The Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies proudly presents: ‘Zombie Science: Genes of the Damned' - the next in the spoof lecture series from the world's leading zombieism research facility.

In this lecture, theoretical zombiologist Dr. Smith asks whether you will know what to do when the Zombie Apocalypse occurs and you find yourself in your own real-life zombie horror film. See how we can learn lessons from disease outbreaks through history. Draw inspiration from today's popular television and film zombie documentaries. Discover who is most likely to be affected and find out how modern medical technology could be used to help the survivors.

It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, it'll make you think. It'll also make you feel quite ill, possibly. The outcome of the show will be decided by the audience ... how will you deal with the Damned?

Dr. Smith has been giving talks on the science of zombies for many years from Brighton to Unst, informing and inspiring over 20,000 people. When not lecturing, he works for the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies, where he and his colleagues prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse. With the motto "love the zombie, hate the zombieism", the group focuses on how the condition could come about and how it could be prevented and treated. He is often asked if he has ever seen a real zombie, but, thanks to the groups preventative measures, none has yet been forthcoming.

After the talk, we will be airing the Zombie-classic: Night of the Living Dead (1968) to mark 50 years since the films release! The film runs for approximately 1hr and 36m, so we will aim to finish by 11pm.

Tickets: £3.00 advance / £5.00 on the door

Wheelchair Accessible: Unfortunately not.

Useful Links:
www.zombiescience.org.uk

The traditional use of psychoactive plants in spiritual and shamanic rituals has continued for thousands of years, apparently, while the use of these substances recreationally, scientifically and therapeutically in the developed world has also grown steadily in the last century as ever more plants are discovered and new synthetic chemicals are created. Since the earliest clinical, anthropological and anecdotal reports of the use of these powerful psychoactive substances they have been associated with all manner of strange and anomalous experiences, ranging from the mystical to the downright weird. With the recent return to academic research of these substances with humans after a 40-year hiatus the question arises as to what to make of these highly prevalent anomalous experiences and what can be gained from studying them clinically, psychologically, neuroscientifically, and indeed ontologically. 

Dr David Luke is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich where he has been teaching an undergraduate course on the Psychology of Exceptional Human Experience since 2009. His research focuses on anomalous experiences and altered states of consciousness, especially via psychedelics, having published more than 100 academic papers in this area, including seven books, such as Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience (2017) and the co-authored textbook Anomalistic Psychology (2012). David is also director of the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness salon at the Institute of Ecotechnics, London, and is a cofounder and director of Breaking Convention: International Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness. He has given over 200 invited public lectures and conference presentations, won both teaching and research awards, organised numerous festivals, conferences, seminars, retreats and expeditions, has studied techniques of consciousness alteration from South America to India, and he lives life on the edge, of Sussex.

Tickets: £3.00 advance / £5.00 on the door

     

Wheelchair Accessible: Unfortunately not.

Buy David's Book: 
Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience

Some people just can't seem to get enough of skepticism, science and critical thinking, and with the launch of The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, what better time to start a book club? This event is designed to follow on from the SGU's visit in October, giving us enough time to have read the book to discuss. Don't worry, though, you needn't have read the book cover to cover (or at all) to come out and discuss it's themes.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

The Book:

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe:
How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

Pre-Order Here (Amazon) 
Pre-Order Here (Waterstones)

“Thorough, informative, and enlightening, The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe inoculates you against the frailties and shortcomings of human cognition. If this book does not become required reading for us all, we may well see modern civilization unravel before our eyes.”—Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History It’s intimidating to realize that we live in a world overflowing with misinformation, bias, myths, deception, and flawed knowledge. There really are no ultimate authority figures-no one has the secret and there is no place to look up the definitive answers to our questions (not even Google). But, by thinking skeptically and logically, we can combat sloppy reasoning, bad arguments and superstitious thinking. It’s difficult, and takes a lot of vigilance, but it’s worth the effort. In this tie-in to their incredibly popular “The Skeptics Guide to the Universe” podcast, Steven Novella, MD along with “Skeptical Rogues” Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein will explain the tenets of skeptical thinking and debunk some of the biggest scientific myths, fallacies and conspiracy theories (Anti-vaccines, homeopathy, UFO sightings, etc.) They’ll help us try to make sense of what seems like an increasingly crazy world using powerful tools like science and philosophy. THE SKEPTICS’ GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE is your guide through this maze of modern life. It covers essential critical thinking skills, as well as giving insight into how your brain works and how to avoid common pitfalls in thinking. They discuss the difference between science and pseudoscience, how to recognize common science news tropes, how to discuss conspiracy theories with that crazy coworker of yours, and how to apply all of this to everyday life. So, are you ready to join them on an epic scientific quest, one that has taken us from huddling in dark caves to stepping foot on the Moon? (Yes, we really did that.) Like all adventures, this one is foremost a journey of self discovery. The monsters you will slay and challenges you will face are mostly constructs of your own mind. With the SKEPTIC’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE, we can do this together.

Anthony Warner somehow managed to complete a Biochemistry Degree at Manchester University before deeply disappointing his parents by deciding that the heat of the professional kitchen was the career for him. After ten years in restaurants, hotels and events-catering he became a development chef in the food manufacturing industry and has spent the last 11 years working on some of the UK’s best-known brands and products.

In 2016, driven by frustration at the clearly unscientific messages being spewed out by a new breed of healthy eating celebrities, he started the Angry Chef blog, intended to appeal to a few similarly frustrated food industry professionals. Despite frequent attempts to alienate his readers, the blog has grown in popularity, forcing a middle-aged man to reluctantly engage with social media. Terrified at the prospect of being described as a ‘food-blogger’, Anthony has tried in vain to keep Angry Chef anonymous, but has sadly failed to do so as newspapers and magazines continue to approach him in the hope he might say something controversial about Jamie Oliver.

He now writes regularly for New Scientist, The Pool and the Sunday Times, and his first book, The Angry Chef - Bad Science and the Truth about Healthy Eating was published by Oneworld in July. He has appeared on Inside Science, The Food Programme and was once asked if he would be happy to eat his own dog on The Moral Maze.

Anthony does not have a food philosophy. He is a pretty decent cook, but is not an expert in anything. He is merely curious and determined to get to the truth. He loves food, loves science and is ambivalent about Marmite. He lives in the Nottinghamshire countryside with his wife, daughter and a slightly unbalanced Springer Spaniel.

Tickets: £3.00 advance / £5.00 on the door

Wheelchair Accessible: Unfortunately not.

Buy the Book:
Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating

Useful Links:
angry-chef.com

Tickets: £3.00 advance / £5.00 on the door

     

Wheelchair Accessible: Unfortunately not.

Useful Links:
www.iszi.com
www.iszi.com/zlistdeadlist