LIVE & IN-PERSON @ THE BELL HOUSE on Tuesday, April 12 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club presents Primatologist and Best-selling Author Frans de Waal with “Different”

Tuesday, April 12, 8PM (Doors open at 7:30PM) @ the Bell House, Free!

Secret Science Club presents Primatologist and Best-selling Author Frans de Waal with Different

World-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on decades of observation and studies of animal behavior to explore gender roles in chimpanzees, bonobos, and those strangest of all primates—human beings.

Jumping off from his new book – Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist – Dr. de Waal dissects myths about masculinity and femininity, and common assumptions about authority, leadership, cooperation, competition, and sexual behavior.

In Different, Dr. de Waal discusses alpha (fe)males, same-sex sex, the difference between dominance and power, as well as bonobos that play with dolls, sexy penguins, and, gender non-conforming chimps. He delves into sexual orientation, gender identity, and the limitations of the gender binary, exceptions to which are found throughout the animal kingdom.

With humor, clarity, and compassion, Different seeks to broaden the conversation about human gender dynamics by promoting an inclusive model that embraces differences, rather than dismissing them.

Frans de Waal is C. H. Candler Professor Emeritus of Primate Behavior at Emory University and the former director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, He is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, Our Inner Ape, and The Age of Empathy, as well as over 150 scientific papers, and essays in the New York Times, Science, Nature, and Scientific American. In 2020, he received the PEN America/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves.

Before & After
--Imbibe our specially made cocktail of the night, the Naked Ape
--Groove to wild tunes
--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A
--Hot off the presses! Snag a signed copy of Frans de Waal's new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist from our onsite bookseller, Astoria Bookshop.

This edition of the Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, April 12, 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 to the performance space open at 7:30PM.

Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. First come, first serve.

**Proof of full vaccination required for entry to the Bell House** 

*This event will be mixed seated/standing. Arrive early for best seat selection.*

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

LIVE ONLINE! Tuesday, March 29 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club presents environmentalist Bill McKibben in conversation with author Oliver Milman on "The Insect Crisis," FREE!

Bzzzzzz! Secret Science Club presents Bill McKibben in conversation with Oliver Milman, author of The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires that Run the World

Join us live via Zoom on Tuesday, March 29 @ 8PM (Eastern Time USA) "Doors" open at 7:30PM 

Shhh... everyone on our mailing list will be emailed the Zoom link the night before.  To join the Secret Science Club mailing list (or just request the Zoom link), send us an email (secretscienceclub@gmail.com)

Three out of four species on Earth are insects—yet insects don’t get much love. Sure, people dote on butterflies and ladybugs. But flies? Yech. Wasps? No thank you. Talk about underappreciated…

At the next Secret Science Club, environmentalist Bill McKibben and author Oliver Milman pose the question: What would happen if insects vanished from the Earth? (And just to give you a hint: If there were no flies, there’d be no chocolate, and that’s just the beginning of the end.)

Alarmingly, the prospect of an insect apocalypse is not exclusively a thought exercise. A torrent of new evidence shows that insect populations are plummeting across the world. Milman—author of The Insect Crisis—and McKibben delve into some of the amazing & essential things insects do for our planet, the consequences of losing our insect infrastructure, and what we can do to save our six-legged friends (and perhaps ourselves).

Oliver Milman is the environment correspondent at the Guardian. He covers the climate crisis, as well as issues involving biodiversity and the impacts of air and water pollution. Bill McKibben is an author, environmentalist, activist, and a contributing writer to the New Yorker.

Before & After
--Mix up our cocktail of the night, the "Sweet Nectar"… (recipe below!)
--Groove to sounds of spring
--Bring your questions for the live Q&A
--Snag a copy of Oliver Milman’s new book, The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires that Run the World here or wherever you buy books.

This is a FREE event.

You can support Secret Science Club's programming by making a DONATION via:

Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay on Donorbox

Cash App: $SecretScienceClub

Zelle: scienceliveproductions@gmail.com

What’s next at Secret Science Club?
On April 12, we will be live & in-person at the Bell House in Brooklyn with primatologist & best-selling author Frans de Waal with his new book, Different. Stay tuned for details!

