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The files below are the initial talks from some Cafes.

Not every Cafe has been recorded (it's up to the speaker), and the discussions are not always recorded because of concerns about audience privacy and data protection.

To play each file, click on its link (Quicktime or similar will load the file in most browsers), or it can be right-clicked, saved and then played in RealPlayer or Windows Media Player). Direct links are included in case the others don't load. Please note that all material is copyright the speakers and may not be re-used, reproduced, excerpted or published without their explicit consent. My apologies for cases where I forgot to turn the recording on straight away, or where I forgot to turn it off at the end!

Files now in reverse chronological order


  • 10th June 2014 - Professor Tara Holm - A tour of topology" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 13th May 2014 - Professor Paul Bolam -The shaking palsy (Parkinson's disease) - its past, present and future" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 8th April 2014 - Joe Banks - Rorschach Audio - debunking the myths of 'electronic voice phenomena' and other audio illusions" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 11th March 2014 - Professor Dermot O'Hare - The new chemistry of capturing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 11th February 2014 - Dr Giles Budge - So what is killing our honeybees?" - talk then discussion (start times a bit odd)


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 14th January 2014 - Penny Garner - A different way of coping with Alzheimer's and other dementias" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 11th December 2013 - Dr Barbara Gabrys - The science behind meditation and the concept of mindfulness" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 12th November 2013 - Professor John Finney - The extraordinary properties of water" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 8th October 2013 - Nick Cooper - What does the brain get up to when we read?" - talk then discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 10th September 2013 - Dr Georgina Humphreys - Antimalarial clinical drug trials - the long and winding road" - talk then discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 9th July 2013 - Professor Philip Hutchinson - Anthropogenic Global Warming" - talk then unedited discussion

    You may wish to view the Professor Hutchinson's powerpoint presentationwhile you listen to the talk part.
    Further links to related resources can be found in this PDF page.


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 11th June 2013 - Professor Don Mottram - Acrylamide in cooked food" - talk then unedited discussion

    You may wish to load the illustrations PDF to look at while you listen to the talk part.


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 14th May 2013 - Colin Tudge - Good Food For Everyone Forever" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 9th April 2013 - Dr Jamie Warner - Graphene" - talk then unedited discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 12th March 2013 - Professor Charles Spence - Synaesthesia" - talk then unedited discussion
    You may wish to load the illustrations PDF to look at while you listen to the talk part, since it refers to pictures Professor Spence discusses during the evening.


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 12th February 2013 - Dr Peter Oliver - "Have I got snooze for you: the science of sleep" - talk then discussion


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 8th January 2013 - Dr John Parrington - "The spark of life - how the sperm activates the egg to become an embryo and what happens when things go wrong" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 11th December 2012 - Dr Tom Smith - "Firework displays: explosive entertainment" (first talk then discussion)


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 2nd October 2012 - Professor Brian Foster - "The Higgs boson - problem or solution?" (first talk then most of discussion)


    Direct links talk and discussion.

  • 11th September 2012 - Professor John Guillebaud - "Is sex the most dangerous human activity?" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 10th July 2012 - Dr Andrea Dennis - "The science behind that Olympic gold medal" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 12th June 2012 - Professor Carl Wunsch - "How the oceans affect the planet" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 13th March 2012 - Professor Chris Rhodes - "What happens when we run out of oil?" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 14th February 2012 - Dr Jim Newton - "A window to the heart - echocardiography in the 21st century" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 14th February 2012 - Professor Luke Alphey - "Controlling insects to control disease" - talk only

    Direct links talk.

  • 13th December 2011 - Dr Jerome Sallet - "The brain's social networks" - talk only

    Direct links talk.


More audio files are added at times.

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