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Tonight we will hear from 3 brilliant scientists about the exciting research they carry out in their laboratories. Dr Di Bernardi Luft will try to answer the million dollar question "What does it take to be creative?", while Dr Lione will talk about novel psychoactive substances and the lack of perception of the potential health risks associated with their use. But not all drugs are harmful, take aspirin for example! Dr Crescente will tell us about a novel role for aspirin in preventing heart diseases. Come join us! There will also be Pint of Science T-shirts to be won! Please note that food w…
Banning novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is not enough
Dr Lisa Lione
(Senior Lecturer in Neuropharmacology)
Drug laws coupled with the internet has fuelled the recent global demand for legal novel psychoactive substance (NPS) alternatives. This talk will discuss the public awareness, motivations, preferences and health perceptions of NPS before and since the UK Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. Drug laws will only help reduce demand and, ultimately, harm if everyone is educated on the risks of using NPS.
How aspirin protects us from heart problems: what an animal model can teach us
Dr Marilena Crescente
(Postdoctoral Researcher)
This talk will explain the role of platelets, small cell fragments circulating in the blood, in the formation of blood clots that lead to heart diseases such as myocardial infarction or atherosclerosis. I’ll explain how aspirin blocks platelet function and, ultimately, prevents heart problems.Finally, I'll describe my research on developing a genetically modified mouse that recapitulates the effect of aspirin in humans!
How the brain overrides the obvious to be creative
Dr Caroline Di Bernardi Luft
(Lecturer in Psychology)
Learning is powerful; it enables us to solve a variety of problems by applying previously successful strategies. This makes us fast and efficient. However, many problems we face could be solved in a more creative way, which is not always evident. How can you recognise that your learned strategy is not the best? How can you override or inhibit the obvious learned solutions? What does it take to be creative?
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