Cambridge academics to speak at the Cheltenham Science Festival

A number of Cambridge academics will be participating in this year’s Cheltenham Science Festival. Please see below for a list of the events taking place.

CANCER STEM CELLS

Current cancer treatments are not always effective. In some cases they only give a few extra months of life and in others seemingly successful therapies result in the cancer eventually coming back. Brian Huntly and Matthew Smalley believe that rogue stem cells could be the root cause. Join them and Kat Arney from Cancer Research UK to explore cancer stem cells and to find out how understanding them could revolutionise the way we think about cancer care.

Town Hall Unreserved Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - 16:00 £7

INSIDE YOUR PET

Veterinary pathologist Alun Williams - as seen on Inside Nature's Giants - joins us to discuss the health of our pets. With plenty of specimens he explains how we can diagnose and treat a variety of diseases and conditions that affect our furry friends. From hip replacements in dogs to dietary diseases in cats, he draws parallels with ailments found in humans.

Town Hall Unreserved Wednesday, June 8, 2011 - 18:00 £8

ANIMAL MIGRATION

Animals undertake extraordinary feats of migration to ensure their survival. The Arctic tern, the world's long distance champion, covers an astonishing 36,000km a year. But how do they know when to move and, without a Sat Nav or map, how do they find their way? Russell Foster and Peter McNaughton explore what science can, and cannot, explain about the seemingly miraculous phenomenon of animal migration.

Town Hall Unreserved Wednesday, June 8, 2011 - 18:00 £8

X-MEN VS BIONIC WOMEN

When we talk about doctors making us better we usually mean they give us back our health. But what if engineers and scientists could really make us better, better than we've ever been before? Faster, smarter, stronger than nature could manage. Hear from biomedical engineer John Fisher and neuroscientist Barbara Sahakian about how much could soon be possible, and from ethicist Andy Miah about the new dilemmas such technologies could bring.

Town Hall Unreserved Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 14:30 £7

UNDERSTANDING EXCESS

What drives some people to check their windows are closed ten times before they leave the house? Why do others find it impossible not to bet on the next race, turn down a drink or walk past a shop without buying something? Musician and former drug addict Mehmet Husseyin joins psychiatrist Naomi Fineberg and neuroscientist Jeff Dalley to discuss compulsive and addictive behaviour.

Town Hall Unreserved Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 16:00 £7

WAS THE UNIVERSE CREATED?

Did the Universe have a creator? Will it be around forever? Debates around these age-old questions have been raging since Aristotle's time. Medieval physics and modern cosmology collide as Mark Lewney battles Andrew Pontzen, exploring the history and future of the Universe and asking whether there was ever a time when nothing existed.

Town Hall Unreserved Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 20:30 £9

GENDER: MORE THAN X VS Y

What makes males male and females female? Our chromosomes tell us what sex we are genetically, but hormones play an important role in translating this to our physical and emotional gender identity. What happens if this process goes wrong? Psychologist Melissa Hines, clinician Ieuan Hughes and geneticist Robin Lovell-Badge explore the development of gender.

Town Hall Unreserved Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 20:30 £8

ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF THINKING: EXPLORING THE AUTISTIC MIND

One of two linked events curated by The Arts Catalyst and Shape focusing on Alternative Ways of Thinking. Funded by Wellcome Trust People Award.
The media frequently feature stories about screening for or even 'curing' autism, presenting it as an affliction or disease. But people with autism can lead full lives, often excelling at science, art or music. Simon Baron- Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre, is joined by artist and geologist Jon Adams, who has Asperger's Syndrome, and Gabriel Hardistry- Miller, a non-verbal autistic man who, with artist Ben Connors, runs a music, performance and poetry club. They all discuss the special minds of autistic people and consider whether their so-called 'impairments' should be thought of in a different way.
This event will be British Sign Language interpreted. Please call box office 01242 505444 to discuss access issues.

Town Hall Unreserved Friday, June 10, 2011 - 16:30 £7

ECHO OF CREATION

Billions of years after the birth of the Universe, scientists realised they could tune into an echo of creation itself using nothing more sophisticated than a de-tuned television set. Andrew Pontzen explains the cosmos' 'background noise' with hula hoops, beach balls and amazing telescopic pictures. But hold onto your hats: all is not as it seems with space and time…

Town Hall Unreserved Saturday, June 11, 2011 - 10:00 £5 Age 8 upwards

RISK IN THE MEDIA

Whether it's using mobile phones, drinking alcohol or eating bacon, we are bombarded with stories of the dangers of everyday activities. Sensational headlines may sell papers but how much do they reflect reality? How do we know what to believe, especially as life has never been safer? Using recent examples Professor of Risk David Spiegelhalter takes us behind the front page and helps us to interpret the real risks.

Town Hall Unreserved Saturday, June 11, 2011 - 16:15 £8

LIFE IN THE COSMOS: FROM BIG BANGS TO BIOSPHERES

We can trace cosmic history from some mysterious 'beginning' nearly 14 billion years ago. We understand in outline the emergence of atoms, galaxies, stars and planets and how life appeared on Earth, but these answers pose new questions which Astronomer Royal Martin Rees attempts to address. What are the prospects for post-human evolution, here on Earth or far beyond? Is life already widespread in our cosmos? Is physical reality even more extensive than the domain that our telescopes can probe - are we in a multiverse?

Town Hall Unreserved Sunday, June 12, 2011 - 10:00 £10

BOOMERANGS, BOUNCING BALLS AND OTHER SPINNING THINGS

Spinning things are very strange. How do ice-skaters spin so fast? Why does a boomerang bounce back? What happens when you bounce a spinning ball? And how do things turn around in space when there's nothing to push against? Get in a spin with Hugh Hunt as he looks at what links all spinning objects with a dizzying amount of live demonstrations.

Town Hall Unreserved Sunday, June 12, 2011 - 16:00 £5

THE DAMBUSTERS NOW

May 1943 was the last time a bouncing bomb blew up a dam. That was true until Hugh Hunt and Hilary Costello stepped onto the scene. For a TV documentary, they recreated the spinning bombs used by the Dambusters and demolished a 10m-high dam! With video clips they explore the many challenges the team faced and the incredible achievements of wartime engineers and airmen.

Town Hall Unreserved Sunday, June 12, 2011 - 18:45 £7

Cheltenham Science Festival runs from Tuesday till Sunday, June 7-12. The Festival boasts over 160 ticketed events as well as loads of free activities. For adults, there's gadget zone Area 42 where you can play a video game using just your breath or read a newspaper with moving images, just like in Harry Potter. Children have their own LEGO® Education and Discover Zones where they can play with dry water (feels like sand, but if you squeeze it, water will come out), experience the feeling of driving the fastest car on earth, and even see a pig disappear.

For the full programme visit cheltenhamfestivals.com or call 01242 505 444.