© Pint of Science, 2026. All rights reserved.
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 to optimise vaccines to combat outbreaks of poxviruses, 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 anatomy; and how this knowledge can be used to address the world’s myopia epidemic.)
As our world becomes more modern, the background visual noise 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 the progression of myopia.
The Last of Them: Neanderthals on the brink of extinction
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.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Other King O'Malley's events
2026-05-20
Traversing the Universe
King O'Malley's
131 City Walk, Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
2026-05-18
Cosmic immunology
King O'Malley's
131 City Walk, Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia