Seven days in science - 18 March 2010

This week began with the Ferrier prize lecture by Professor Colin Blakemore FRS (pictured) on Monday (15 March). The lecture discussed plasticity of the brain, and how it could be the key to human development, cognition and evolution.

A discussion meeting on the frontiers of influenza research took place at the Society on Tuesday (16 March). The meeting included a session from one of the organisers, Professor Neil Ferguson, titled:Analysis of modelling of the 2009 pandemic: lessons learned.

The first of the science themed Great North Debates took place on Tuesday (16 March). The lively debate Should We Trust Science? was held at Tyne and Wear Museums and was chaired by Quentin Cooper.

Broadcaster Melvyn Bragg offered his perspective on the history of the Royal Society at Wednesday’s (17 March) Wilkins–Bernal–Medawar lecture: Notes from an amateur: on the history of the Royal Society. The lecture was held at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford.

The Universities of Dundee and St Andrews are celebrating the 150th anniversary of D’Arcy Thompson at the exhibit D'Arcy 150, which starts on Friday (19 March) and runs until early May.

As part of the Capital Science programme, Tate and the Royal Society are collaborating to bring together scientists and artists at the event Rising to the Climate Challenge: Artists and Scientists Imagine Tomorrow's World (19-20 March).

Next week begins with the discussion meeting Handling uncertainty in science, a highly multi-disciplinary meeting discussing how scientists from a range of disciplines handle the issue of uncertainty in their area of specialisation: i.e. how uncertainty can be characterised, estimated, predicted and communicated.