Eugenics in the 21st century – Engineering better humans: Totalitarian nightmare or the road to survival?
Eugenics was defined by Sir Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, as a liberal vision for the enhancement of the human race. Hijacked and corrupted by the Nazis in the 1930s, it was used an ideological pretext for the extermination of millions during the Holocaust. As a result, eugenics has been a taboo word in academia and society for more than fifty years. Nevertheless, at the dawn of the 21st century, genetics, neurotechnologies and nanotechnology open up new vistas in enhancing human genetic traits and re-programming heritability at will.

Dr George Zarkadakis, publisher and novelist, is presenting our sixth Café Scientifique in Thessaloniki, aimed at initiating a public debate on the main scientific, political and moral issues that need to be addressed in relation to the ethics of the enhancment of human genetic traits.

In collaboration with the French Institute and the Science Center & Technology Museum NOESIS in Thessaloniki.

	When:			Monday 17 March 2008, 7.00 p.m.
	Where:			Café ALPHA, 36 Ethnikis Amynis Street, Thessaloniki

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Chrysoula Melidou at Chrysoula.Melidou@britishcouncil.gr or call 2310 378 314.

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Chasing the Grevena 'elephants'
There has been a great deal of speculation about the remains of a prehistoric mastodon, an elephant-like mammal, found last year in the Grevena area, considered to be among the largest that ever lived. Scientists are hoping the find will help explain why mastodons disappeared and what else may have disappeared along with them.

Join us at our Café Scientifique and find out more about the Grevena 'elephants' from the leader of the local excavation team, Assistant Professor Mrs Evangelia Tsoukala of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

In collaboration with the French Institute and the Science Center & Technology Museum NOESIS in Thessaloniki.

	When:			Monday 11 February 2008, 7 p.m.
	Where:			Science Center & Technology Museum NOESIS

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Chrysoula Melidou at Chrysoula.Melidou@britishcouncil.gr or call 2310 378 314.

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Love and Other Viruses
Davina Bristow will explain what causes attraction, why we fall in love, what jealousy is and why sex is a really good idea. She'll also take a look at some of the bugs that take advantage of our amorous liaisons and take us through the evolutionary purpose of love.

Davina Bristow studied biology at Oxford before going on to do a PhD in Neuroscience at University College London. She now works full time for the BBC Science Department, and has also written about science for the Daily Telegraph.

The event will be facilitated by Dr George Zarkadakis.

When: Saturday 9 February 2008, 6 p.m.
Where: British Council, 17 Kolonaki Square, Athens

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Katy Yakoumaki at Katy.Yakoumaki@britishcouncil.gr or call 210 369 2342.

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Traffic, Air Quality and Environmental Health in Thessaloniki
Travel is an integral and unavoidable part of modern life and too often private cars seem the best solution when it comes to commuting to work, going to the shops, for a night out or on weekend excursions with the family. The inevitable result is that traffic congestion and air pollution now pose a serious threat to our health. In cities such as Thessaloniki which lack adequate public transport the situation is even worse.

Professor Nikolaos Mousiopoulos, Dean of the School of Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, will discuss the seriousness the problem and whether there is room for improvement. He will also talk about the expected benefits of Thessaloniki's new metro system and underwater road artery.

In collaboration with the French Institute and the Science Center & Technology Museum NOESIS in Thessaloniki.

	When:			Monday 14 January 2008, 7.30 p.m.
	Where:			French Institute, 2A Stratou Avenue, Thessaloniki
	Telephone:			2310 821 231

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Chrysoula Melidou at Chrysoula.Melidou@britishcouncil.gr or call 2310 378 314.

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Climate Change Begins at Home
Climate change has been observed throughout the history of the earth, from ancient times until the modern era. However, the causes have altered and the consequences have multiplied.

How do you feel about climate change? To what extent is it related to human activity? What do you know about the greenhouse effect? If you're environmentally-minded or just curious about climate change, join us at this unique forum and connect with people in Belgrade and Edinburgh via video conferencing.

Dr Dave Reay, Research Fellow at the School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, will analyse recent research on the impact of climate change in Europe and will inititate a discussion on how we can protect our planet against the greenhouse effect.

