Sunday, June 30, 8PM @ the Bell House, FREE! SPECIAL EVENT: "Flight of the Drosophila:A Wild, Winged Night of Cinema & Brain Science" featuring Neuroscientist Josh Dubnau

Drosophila melanogaster is the tiny fruit fly that we humans share half our DNA with and that serves as a model organism for studying everything from courtship to our senses of smell, hearing, and vision. 

Join the Secret Science Club and Imagine Science Films for a night of freaky, fly-inspired short films and a special lecture by neuroscientist and geneticist Josh Dubnau on how he uses Drosophila to study the human brain and the mysteries of memory.

Dr. Dubnau is an associate professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he studies short- and long-term memory, and neurodegenerative diseases. His lab’s most recent research on transposons, also known as “jumping genes,” may offer a key to unlocking the secrets of memory loss and the aging brain.

Before & After

--Sway to neuro-grooves

--Sip our bugged-out cocktail of the night, the Fly Highball

--Win brainy door prizes

--Stick around for the larval Q&A

--Buzz & flit with the cast of scientist/filmmaker Alexis Gambis's new film, The Fly Room

Where & When: Sunday, June 30, 8PM @ 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, June 18, 8PM @ the Bell House, FREE! Secret Science Club presents “Robot (R)Evolution” with Biologist and Cognitive Scientist John Long

Humans have backbones, as do tens of thousands of other creatures. But why? To discover how vertebrates evolved, biologist John Long uses futuristic technology to peer deep into the past. He creates bio-robots that simulate the behavior of animals, both living and extinct. His bio-robots search for resources, compete for mates, deal with threats—and adapt.

Author of the recently published book, Darwin's Devices: What Evolving Robots Can Teach Us About the History of Life and the Future of Technology, Dr. Long asks:

--How do bio-robots evolve? Is robot sex just zeroes and ones?

--What does it mean to be intelligent? Are big brains really necessary?

--How can evolvabots re-create conditions known only from 500-million-year-old fossils?
--What can shark robots teach us about human evolution? How do robo-prey escape robo-predators?

John Long is chair of the biology department, professor of biology and cognitive science, and director of the Interdisciplinary Robotics Research Lab at Vassar College. He and his robots—Madeleine and the Tadros—have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and other publications, and they have taught evolution on the Discovery and History Channels.

Before & After

--Groove to Mr. Roboto’s interactive playlist

--Try our machine-coded cocktail of the night, the Cyber Robot Futurtini

--Snag a signed copy of Dr. Long’s new book, Darwin’s Devices

--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

The next cybernetic edition of the Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, June 18, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave.

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

No cover. Just bring your smart self!