Bay Area Skeptics

Who: Dr. Peter Schattner

What: Sex, Love, and DNA

When: 7:30pm, Thursday, December 10, 2015 – (Every second Thursday of the month)

Where: La Peña lounge

Why: Because we are curious creatures

Can 21st-century molecular biology answer age-old questions about the human experience? Can studying proteins and DNA help us understand how we make our choices in sex and love? How we communicate? Where our emotions come from? Or why we age and die? Using stories of people and animals, Peter Schattner will show how the amazing new world of molecular biology is revolutionizing our understanding of what it means to be human.

Peter Schattner’s Bio:

Award winning scientist, educator and writer, Peter Schattner has 30 years of research experience spanning diverse fields from molecular biology and genetics to biomedical instrumentation and theoretical physics. His work in molecular biology has ranged from designing computer programs that detect functional non-protein elements in DNA to developing algorithms that identify DNA regulatory regions. He was also responsible for the development of the instructional material for BioPerl, a widely used computer framework for DNA and protein analysis. – See more at: http://peterschattner.com/bio/#sthash.bh7jftJo.dpuf

Our Bio:

Bay Area Skeptics was founded in June 1982 as the first “local interest group” inspired by the Center for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), now known as the Center for Scientific Inquiry (CSI). Although they have overlapping interests with CSI, BAS is independent of all other groups.

The organization encourages critical thinking and accuracy in the media and in our schools. They encourage rational thought and critical thinking through the use of scientific methods. They are particularly interested in such topics as claims of the paranormal, pseudoscience, and untested or poorly tested medical and psychotherapeutic practices.