With the support of ECOWEEK.

When: Friday 7 December 2007, 7 p.m.
Where: British Council, 17 Kolonaki Square, Athens

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Katy Yakoumaki at Katy.Yakoumaki@britishcouncil.gr or call 210 369 2342.

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Forensic Ecology: Let’s call the next witness! A bug??
Most people today are aware of the use of DNA in forensic investigations. But how many of us are familiar with how insect evidence helps solve crimes?

Did you know that ...

• numerous aspects of the ecology of the crime scene environment can be used as evidence?
• the analysis of soils, plants and insects on cadavers and at crime scenes is essential in criminal investigations?
• such evidence can provide a wealth of information concerning the time, manner and place of death, and even the post-mortem movements of a body?
• the information gathered by means of these investigations can help exclude or associate suspects with the crime scene?

Dr Martin Hall, Entomology Department, Natural History Museum, UK, and Dr Smaragda Sotiraki, Laboratory of Parasitology, Veterinary Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF), Thermi, Thessaloniki, will present all the latest developments in the field of forensic ecology and answer your questions.

When: Thursday 15 November 2007, 7.30 p.m.
Where: British Council, 17 Kolonaki Square, Athens

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Katy Yakoumaki at Katy.Yakoumaki@britishcouncil.gr or call 210 369 2342.

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The Manufacture of Medical Tools in Ancient Greece
In this second Café Scientique in Thessaloniki, Professor Konstantinos Bouzakis, Polytechnic School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, will reveal to us the secrets of the manufacture of medical tools in Ancient Greece.

In collaboration with the French Institute and the Science Center & Technology Museum NOESIS in Thessaloniki.

	When:			Monday 12 November 2007, 8 p.m.
	Where:			Science Center & Technology Museum NOESIS

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Chrysoula Melidou at Chrysoula.Melidou@britishcouncil.gr or call 2310 378 314.

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Space Age: from sputnic to next generation satellite
Did you know that 50 years ago the human race succeeded in launching the first non-manned spatial flight? In October 1957, Russia successfully launched Sputnik I into space. Even though the launch was a single event, it marked not only the start of the space era but also a huge shift in political, military, technological and scientific developments as well as the opening up of a whole new world waiting to be explored.

Would you like to participate in a discussion of the triumphs of science and the human spirit, and connect with people in Athens, Sofia and London? If so, join us in a hi-tech conversation via video conferencing where we'll explore how space exploration has affected humanity, the impact it has had on our daily life and whether space has a future.

Dr John Zarnecki, Professor of Space Science at the Open University and member of PPARC Council, has been invited to participate via video conference.

When: Thursday 4 October 2007, 7 p.m.
Where: British Council, 17 Kolonaki Square, Athens

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Katy Yakoumaki at Katy.Yakoumaki@britishcouncil.gr or call 210 369 2342.

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Hearing: the Science of Telepathy
Many of us naively assume that telepathic powers are the stuff of fiction not fact. Yet every day we all beam our thoughts and feelings into the heads of other people and we presage impending danger or opportunity using a deeply mysterious, subtle form of invisible vibration known as 'sound'. You thought sound and hearing are well understood and not 'mysterious'? Come and let Jan Schnupp, co-director of the Oxford University Auditory Neuroscience Research Group and runner-up of this year's FameLab competition in Cheltenham, convince you otherwise!

Originally from Munich, Jan Schnupp is a researcher in neurobiology at the University of Oxford. He obtained a BSc in Genetics from University College London in 1990 and a DPhil in Physiology from Oxford in 1996. He co-directs the Oxford Auditory Neuroscience Research Group, together with Professor Andrew King. His main research interest concerns how auditory information is represented and processed in the auditory cortex.

When: Wednesday 26 September 2007, 7.30 p.m.
Where: British Council, 9 Ethnikis Amynis Street, Thessaloniki

Admission Free
To reserve a place, please e-mail Chrysoula Melidou at Chrysoula.Melidou@britishcouncil.gr or call 2310 378 314.

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