(Note: If you don't already have the Zoom meeting app on your computer or mobile device, you can download it for free at zoom.us)

Photo credits: Oliver Milman by Lyndal Stewart; Bill McKibben by Nancie Battaglia

Cocktail Recipe for the “Sweet Nectar” (created by the Secret Science Club mixology lab)
Ingredients: 2 oz Spiced Rum, 1 oz Honey Syrup**, ½ Lime (cut in pieces), and 4 kumquats (quartered) or 2 mandarins (cut in pieces)
- Muddle fruit in a cocktail shaker
- Add ice, rum, and honey syrup—and shake
- Pour the mixture unstrained into a highball glass
- Garnish with your favorite flower
**Honey Syrup Recipe
- Mix 1 part honey with 1 part hot water. Stir until dissolved. Let cool.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

LIVE ONLINE: Thursday, March 17 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club presents the "Dana Foundation Brain Lecture" with Psychiatrist & Biomedical Engineer Alik Widge, FREE!

Secret Science Club presents the “Dana Foundation Brain Lecture” with Psychiatrist, Neural Engineer & Neuroscientist Alik Widge on “Brain Stimulation & Mental Health” (in honor of Brain Awareness Week)

Join us live via Zoom on THURSDAY, March 17 @ 8PM (Eastern Time USA) "Doors" open at 7:30PM 

Shhh... everyone on our mailing list will be emailed the Zoom link the night before.  To join the Secret Science Club mailing list (or request the Zoom link), send us an email (secretscienceclub@gmail.com)

With over 85 billion neurons and 150 trillion neural connections, our brains are complex systems (and the world is a complex place), so it’s no wonder that many of us experience mental health issues at some point in our lives. Some mental health issues may be relatively subdued and short-lived. Others may be persistent and devastating.

While talk therapy and medications are commonly used as treatments, a growing body of research is showing that new technological interventions can help, too—sometimes in cases where nothing else has worked. At the next Secret Science Club, psychiatrist and bioengineer Alik Widge explores how research and cutting-edge therapies involving brain stimulation could change our futures. He asks:

•    What is happening in the brains/brain networks of people with mental health issues, and how is that studied?
•    What types of mental health disorders might benefit from brain stimulation treatments?
•    What is cognitive flexibility and how does it relate to mental health? How is it measured?
•    What types of brain stimulation treatments might be available in the future, and how would they target the unique symptoms of different disorders and differences in individuals?
•    How can we control our thoughts—instead of our thoughts controlling us? What ethical questions are raised by this research?

Before & After
--Mix up our cocktail of the night, the "Curious Mind"… (recipe below!)
--Groove to synapse-soothing tunes
--Bring your questions for the live Q&A
--Take a peek at the Dana Foundation's fact sheets, scientist interviews, and Cerebrum magazine articles, for information about brain science and how it impacts our everyday lives
-- Learn how you can participate in Brain Awareness Week, the global campaign to foster enthusiasm and support for brain science

Alik Widge is a psychiatrist, biomedical engineer, and neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota. In the clinic, he treats patients for a variety of conditions, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance addictions, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In his lab, he focuses on the development of closed loop neuro-devices that sense the brain and respond in real time to regulate the brain circuits involved in mental illness. Current technologies being developed include methods for restoring healthy function in brain circuits controlling decision-making, self-regulation, and mental flexibility. The author of over 100 scientific articles, Dr. Widge and his research have been featured on NPR and in Futurism, Science News, Quartz, Gizmodo, and Nature..

This mind-blowing edition of Secret Science Club - featuring Alik Widge - is supported by the Dana Foundation. The Dana Foundation is dedicated to advancing neuroscience within society by supporting cross-disciplinary intersections such as neuroscience and ethics, law, policy, humanities, and arts.

This is a FREE event.

What’s next at Secret Science Club online?
Stay tuned for Bill McKibben in conversation with Oliver Milman, author of The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World on Tuesday, March 29.

(Note: If you don't already have the Zoom meeting app on your computer or mobile device, you can download it for free at zoom.us)

Cocktail Recipe for the “Curious Mind” (created by the Secret Science Club mixology lab)
Ingredients: ¾ oz Rye Whiskey, ¾ oz Spiced Rum, ¾ oz Cognac, ¾ oz Brown Sugar Syrup**, 3 dashes of Bitters (Angostura, orange, chocolate, or a mix), 1 Luxardo Cherry, Orange Peel (for garnish)
- Pour the rye, cognac, and spiced rum into a mixing glass
- Add the bitters, followed by the brown sugar syrup
- Add a generous amount of ice and stir well
- Strain into a lowball glass over ice cubes
- Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and orange peel
**Brown Sugar Syrup Recipe
- Mix 2 parts brown sugar and 1 part water. Heat in a saucepan and simmer, while stirring, until a syrup forms. Let cool.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.