Name: Body, Mind, and Environment: Exploring the Science of Everyday Experiences
Start: 2026-05-20T19:00:00
End: 2026-05-20T21:30:00
Location: The Lescar

Explore the fascinating science behind how our bodies interact with the world around us. Discover how the gut develops its own complex nervous system, often called the “second brain”, through research combining biology, maths, and computing. Learn why foods feel creamy, rough, or smooth in the mouth through the science of tribology and the friction between food and the tongue. Finally, why spending time in nature benefits our health, including new ideas about grounding and how contact with the Earth may influence wellbeing.

Programmed and produced by Madhumitha Rajendran and Chloe Harris

Where do the benefits of spending time in nature really come from?

Daniel Zuchowski (Researcher, English Language)

Time in nature reduces stress and boosts mood, but how? Beyond sensory experiences like birdsong or greenery, Daniel proposes grounding (i.e. direct skin contact with the Earth’s surface) as a key factor. Historically universal but diminished by modern urban life and rubber-soled shoes, grounding stabilises the body’s electrical charge, supplying electrons that reduce inflammation, improve sleep, ease pain, and enhance overall well-being.

Slip of the Tongue: The Friction of Eating Food

Dr. Sam Davison (Researcher, Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering)

Prof. Matt Carre (Researcher, Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering)

Ever wonder why chocolate feels luxurious in the mouth or why some foods are "astringent", causing a rough sensation? A big factor is "tribology"—the science of how surfaces like your tongue and food interact. In this talk you will learn how your tongue senses tiny textures and tribological interactions and why attributes such as "creaminess" are linked to friction and lubrication in the mouth. You may even get to test some treats and take part in research yourself!

How to build the second brain

Nikolas Stefanidis (Postgraduate Researcher, Mathematical & Physical Sciences)

Ever wondered what your gut thinks? Let's discover how the gut builds its own brain, and how biology, maths and computers have joined forces to shed light into the development of the gut’s nervous system.

[{"lat":53.3675702,"lon":-1.4982462,"title":"The Lescar","html":"<div class=\"location-tooltip\">\n    <h6>Events at The Lescar<\/h6>\n\n    <address class=\"mb-1\">303 Sharrow Vale Rd, Sheffield, S11 8ZF<\/address>\n\n    <div class=\"mb-3\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps?daddr=303+Sharrow+Vale+Rd%2C+Sheffield%2C+S11+8ZF\" target=\"_blank\">\n            Get directions <i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <ul class=\"lt-events\">\n        \n        <li>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/pintofscience.co.uk\/event\/seeing-the-unseen-new-technologies-transforming-health-and-medicine\">\n                <span class=\"lt-event-name\">Seeing the Unseen: New Technologies Transforming Health and Medicine<\/span>\n                <span class=\"lt-event-date\">(18 May 2026)<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n        \n        <li>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/pintofscience.co.uk\/event\/cancer-research-new-approaches-to-diagnosis-treatment-and-care\">\n                <span class=\"lt-event-name\">Cancer Research: New Approaches to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care<\/span>\n                <span class=\"lt-event-date\">(19 May 2026)<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n        \n        <li>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/pintofscience.co.uk\/event\/body-mind-and-environment-exploring-the-science-of-everyday-experiences\">\n                <span class=\"lt-event-name\">Body, Mind, and Environment: Exploring the Science of Everyday Experiences<\/span>\n                <span class=\"lt-event-date\">(20 May 2026)<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n        \n    <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","zoom":15,"icon":"https:\/\/pintofscience.co.uk\/assets\/Topics\/body-map__ScaleWidthWzMwXQ.png"}]

Other Sheffield events

Other The Lescar events

19 May

Sheffield

Sold Out!

Cancer Research: New Approaches to Diagnosis, Trea…

18 May

Sheffield

Sold Out!

Seeing the Unseen: New Technologies Transforming H…