LIVE ONLINE: Wednesday, June 5 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club & the Lasker Foundation present the “Spring 2024 Lasker Public Lecture” with Nobel Prize Winner & Author Tom Cech, FREE!

Secret Science Club & the Lasker Foundation present the Spring 2024 Lasker Public Lecture with Nobel Prize Winner Tom Cech on the The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets

Join us live via Zoom on WEDNESDAY, June 5 @ 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)

Since the double helix was first unraveled, DNA has dominated science and the popular imagination as the “secret of life.” But over the last half century, a quiet revolution has taken place. In a series of groundbreaking discoveries, biochemists including Tom Cech have revealed that RNA—long overlooked as a passive agent of DNA—sits at the center of biology’s greatest mysteries: What makes us human? How did life begin on Earth? Why do we get sick, and why do we grow old?

At this special edition of the Secret Science Club, Nobel Prize winner Tom Cech explores how RNA holds the key to the intricate machinery of our cells. And he gives us a thrilling glimpse into RNA-powered therapies—from CRISPR (the revolutionary gene-editing tool that offers the hitherto unthinkable power to rewrite the code of life) to the groundbreaking mRNA vaccines that have saved millions during the pandemic.

As we dive further into the age of RNA, we have only begun to unlock the true potential of this powerhouse molecule. What cures and treatments might future research bring?

THOMAS R. CECH is a distinguished professor of biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute research scientist. His many honors include the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the National Medal of Science, and the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. His paradigm-shifting discovery of self-splicing RNA and the catalytic properties of RNA opened the door to further groundbreaking findings, including his lab’s discovery of TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), a major cancer-causing gene. His new popular science book, The Catalyst, has been dubbed “a masterful account of the RNA revolution in biology and medicine by one of its brilliant pioneers” and an “expert update on the hottest topics in biology.”

Before & After
--Mix up our cocktail & mocktail of the night, the "Good Chemistry"… (recipe is below!)
--Groove to our synergizing playlist
--Zoom in for a chance to win cool prizes!
--Bring your questions for the live audience Q&A
--Snag a copy of Tom Cech’s brand-new book, The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets

This edition of the Secret Science Club, the Spring 2024 Lasker Public Lecture in honor of Al Sommer, is sponsored by the Lasker Foundation. The Foundation works to foster the prevention and treatment of disease and disabilities by honoring excellence in basic and clinical science, educating the public, and advocating for support of medical research.

This is a FREE event.

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

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(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 “Good Chemistry” (created by the Secret Science Club Experimental Mixology Lab)
Ingredients: 5 Sliced Strawberries, 1 oz Simple Syrup*, Juice from ½ Lime, 2 oz Vodka, 3 oz Ginger Beer, Ice Cubes, Fresh Mint for garnish
- Combine strawberries, simple syrup, and lime juice in a highball glass—and muddle
- Add ice cubes, vodka, then ginger beer—and slowly stir
- Top off with mint—and enjoy!
*Simple Syrup Recipe:
- Mix 1 part water and 1 part sugar in a pot. Simmer until sugar dissolves. Let cool.
**(For a mocktail version, use an old-fashioned glass and skip the vodka.)

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