Tuesday, February 12, 8PM @ the Bell House, Secret Science Club presents "Welcome to the Microbiome—It’s a Whole New You" with Microbiologist Martin Blaser, FREE!

Say hello to your little friends—all 100 trillion of them. Each of us harbors about 1,000 microbial species in our noses, mouths, and guts; on our skin. Together, they weigh an astonishing 2 to 5 pounds. If you’re worried about the aliens within, don’t be. A torrent of new medical and genetic research shows that your microbiome is essential to your survival. These itty-bitty bugs help you metabolize food and build your immune system. They make vitamins and protect you from getting sick.

The director of NYU’s Human Microbiome Program, Dr. Martin Blaser is at the forefront of this new research on the jungle of microorganisms inside us. While medical science has traditionally focused on “bad” microbes—the germs that cause illness and how to eradicate them—Dr. Blaser and other pioneering researchers have flipped that idea inside-out, investigating good germs and their role in health and disease. He asks:
--How did the human microbiome evolve? Are we humans actually ecosystems, superorganisms, or symbionts?

-- How does the widespread use of antibiotics affect our microbiota and our health?

--Why are birth and early life such important times for our microbiomes? Is the biodiversity of the human microbiome under threat? 

--How are obesity, asthma, diabetes, and even mood swings linked to changes in our microbiota?

--Are new microbial medicines in our future?

Dr. Blaser is the George and Muriel Singer Professor of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology at NYU. A past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, he is founder of the Foundation for Bacteriology and the Virtual Museum of Bacteria and was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2011. He currently chairs the Advisory Board for Clinical Research at the National Institutes of Health.

Before & After

--Try our bugged-out cocktail of the night, the Super Organism
--Wiggle to grooves that wriggle

--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

This multicellular edition of the Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, February 12, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave; R to 9th St.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+

No cover. Just bring your smart self! 

Tuesday, January 22, 8PM @ the Bell House, Secret Science Club presents “Dark Mysteries of the Universe” w/ Astrophysicist Jeremiah Ostriker, FREE!

Rocket into deep space with astrophysicist and author Jeremiah Ostriker as he explores dark matter and dark energy!

Making up 95 percent of the known Cosmos, the Dark Duo are maddeningly invisible—yet they shape the very structure of the Universe and drive its expansion. Is dark energy the fabric of space itself? Is dark matter comprised of yet-to-be-discovered subatomic particles? How do scientists detect the undetectable? Drawing on his new book, Heart of Darkness: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Invisible Universe, Dr. Ostriker discusses the latest theories, observations, and data—as well as mind-boggling questions that remain.

Jeremiah Ostriker is professor of astronomy at Columbia University and emeritus professor of astrophysics at Princeton University. A pioneering researcher in the field of cosmology and author of more than 500 scientific papers, he has been awarded the National Medal of Science, the Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society, and the James Craig Watson Medal from the National Academy of Sciences for his “bold astrophysical insights.” Don’t miss a nanosecond of his awesome talk . . .

Before & After

--Groove to intergalactic tunes

--Try our deep, dark cocktail of the night, the Cosmological Constant

--Snag a signed copy of Dr. Ostriker’s just-released new book, Heart of Darkness.

--Win tickets to Isaac’s Eye, a new play about Isaac Newton @ EST

--Stick around for the out-of-this-world Q&A

The next paradigm-shifting edition of the Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, January 22 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave; R to 9th St.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+

No cover. Just bring your smart self!

Photo credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/M.Markevitch et al. Optical: NASA/STScI; Magellan/U.Arizona/D.Clowe et al. Lensing Map: NASA/STScI; ESO WFI; Magellan/U.Arizona/D.Clowe et al.