Good News for Science Fans
Great news for anyone attending tonight’s PubSci (Weds 20th May): The double tube strikes that had been planned for this week were called off on Monday.
We were already a safe bet for travel, falling on the only midweek evening with no expected disruptions, but with many people opting to work from home due to trouble getting into town, it looked like take-up for tonight’s event was going to be lower than usual.
Fortunately we’ve experienced a flurry of bookings since Monday and only a handful of places now remain. But if you delayed booking a ticket for any reason, now’s your chance to grab one. Free / cash on the door tickets are all gone but you can scroll scroll down a little to see the donation tickets (as always, it’s pay what you want / can).
The Incredible Future of Organ Transplants — tonight at PubSci
Tonight at the Old King’s Head, pioneering surgeon Mr Pankaj Chandak tells the incredible past, present and future of organ transplantation — from scalpels to SciFi and beyond. Pankaj is a transplant surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital (among others) with several medical firsts under his belt. He was also medical advisor and director on the celebrated TV series The Crown, in which he also acted. BOOK NOW
Tune in, check out the science, enjoy the music on The Science Show
April’s speaker, Joanna Bagniewska was my interview guest on the latest episode of The Science Show, which was broadcast over the air and streamed live on Bank Holiday Monday 4th May.
We had a great chat about bestiaries, beasts, writing books and how zoologists might be the ones to save us from the great AI robot takeover. If you want to know more, the show is now available to stream as a podcast here on Mixcloud.
As always the show also covers science news and discussion, science and science crossover events in London and beyond, a fabulous Random Walk – this month meandering through the surprisingly long history of drug use (both psychedelic and pharmaceutical) – plus a healthy dose of really good music. This month my guest co-presenter and walking companion was science teacher extraordinaire, Geoff Burgess.
I’m delighted to say that for the second month running, The Science Show is the Number One Science Podcast on Mixcloud.
The Science Show has been running on Resonance 104.4 FM since October 2025, and was presented by myself and Mike Lucibella for the first six episodes. It is independent, unfunded, and written, produced and edited by presenters.
Please do give it a listen. The next episode broadcasts over the air on Resonance 104.4 (DAB and FM) at 3pm on Monday 1st June, and if you’re outside the South East, you can stream it live on RadioPlayer from the Resonance website.
The What’s On section of June’s show includes news of the Great Exhibition Road Festival on 6th & 7th June – so make sure to listen during the first week it’s available – and my interviewee will be a *past PubSci speaker, Parry Hashemi, who will be presenting an interactive science-art project over the festival weekend.
[*July 2019: Not all in your head – “What if a simple skin test could diagnose depression?”]
Coming up in June
As mentioned above, the Great Exhibition Road Festival is the first weekend in June with lots to see and do. It’s a fabulous annual event for all the family, celebrating science, art and culture. Definitely one not to be missed. Note that whilst most events are drop-ins, some require pre-booking so be sure to check out the programme in advance.
June’s PubSci is on Wednesday 17th when Dr Caroline Copeland from King’s College London picks up the thread of May’s Random Walk on The Science Show to discuss the tension between UK drugs policy and the science of drug toxicity. Caroline is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology & Toxicology at King’s College London, and the Director of the National Programme on Substance Use Mortality, and brings a highly informed perspective to the risks presented by recreational drugs, both the legal and the illegal ones.
Tickets for that will be available early next week. We can expect this to be a popular topic, so put the date in your diary now (better still, subscribe to the PubSci Google Calendar) and get your booking in early. FWIW there’s a big football match the same night, when England take on Croatia in the 2026 FIFA men’s football World Cup, but the game doesn’t kick off until 9pm which is when PubSci finishes, so you can do both in the same evening!
You may have noticed that the new events programme isn’t out yet. This is because I’m negotiating around some dates issues but if you subscribe to our calendar you’ll be the first to know when new talks are scheduled. You can also follow PubSci’s events on Eventbrite to be notified when tickets are available. And sign up to our own mailing list on any page on this site.
Later in June – A Levitating Hamster and a Doubtful Salmon?
On Tuesday 30th June, your very own PubSci organiser and event host, Richard (that’s me!) is giving a humorous but informative talk for the London Fortean Society called the Levitating Hamster and the Salmon of Doubt.
I’ll be looking at the stranger ways animals have contributed to science – including some of the funniest, quirkiest and most bizarre cases – and asking: Can a hamster levitate? Does a salmon emote? Did herring inspire a Doctor Who spoof? And just why are there so many cats in science?
Tickets are available from the London Fortean Society via WeGotTickets, costing just £5.50
Note: The venue is The Bell on Middlesex Street (Aldgate East tube) which has stairs up to the meeting room.
That’s it for now. Hope to see some of you at the Bell, and see you tonight!
Richard, PubSci organiser and host. x
PubSci 