Name: Cosmic immunology
Start: 2026-05-18T18:30:00
End: 2026-05-18T21:00:00
Location: King O'Malley's

Our speakers will take you from the outer reaches of the Universe to the inner workings of our cells and proteins. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about exoplanets, galactic archaeology, and learn about novel blood tests that could diagnose some of the most complex immunological conditions.

Sci-fi planets and the planets of science

Dr Rajika Kuruwita (Rajika (also known as Reggie) wishes she were an exoplanet scientist, but she fell into modelling star formation. However, stars and planets form together! She runs 3D fluid simulations of star formation and looks at the stuff around stars that could form planets. She has a particular interest in the formation of binary and multiple star systems and enjoys examining how interactions between young stars can influence planet formation.)

Sometimes science fiction has predicted worlds very different from the Earth and solar system that we know. Sometimes, science has turned out to be weirder than fiction! In this talk, I go through a brief history of exoplanets, and keep score of whether Science or Science Fiction has produced the weirder planets.

Your immune system: cool, calm and complicated

Dr Ainsley Davies (Dr Ainsley Davies works at Canberra Clinical Phenomics Service. She focuses on understanding complex autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases. She is helping to build the next generation of diagnostic tools for patients across Australia.)

Why do some people get sick more often than others? Why does the immune system sometimes turn on the very body it's meant to protect? The answers lie in the extraordinary complexity of your immune system. Ainsley is developing new blood tests for the immune system that go far beyond what's standard in Australian hospitals today. Come find out what we've been missing and why it matters for the future of medicine.

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Other Canberra events

Other King O'Malley's events

20 May

Canberra

Traversing the Universe

19 May

Canberra

Humans vs Neanderthals, mpox and myopia