Written by Gregor Smith.
The typically British institution of the pub has been going for hundreds of years, but even that will be visited by the developments of modern science with Lincoln’s very own Café Scientifique.
Set up by three university biomedical science students, the café aims to bring science out of the lab and into a relaxed, friendly debating environment, with contributions from all members of the local community.
Launching in The Shed on the University of Lincoln’s Brayford Campus, it will be held monthly, with the first meeting at 6.00pm on Monday, 11th November.
Sean Tomlinson, one of the Lincoln group’s founders, said:
“This is a great way for people from all backgrounds to share ideas with each other.”
Under the title ‘Unravelling the genome: the future of human health or a Pandora’s box?’, the first meeting will be led by Dr Rajiv Machado, from the University of Lincoln’s School of Life Sciences.
He said:
“We have seen a revolution in our ability to rapidly analyse and study the human genome, yet accessing the complete genetic blueprint of populations comes with inherent risk that, if not ethically managed, may lead to disastrous consequences. I’ll be throwing this topic open for discussion.”
Many of the Cafés are already running throughout the country after the first gatherings were held in Leeds in 1998, and have debated topics including evolution, climate change, biodiversity, and epidemics.
If you want to find out more you can visit their website at cafescilincoln.co.uk.