On Thursday 4 February, 15 Lower Sixth boys were given the opportunity to attend an eye-opening event held at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, accompanied by Mr Gauntlett and Dr Harrison. The itinerary of the day was briefly explained and the first speaker was introduced. Professor Dave Goulston began the day, with his inspiring lecture on Bumblebees. He went through the rise of the Bumble bee before ultimately, commenting on their sudden fall. The boys felt impassioned by his talk and were ready to go out and implement some of the potential solutions he suggested.
Next, Professor Sophie Scott gave a thoroughly interesting, and entertaining lecture about the science of laughter. The boys were both intrigued and entertained, fluctuating between considering the behaviorally contagious nature of laughter and hilarious soundbites of different ‘weird’ and ‘wacky’ laughs. After a short lunch break, the boys reconvened to listen to the third speaker of the day, Professor Robert Winston. Winston shared his opinions on the role of science in society focusing mainly on variations to our genes caused by external and environmental factors, epigenetics.
Finally, to end the highly informative yet entertaining day, Professor Steve Jones gave an insight into the strong similarities between humans and other animals. His speech, entitled “Is man just another animal?” discussed many interesting facts such as humans sharing 95% of our DNA sequence with chimpanzees. The day was truly inspiring, educational and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.’
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