The Life Science (LS) Series offers events that showcase advances in biology. Topics include how organisms change through time and interact with their environment, animal behavior, the brain, genetics, and technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology.
Previous LS events have covered gene patenting, the BRAIN Initiative, chimpanzee behavior, dinosaurs, aquatic life, and antibiotic discovery, among other topics.
Distinguished speakers have included Neil Shubin, Ph.D., Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, and host of “Your Inner Fish” on PBS; John Maunsell, Ph.D., Alfred D Lasker Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago and the Director of the Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior; and Katherine A. Barsness, M.D. M.S., Director of Surgical Simulation, Director of Surgical Outcomes Research Attending Physician, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Assistant Professor of Surgery Director of Outreach, Center for Education in Medicine, Department of Medical Education Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The Chicago Council on Science and Technology is kicking off a new initiative: C2ST Speakeasy. This series of programs will bring you the same high-quality scientists as always, but in the comfort of your favorite bar. Enjoy a drink in a casual setting, while learning about science from the experts.
Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “The Sex Life of Reptiles” with Dr. Angela Hung”
The Biomedical Applications of 3D Printing
The impact of 3D printing is expected to affect all of our lives at some point in the near future, whether it will be in the products we buy, the educational tools we use, or the medical care we seek.
Molecular modeling on computers can provide great benefits to society in a wide range of fields, such as medicine and the production and storage of renewable energy. It is a powerful tool that provides a window into the chemical world that is unparalleled in its ability to visualize the nano- and sub-nano environment. Continue reading “Science With A Pint: Our Curious Chemical World”
Since 1974, there has been mounting evidence of declining human sperm counts in several industrialized populations. But there are marked differences in occurrence and timing between regions, suggesting an environmental effect. Sperm counts have not yet declined to levels where fertility is severely threatened, but how serious is the problem and what might the future hold for our species?
Continue reading “Out for the Sperm Count: mysteries of a declining resource”
Your middle ear comes from the jawbone of a prehistoric fish. Your skin and hair can be traced to a shrew-like mammal that lived around 195 million years ago. As for your bad back — well, you can thank your primate ancestors for that. How did the human body become the complicated, quirky and amazing machine it is today?
Bioluminescence is everywhere on earth—most of all in the ocean, from angler fish in the depths to the flashing of dinoflagellates at the surface. Woody Hastings explores the natural history, evolution, and biochemistry of the diverse array of organisms that emit light.
Continue reading “Bioluminescence: Living Lights, Lights for Living”
