Events

Mark Lynas is the author of several books on the environment, including High Tide, Six Degrees, and The God Species. His most recent publication, in July 2013, was the Kindle Single ebook Nuclear 2.0: Why a green future needs nuclear power. He is a frequent speaker around the world on climate change, biotechnology and nuclear … Continue reading "Moving From Ideology to Evidence- Science Denial on GM Food, Nuclear Power and Climate Change"

For years, journalist Will Storr has been writing about people with strange beliefs: demon hunters, UFO spotters, homeopaths and a couple who swore they've met the Yeti in some woods outside Ipswich. One afternoon, he was sitting at a Creationist lecture in the far north of Australia when he asked himself a question that he … Continue reading "The Hero Maker"

Artificial Intelligence has been a staple of popular culture for generations from promises of a Leisure Age when robots would do all of our work while we lived in luxury to scare stories where robots turn against their masters. Dr Tucker looks at some of the key figures in AI in the last century through … Continue reading "Artificial Intellegence"

Alex Bellos will talk about his book Alex Through the Looking Glass: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life, his follow-up to the bestselling Alex's Adventures in Numberland. In the course of the talk he will discuss his survey to discover the world's favourite number, psychological responses to mathematics and how very simple rules … Continue reading "How Life Reflects Numbers And Numbers Reflect Life"

Across the world, 30 billion barrels of crude oil are produced each year, not only for fuel but to make products ranging from plastics to pharmaceuticals. Nearly all our food also depends on oil. However, world oil production is set to decline within 5 years. If we continue as we are, Western civilisation will collapse. … Continue reading "What Happens When The Oil Runs Out"

Professor David Nutt came under the media spotlight when during his chairmanship of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) he refused to fudge the issue of perceived drug harm. He broadcasts widely both on radio and television including BBC science and public affairs programmes on therapeutic as well as illicit drugs, their … Continue reading "The Struggle For Evidence Based Policy"

Scientology is a new religion, founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Its teachings are based on Hubbard's writings, and the church claims to have millions of followers worldwide. Notable followers include Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Scientology has gained recognition as a legitimate religion in many countries, and yet many … Continue reading "Brain Washing is Wrong- Scientology and North Korea"

He's jailed for 10 years now but how did a British conman sell bogus bomb detectors to Iraq for $85 million? A lack of scepticism cost the lives of an estimated 2,000 people in Baghdad. Meirion Jones tells, with the help of video clips and secret recordings, how Jim McCormick and his chums worked the … Continue reading "How to Make $100 Million Using a Fake Bomb Detector"

With ever more ambitious telescopes and probes giving us pictures of far-off comets, planets and even other galaxies, it is easy to think that the mysteries of our Universe are solved. But look closer and we find that those galaxies are spinning much faster than they should be and our brightest stars are flying away … Continue reading "The Unseen Universe"

Science and medicine have transformed our lives immeasurably, and never in history have they been more central to our lives and well-being. Yet despite this, there is often a glaring disconnect between the findings of actual science and media reporting of such topics, and consequently there is often a needless chasm between public perception and … Continue reading "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics"