HCAU Reviews: Sceptics in the Pub: Kat Arney – Herding Hemingway’s Cats
As part of British Science Week last year, Aberdeen’s branch of Sceptics in the Pub hosted an event with Kat Arney to discuss her book Herding Hemingway’s Cats. In her talk, Kat discussed her book and talked about genetics in general. The talk was filled with interesting facts, such as that we all have just over two meters of DNA in every cell in our bodies! As well as this, the talk covered some of the basics of genetics, explaining the methods by which genes are copied and how they code for physical traits through proteins. The title of her book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats, refers to a type of cat born with six toes, as owned by Ernest Hemingway. This was the springboard for Kat in terms of writing the book, as this genetic mutation also occurs in humans, producing people with six fingers or toes. The talk, by covering a range of topics, allowed people of various levels of knowledge to enjoy the evening.
Sceptics in the Pub was set up in London, now with branches all over, to allow sceptics interested in various areas of science to get together in an informal setting and discuss, meeting like-minded people. The Aberdeen branch aim to meet monthly, in various venues all over the city. The events are fairly cheap to attend, and great for opening up to different areas and ideas, regardless of how much you already know. If you’re interested, more information is available on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/100583406663025/
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