding the complexity of the brain.      

How do flowers produce petals that attract pollinators?

Speaker: Professor Beverley Glover, Director of Cambridge University Botanic Gardens. Synopsis: Petals act as long-range advertisements that attract pollinators to flowers. We will discuss some of the clever tricks that enable them to stand out to the insect eye.