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Public Lecture - Stem Cells & Parkinson's Disease

27/4/2015

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The upcoming lecture in our joint series with Edinburgh University Science Magazine (EUSci) will be given by Dr Tilo Kunath on Parkinson's disease and stem cells on 4th May 2015 at 7:30pm.

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Synopsis:

What is so special about stem cells? Why is there so much hype about them? Dr Tilo Kunath from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine will address these questions and separate fact from fiction. He will describe the different kinds of stem cells he uses in his lab, human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, and explore why there has been controversy around using stem cells for research and as a treatment. Tilo will use Parkinson’s disease as a concrete example of where stem cells have a significant chance of providing novel treatments for this condition.

Note our change of venue in the Old College, South Bridge. To get to the lecture theatre, go up the slope into Old College, when reach grass turn right (north) and you are facing the entrance.

Tickets are free but advance booking is requested so we can plan for numbers. Book your place here.
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Lecture 30th March - How Plants Use Biological Clocks to Welcome Spring and Avoid Economic Crisis

3/3/2015

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In the second in our series of joint lectures with the Edinburgh University Science Magazine (EUSci), Professor Andrew Millar will present a talk on how plants respond to springtime. What can we learn from plants about how to respond to our own environments?

Professor Millar is Chair of Systems Biology at Edinburgh University, and is also the associate director of SynthSys, a research centre for synthetic biology. He was previously involved in the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA), in GARNet, the UK's Arabidopsis research network, and was founding Director of SynthSys' predecessor, the Centre for Systems Biology at Edinburgh (CSBE).

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Talk abstract follows:


"Professor Andrew Millar’s research group uses mathematical models to study complex processes within cells, particularly the biological clock. The clock synchronises many biological processes with day and night, from the cell division cycle to the sleep-wake cycle. Plants use the clock to predict the duration of darkness, avoiding nightly starvation, and also to measure the lengthening days in spring, allowing seasonal flowering. The robustness of this biological system contrasts with the fragility of the financial system. The major cause of that economic fragility is surprisingly simple, yet shockingly unfamiliar."


Tickets are FREE but advance booking is requested so we can plan for numbers. Book your place here.
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February Lecture - Engineering Clean Fossil Fuels (and a new venue)

20/1/2015

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We're back with our public lecture series for 2015, and we've teamed up with Edinburgh University Science Magazine (EUSci) to deliver this series of talks. This means we have a change of venue from our old spot at the Quaker Meeting House (which we seemed to be outgrowing!) to a new venue at Appleton Tower on George Square. This newer, more comfortable venue will provide more seating and will mean we can continue to deliver engaging public talks while reaching a larger audience. As always, tickets will continue to be FREE, but we advise advance booking at Eventbrite.

Our first public lecture at these new digs will be with Dr. Stuart Gilfillan, Chancellor's Fellow researching Geochemistry at Edinburgh Uni. Dr. Gilfillan's talk is titled "Opportunities for Engineering Clean Fossil Fuels for a Decarbonised Future." The talk abstract follows below. We hope to see you there!



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In order to achieve a 50/50 chance of limiting global temperature rise to the UNFCCC policy goal of no more than 2°C, there is very strong evidence future emissions of carbon to the atmosphere cannot exceed 300 gigatonnes. Combustion of current identified and valued fossil fuel reserves would result in emission of approximately 1000 gigatones of carbon.

As fossil fuels will remain the dominant source of world energy for decades to come it is clear that unabated emissions from them is not congruent with meeting internationally agreed climate targets. However, not all hydrocarbons are equal in their carbon emissions, with natural gas combustion emitting around half the CO2per unit energy compared with coal.

Additionally, application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) offers the potential to massively reduce emissions from large point sources of CO2. The recent US boom in shale gas production has displaced coal usage leading to a reduction in emissions from point sources, and potentially an opportunity to legislate CO2emissions controls. How replicable is this in other regions? European governments are pulled between the attraction of a potential new domestic energy resource, and addressing public concerns that exploiting unconventional gas could cause unacceptable environmental, social and climate damage.

I will examine how engineering best practice and integration with CCS might allow the unconventional gas industry to achieve a 'social license to operate'. Can a 'golden age of gas' buy time to address the challenge of climate mitigation?
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December SciScreen: Dallas Buyers Club

27/11/2014

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This month's SciScreen is a special one. In honour of World AIDS Day, we are screening Dallas Buyers Club with an introduction and Q&A with Dr Ewen Stewart of NHS Lothian BBV (Blood-Borne Viruses). Come along this Monday, 1st December, 18:30, at Cineworld Edinburgh.

Abstract:
Dr Ewen Stewart, GP and NHS Lothian BBV lead, will give a short talk about HIV and how things have changed since early diagnosis. He will talk about people living with HIV in Scotland, the numbers within the population, those on treatment and the types of services we have. He will talk about the stigma that people with HIV continue to face and how we can help to raise awareness of HIV and reduce stigma for those living with it.

As always, you can find more details about SciScreen events here, and you can book your tickets straight from Cineworld. Make sure to get the student discount, even if you're not a student!



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November SciScreen: Another Earth

11/11/2014

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At this month's SciScreen, we will make you question the way you think about the universe itself with a screening of Another Earth and an introduction and Q&A by cosmologist Professor Andrew Liddle! Join us Monday, 17th November, 18:30, at Cineworld Edinburgh.

Abstract:
Professor Andrew Liddle of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh will introduce the idea of the 'multiverse' - the possibility that there is not just the one Universe we see around us but many. While this might help explain some of the observed properties of the Universe and is getting a lot of attention from astronomers, it has disturbing consequences, including the possibility that those other Universes might contain near, or even exact, copies of ourselves.

You can find more details about SciScreen events here, and you can book your tickets straight from Cineworld. Make sure to get the student discount, even if you're not a student!
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