How do sperm “sweet-talk” the female immune system in order to survive? How does the brain adapt to being plastered? Why can humans move to a beat? Join us as we search for the answers to these questions and more!
Special research & development as well as rare, barrel-aged beers will be available for purchase in the Tasting Room. Food will be available for purchase from the GF Gastro truck.
Pascal Gagneux
Secret Life of Sperm
Mammalian sperm are highly specialized cells, each containing a unique haploid genome. They navigate dangerous territory in order to fertilize an egg. Sperm are equipped with special molecules that allow them to “sweet-talk” the female immune system, to allow the survival of at least one sperm. How these cells, that lack any gene expression manage to carry out a sequence of dramatic tasks remains poorly understood. I will take you to where half of you consisted of such a tiny, intrepid traveler.
Ksenija Marinkovic
Brains n' booze: Acute effects and neuroadaptation to binge drinking
Alcohol is a social lubricant widely consumed to unwind and to enjoy food and company. We have used complementary imaging methods to examine where and when alcohol intoxication changes brain activity, how it interferes with making decisions, and why it leads to poor self-control. And what about binge drinking which is on the rise? How does the brain adapt to being plastered? Can we detect these neuroadaptive changes and can they be used to indicate how much is too much on an individual basis?
Adena Schachner
Dance, dance, evolution: The origins and consequences of musicality in babies, birds, and other beings
Music and dance are cultural universals, and begin early in infancy. My work explores the origins of these fundamentally human behaviors, from an evolutionary and developmental perspective. Why can humans move to a beat, while many other species cannot? What can children’s early development tell us about the musical mind? And what consequences does musicality have, for social and even moral decisions?