Free entry , just turn up
Soul Cellar, 78 West Marlands, Southampton, SO14 7FW
Bad Science - the method, the media and the message
24th September 2008, 7pm

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Note change of time and date
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Dr. Phil Uttley, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton

One of the most important things science has given us is the scientific
method itself, which since its first rigorous application in the 16th and
17th centuries has pushed our understanding of the universe and our place in
it to previously unimaginable levels. And yet, the majority of the
population are completely unaware of these simple principles which underpin
human progress. Much of this ignorance is down to the bad reporting and
presentation of science by the media, which tends to portray science as
arcane information handed down from on high, not a path to knowledge which
most people can tread. At worst, the media actively pushes stories as
`science' when they are really based on pseudoscience or a basic
misinterpretation of scientific data.

In this talk, I'll use examples from science and the media to take a look at
some aspects of the scientific method, how we can use them to make sense of
the world, and show how without them, we can all be led astray. We'll see
how our unscientific ways of thinking may have been useful in the past when
we lived as hunter-gatherers, but are really holding us back today. On the
way we'll look at cloud-creatures and nun-buns, the connection between
superstitious pigeons and stock-market analysts, and I'll also point the
finger at some less-than-obvious culprits in the bad-science wars. Most
importantly, I want to show how the scientific method is relevant to our
daily lives and not just the classroom or laboratory.

http://www.astro.soton.ac.uk/~tjm/scicaf/scicaf.html


Café Scientifiques are places for finding out about, exploring,
understanding and, may be most importantly, discussing Science. Science
affects everyone and it should be accesssible to anyone. We invite you to
explore Science and its impact on society with us and our invited experts.
Meetings

Each meeting focuses on a science topic which is currently hotly debated,
has seen major advances recently and/or is simply fascinating. Meetings
start with a short introductory presentation by an invited expert. This is
followed by a question & answer session and leads into a general discussion
of the topic. There are no silly questions! Everyone is welcome to join in!

Can't find the topic you are interested in on our list? Want to receive a
reminder of meetings by email? Simply get in touch.
Location

We meet once a month on Thursdays (usually the third Thursday in the month).
Please see the programme page for upcoming events. Meetings start at 7pm in
the Soul Cellar, 78 West Marlands, Southampton, SO14 7FW. See this map for
directions.

Nuclear fusion power
16th October 2008, 7pm

Chris Carpenter / Chris Warrick, UKAEA Fusion Association
Where is the universe?
20th November 2008, 7pm

Prof. Bob Nichol, Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of
Portsmouth

In the last ten years, cosmologists have discovered that 97% of the Universe
is dark. It does not shine and only interacts with us through gravity. More
bizarrely, three quarters of this dark stuff appears to be an energy
associated with empty space and is causing the Universe to expand at an ever
increasing rate. Cosmologists have measured the universe to great accuracy,
but understand it even less. In this talk I will review the evidence for the
dark universe and speculate what it may be.

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