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From the success story of early humans to topical medical challenges, this night will cover archaeology, virology and optometry. Join our researchers as they illuminate why Homo sapiens came out on top, how drug-loaded nanoparticles can eliminate stubborn cancer cells, and investigate how the modern world could be making us more short-sighted.
Our myopic view on visual noise
Michael Tran
(Michael is an optometrist, researcher, and educator undergoing a PhD that examines how visual noise can affect the eyes’ vision and physiology; and how this knowledge can be used to address the world’s myopia epidemic.)
As our world becomes more modern and digital, the background visual environment we are exposed to changes too. But is that change healthy for our eyes? Come along and hear about how visual noise impacts myopia, and how we can slow down its progression.
The Last of Them: Neanderthals on the brink of extinction
Dr Sofia Samper Carro
(I am an archaeologist at the ANU. I specialise in the study of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens' behaviour by analysing their diet and adaptation to environmental factors. I have over 20 years of experience working in Europe, ISEA and Australia.)
Neanderthals were the last species that inhabited Earth, and co-existed with our species, before our dispersal to every continent. In this talk we will explore how different or similar they were to ourselves and what we learnt from their extinction.
The zombie cells of cancer and how we fight back
Labdhi Shah
(Biotech Master's researcher still figuring things out, one experiment at a time. I’ve worked on cancer nanomedicine and now build viruses (safely!) for vaccine research, driven by curiosity and a love for solving messy biological problems.)
Some cancer cells are like bad party guests...they refuse to leave. Even after treatment, they hang around quietly and can cause cancer to return. In this talk, I shall explore how these stubborn cells survive therapy and how we’re using tiny drug-loaded nanoparticles to find and eliminate them before they come back stronger.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
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