© Pint of Science, 2026. All rights reserved.
Pint of Science brings researchers into the pub to uncover hidden histories written into the natural world. From clues locked in volcanic ash and shifting landscapes, to genetic traces that reveal how wildlife has responded to disease and environmental change, this night explores how scientists piece together past events to better understand the risks, resilience and future of our planet.
Join us for a relaxed Wednesday evening where you can grab a drink and some food, hear from scientists, ask questions, and be part of the conversation — no science background required.
Join us for a relaxed Wednesday evening where you can grab a drink and some food, hear from scientists, ask questions, and be part of the conversation — no science background required.
A geological cold case in the Southwest Pacific: using volcanic ash to investigate the tectonic history of the Solomon Islands.
Clara Furness
(Clara has a passion for science communication, and hopes to keep finding creative, funny and engaging ways to present science to a general audience, and where better than at Pint of Science.)
The world's largest and thickest oceanic plateau - the Ontong Java Plateau - is actively converging with Solomon Islands as the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates converge. This has created a complex tectonic environment and has affected volcanism throughout the region. However, there is no consensus on when the Ontong Java Plateau first collided with the Solomon Islands. The contentious 'soft-collision' hypothesis was suggested in the 1980's, but the case has since gone cold, with very little fresh data to go off. Volcanic ash found both on the plateau and on the islands may be able to crack this cold case.
Virus communities in the wild: necessary for understanding spillover of disease.
Brent Jones
(Brent is a veterinary epidemiologist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney. He completed his PhD in disease ecology at Griffith University in 2025.)
Viruses surround us, infecting all living things from the smallest of bacteria to the largest of animals. Increasing contact between humans and wildlife is driving the transmission of viruses from animals to people – a process known as ‘spillover’. In this presentation we will discover how advances in DNA sequencing are providing a glimpse into the community of viruses present in the wildlife around us, and how interactions between those viruses may contribute to spillover.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Other The Burrow events
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