January Science Cafe ‘Things that go bump in the night’

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The Swansea Science Cafe offers opportunities for anyone to find out more about new, exciting and topical areas of science in an informal and entertaining way.

Title: `Things that go bump in the night'; Approaches for getting a grip on enigmatic animals

Speaker: Prof Rory Wilson (Swansea University)

Date: Wednesday 30 January 2013 

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea

Admission: Free, all welcome

Summary: It is well known that sperm whales dive to over a mile underwater, presumably to forage in the black depths where we cannot see, or even follow, them. In fact,  most animals cannot be seen most of the time so is it illusory to think that we have a good understanding of even the most visible of animals?

Perhaps not! A relatively new approach to understanding wild animals uses sophisticated tags to record what animals get up to wherever they might be. Self-writing, animal-attached diaries provide us with extraordinary chronicles of animal activities ranging from ‘helter-skelter sharks’ through ‘depressed elephants’ to ‘spinning albatross’. Rory Wilson, who has been tagging animals for over 30 years will explain it all.

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

About Science Cafe 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.