What we’re about
Brighton Café Scientifique is Science for the Sociable!
Informal talks of about 30-45 minutes are given by experts in their field, at a level accessible to all. After a break, the talk is followed by a question and answer session, and open discussion on the topic of the evening.
We usually meet on the second Wednesday of the month, at 7:30 for 8:00pm start. Our regular venue from February 2024 is the Wagner Hall, Regency Road, Brighton BN1 2RU (adjoining the Bright Helm on West Street). Meetings are free, although a collection is taken to contribute to the running expenses of the organisation. There is a bar, open from 7:15pm.
Our dates for 2024: Wed 13 March, Thurs 11 April, Wed 8 May, Wed 12 June, Wed 14 August, Mon 2 September, Wed 18 September, Wed 9 October, Wed 13 November, Wed 11 December.
Our dates for 2025: Wed 8 January, Wed 12 February, Wed 12 March, Wed 9 April etc.
Brighton Café Sci is part of the international Café Scientifique movement.
Please note: Occasionally we may arrange meetings on days other than the second Wednesday of the month, depending on the availability of speakers and the venue.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- The Neanderthal People of the English Channel: Adaptations and ExtinctionsWagner Hall, Brighton
The Neanderthal People of the English Channel: Adaptations and Extinctions with Dr Matt Pope on Wednesday 13th November at the Wagner Hall, West Street, Brighton**.** Doors and bar open 7:15pm, talk starts at 8:00pm.
La Manche is the name we give to the Ice Age landscapes of the English Channel, southern Britain and northern France. It has a record of early human behaviour which varies from isolated and difficult-to-interpret single artefacts through to rare sites preserving deep and rich accumulations of many thousands of finds. By interpreting these traces, which include rare human remains, we are able to tell a story of Neanderthal people from their earliest origins through to their apparent extinction. In this lecture we explore this record looking at Neanderthal culture through the lens of their adaptive success and consider in what ways their interactions with Homo sapiens may have led to their disappearance.
Matt Pope is an archaeologist based at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. Leading on excavations in Britain and the Channel Islands, he studies the Ice Age prehistory of northern Europe. His research tries to understand how early human cultures pushed at the limits of their range and how these adaptations underpinned our species success and the current challenges it faces.