A list of all SciBar events in reverse chronological order

  • 9th January 2012 – Neuronal Analysis is just Modern Phrenology

    Is MRI brain scanning any more useful than phrenology was? We’ll have a quick look at both techniques and compare the data available from each. Professor Raymond Tallis of Manchester University will explain his view on Neuronal Analysis. Is it akin… continue reading

  • 5th December 2011 – Patterns and Randomness

    What is randomness? Where is it? How can we spot it and should we care? Human beings generally think they have an intuitive grasp of randomness – or at least what isn’t random. But what should random actually look like… continue reading

  • 7th November 2011 – Magnetic Pole Reversals

    When’s the next one?  Is it dangerous? How do I avoid ending up at the South Pole?  Is this the cause of mass extinctions?  Will I have to wear a sunhat all the time? All valid questions if the North… continue reading

  • 3rd October 2011 – Fukushima

    What happened? Could it happen here? What does it mean for nuclear power? The events at Fukushima in March 2011 didn’t just send a literal shockwave across Northern Japan, they sent a metaphorical shockwave around the global nuclear industry. Six… continue reading

  • 5th September 2011 – Personalised Medicine

    The impact of medicines is different on different patients or patient conditions. It is very important to get the right medicine to the patient to produce the best outcome. Some patients’ conditions may be more critical than others and may… continue reading

  • 4th July 2011 – Camouflage: How it Works and Why

    There has to be a signal, a receiver and, very importantly, a processor. This aspect will be explored using the story of the Peppered Moth. How did camouflage evolve and how do complicated patterns it sometimes needs get created? Professor… continue reading

  • 6th June 2011 – The Structure of the Vacuum

    Professor Simone Marzani of Manchester University will lead our discussion of the vacuum structure. Is it really “nothing at all” or is it stuffed with interesting things designed to appear to be nothing – mostly? This session originated from our… continue reading

  • 9th May 2011 – Computers and the Brain

    How is it that we find some things very difficult which computers find ever so easy AND VERY MUCH VICE VERSA? How can we improve our computers and our knowledge of how our brain functions? Professor Steve Furber will lead… continue reading

  • 4th April 2011 – Einstein’s Last Legacy: Detecting Wrinkles in Space-Time

    Associate Professor Andrea Lommen of Franklin & Marshall College and Dr Ben Stappers of Jodrell Bank study millisecond pulsars. These are dead stars with about the mass of our sun, collapsed down to about the size of Knutsford (10km across),… continue reading

  • 7th March 2011- Neutrinos

    Dr Marieke Navin, from MOSI Manchester, recently participated in the refurbishment of a huge neutrino detector called Super Kamiokande beneath the Japanese Alps. She says “The detector is a cylinder 40m diameter and 40m tall holding 40,000 tonnes of ultra-pure… continue reading

  • 7th February 2011 – Cosmic Rays

    Professor Tony Bell from Oxford University led our discussion on cosmic rays. These are the highest energy particles in the universe. Their energies reach about ten million times that of particles accelerated at CERN. Mainly protons, one single particle can… continue reading

  • 10th January 2011 – Bees: Clever Little Things and WE Need Them

    Professor Ian Munro from Daresbury will lead a discussion on Bees and how the number of hives is reducing due to a mysterious disease. Bees are very smart; being able to calculate the distance between various food sources so as… continue reading