Upcoming Science Talks in NYC

By Alison Durkee

Don’t let the chilly weather keep you from exploring the world around you, thanks to these upcoming science-themed events, which run from brain science to the links between DNA and identity to the literal ends of the universe.

Prepare yourself for the new information you’ll learn with the Principles for Better Learning at Brooklyn Brainery on December 20, including the brain science and daily tactics that enable you to better retain information. To learn what the field of science has learned itself, meanwhile, head to this interactive conversation on December 10 exploring what science knows, doesn’t know — and can’t know. Those who’d like to discover how one specific bit of knowledge has gotten passed down, can head to a free lecture at Columbia University on the transmission of knowledge for animals’ tool use on December 12.

To learn more about what we as humans have passed down — or had passed down to us — head to two upcoming sessions that explore the wonders of DNA. On December 9, sociology professor and author of The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome Alondra Nelson will discuss the social impact of our genetics. On December 13, Nelson will join several other experts at the New York Genome Center for a discussion on exploring identity through the lens of DNA.

Of course, how knowledge and life gets passed down and slowly changes in the process is at the crux of evolution. But how has our own knowledge of evolution continued to, well, evolve? Update on Evolution, taking place December 27, will explore how the field of evolution has continued to progress since Darwin’s original vision 150 years ago.

The 92nd Street Y looks at science with a January 12 talk on suggestibility, The Curious Science of Your Brain’s Ability to Deceive, Transform and Heal. On January 17 attention will turn to the latest in a long line of health villains, the once-innocent sugar.

Image: Mark/Flickr

Those looking for a bit more of a universal perspective can head to the American Museum of Natural History, which will offer a Grand Tour of the Universe on December 27 using the 3D Digital Universe Atlas. The museum will also offer a different universe exploration event on December 12 with Frontiers Lecture: The Twisted Universe, where attendees can explore the far reaches of earth and space with professor Brian Keating and learn the tools that help us examine the universe, its mysteries, and our own place within it. For perspective on perspective, catch a December 15 talk by author and journalist Amy Sohn on Planetarium Women in the 1930’s.

For a bit more of a lighthearted exploration on a variety of topics, head to Nerd Nite at Littlefield on January 13, which will feature trivia and lectures on such topics as the science of hangovers. Littlefield will also offer an even more comedic look at the scientific world on December 14 with Drunk Science: Therapy, in which three intoxicated comedians present their best scientific dissertations to Columbia University cognitive behavioral therapist Dr. Ali Mattu.

New York moves fast. Don’t miss a thing. Sign up for Thought Gallery’s weekly Curriculum, the best of smart NYC delivered right to your inbox.