October Science Cafe - Adventures with oxygen: a “radical” perspective

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The Swansea Science Cafe offers opportunities for anyone to find out more about new, exciting and topical areas of science. Designed to be informal and entertaining, the cafe typically runs on the last Wednesday of every month at the Dylan Thomas Centre.

Title: Adventures with oxygen; a "radical" perspective

Speaker: Professor Damian Bailey of the University of Glamorgan

Date: Wednesday 24th October

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea

Admission: Admission: Free, all welcome

During this lecture Prof Bailey examines molecular oxygen (O2) which can be viewed as a double-edged sword, capable of sustaining life and yet fatal in excess or when limited.  It has a nebulous nature as while traditionally considered the “elixir of life” it also exists in air as a free radical.

This lecture will look how we provide what is considered the most important “organ” in the body – the brain with the most important “molecule” in the world - oxygen!

Recent advances have been made through the combined application of state-of-the art measurement techniques for the detection and characterisation of free radicals across the cerebral circulation and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

This presentation will also discuss the adventures of high-altitude expeditions and how acute mountain sickness and high-altitude cerebral oedema occur.

This event is co-sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Further information: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/science/swanseasciencecafe/,

or email: c.allton@swansea.ac.uk / e.c.pope@swansea.ac.uk

About Science Café Wales:

Each month, a leading expert in their field will give a brief introductory talk followed by a friendly informal chat. You can sit back, relax with a drink and listen or get involved in the discussion and debate. The Science Café organisers are committed to promoting public engagement with science and to making science accountable.

Science Café Wales are held in casual settings in Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor. They are informal and accessible and entrance is entirely free. They usually start with a short talk from the speaker, usually a scientist or writer, followed by a quick break and then an hour or so of discussion afterwards.

Previous topics have included dark matter, the common cold, Dr Who, the Big Bang and alternative therapies.

The first Cafes Scientifiques in the UK were held in Leeds in 1998. From there cafés gradually spread across the country.

Currently, some 40 or so cafés meet regularly to hear scientists or writers on science talk about their work and discuss it with diverse audiences.