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Tonight we bring you three talks for you to get your mouth around. Looking at subjects as varied as what we as a species used to put in our mouths, to what is currently residing in them, sandwiched between, the idea of 'can we bake ourselves a new organ'? With a bone exhibition and other tasty treats, it promises to be a night with bite! Want to shake-up your cocktail making skills while learning some science? Then join us at our Mixology Laboratory for some free cocktail samplers and to watch our Mixology Scientists demonstrate how to prepare some classic cocktails - all while learning about …
You are what you eat: identifying ancient cultures through archaeology
Veronica Aniceti
(PhD Student)
Animal bones and teeth, and food preferences of the past come together in this talk to provide a fascinating insight into aspects of the human-animal relationship throughout history. Specialising in the study of animal remains from archaeological sites as a zooarchaeologist, I will show how food has always been about more than just survival, and what it can teach us about the cultural roots to which people belong. Twinned with an exhibition of bones from tabooed animals with specific butchery marks, it promises to be more than your average diet talk.
The great tissue engineering bake off
Dr Sam Pashneh-Tala
(Materials Science and Engineering)
Hungry for a new heart or lung, maybe a kidney or two. Tissue engineering has the answer, offering replacement organs “baked” to order. But what is the recipe for growing body parts? Learn all about tissue engineering in this fascinating and tasty talk. Using edible examples, I will explain the processes tissue engineers use to take cells and grow them into functional tissues for use in medicine. I will also demonstrate a bioreactor (a machine used to grow tissues/organs in) used for making blood vessels. It promises to be deliciously informative.
Oral microorganisms: is your toothbrush providing you with more than just pearly whites?
Cher Farrugia
(PhD Student)
Brushing and flossing disrupt the growth of decay and gum disease, causing bacteria, and therefore promoting oral health. Research has found that these microorganisms can contribute to diseases beyond our mouths. During this talk I, a dentist by profession (but a not so scary one), will explain how oral microorganisms can contribute to not so pearly whites, wobbly teeth and heart disease, amongst other diseases. This talk will surely motivate you to start brushing away, as soon as you get home!
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