Cafe Science Revisited – Monday 4th November 2013, 6pm

What links the decline in bee numbers and pesticides? How is lab based research helping us understand colorectal cancer? These are two questions we hope to answer as we welcome back Dr Chris Connolly and Prof Inke Nathke (both University of Dundee) to discover how their research has moved forward since their last Café Science talks, over five years ago.

Impact of Pesticides on Honeybees and Bumblebees with Dr Chris Connolly

Bees play a major role in our food production and in the maintenance of our native ecosystem. However, our continued need for intensified agriculture is leading to habitat loss and the use of pesticides. One group of pesticides have been temporarily banned due to their potential to damage bee colonies, the neonicotinoids.

Chris will discuss the impact of these pesticides on the brains of honeybees and bumblebees. Are they safe?

From Molecules to Tumours – Colon Cancer from a Biologist’s’ perspective with Prof Inke Nathke

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in the developed world.  In the UK someone dies from this disease approximately every 30 minutes.

Inke’s research aims to understand the changes that accompany the beginning and the progression of this disease.  Five years ago she began using specialised microscopes to measure how tissue in the intestine is normally organised. She hoped to identify changes in the shape and form of intestine tissue that proceed and lead to cancer.  Her studies revealed that before it becomes recognisably cancerous intestine tissue becomes much more varied in its organisation.

This demonstrates that even before cancer is established there are measurable changes. In this talk Inke will explore a better understanding of the disease, and how this could improve detection and treatment methods.

Join us at the award winning Chambers Coffee House and Restaurant, 34 South Tay Street, Dundee on Monday 4th November 2013 at 6pm.

This is a FREE event and EVERYONE IS WELCOME. There is no need to book in advance but arrive early to avoid disappointment.