Are bars places just to meet friends and chat casually¹ about mundane² things? Not any more. Scientists have been organising periodic lectures and experiments in bars in several cities in nine countries. In May, hundreds of them took part in a festival called Pint³ of Science.

 

British neuroscience researcher Michael Motskin started the festival with a colleague three years ago in the UK.

 

But you don't have to be an egghead to follow a discussion. Motskin says: "We ask top scientists to present their scientific discoveries in a down-to-earth setting over a drink or two. We want to give everyone a chance to pick the brains of the UK's most brilliant academics, away from the stuffy⁴ laboratory or lecture theatre."

 

And what do they discuss? Topics range from dark matter to climate change. The science in films such as Star Wars, Star Trek⁵ and Interstellar has also proved popular. And a young physicist⁶ even demonstrated how a model of the universe can be built from plastic Lego bricks. An audience with a taste for a more practical experience might enjoy the lecture given in a pub in Soho, central London. It was about the effects of beer on the human body.

 

One might argue that a bit of alcohol helps people relax, freeing their imaginations so that they are better able to contemplate⁷ the wonders of the universe. That would make the pub the ideal venue⁸ for science - and a handy place to be if you make a big discovery and want to celebrate. Back in the 1950s, scientists James Watson and Francis Crick announced their discovery over a pint at The Eagle pub in Cambridge. And what did they discover? Well, just a little thing called the double helix structure of DNA⁹. It eventually won them a Nobel Prize. Champagne¹⁰ please!

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