© Pint of Science, 2026. All rights reserved.
Pint of Science brings researchers into the pub to explore how the body responds when it’s pushed to its limits — by environmental exposures, biological triggers and external threats. From extreme reactions that reveal how pain is sensed, to new ways of understanding damage, repair and long‑term responses in the body, this night looks at how studying these interactions is helping drive safer and more effective treatments.
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 backgroun…
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 backgroun…
How Australia’s infamous stinging tree is inspiring safer pain treatments
Lucinda Walker
(I’m Lucy, a final-year PhD student at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at UQ. In my research I use toxins as tools to probe sensory neurons and learn about how people feel pain, with the aim of designing better pain treatments.)
Touching the Australian Gympie-gympie tree causes extreme, long-term pain. Yet studying how its toxins precisely target pain sensing nerves may help us design safer pain treatments
When Small Signals Cause Big Fatigue: microRNAs After Stroke
Tarynn Potter
(I'm Tarynn, a final year PhD student at the University of Southern Queensland. I'm passionate about molecular biology, health research, and sharing the strange and fascinating facts behind everyday biology. )
Post‑stroke fatigue is a common and debilitating outcome of stroke, often persisting long after physical recovery. Advances in microRNA research are offering new insight into this condition. MicroRNAs are tiny regulators of gene expression that influence processes such as inflammation and energy use. By linking molecular biology to lived experience, this talk explores how small molecular changes may drive major fatigue symptoms and inform better support for stroke survivors.
Sun, surf and.... syphilis? Chasing the outbreak in Queensland
Emma Sweeney
(Emma Sweeney is a Senior Research Fellow at The Frazer Institute. Her research focuses on the development of molecular tools to detect and characterise infectious diseases, with a strong focus on tools to characterise STIs.)
This talk explores why an infection you thought belonged in the history books is not just surviving, but thriving, in the Sunshine State. Often spreading silently - with many people unaware they’re infected - we’ll unpack how syphilis moves through communities and how genomics is helping us track it down.
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Other Brisbane Brewing Co events
2026-05-18
The Body Under Attack
Brisbane Brewing Co
601 Stanley St, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia
2026-05-19
Inside the Body: From cells and organs to immunity and treatment
Brisbane Brewing Co
601 Stanley St, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia