Black holes are on the menu for Scotland's newest Caf￩ Scientifique opening in Glasgow tomorrow night! The Caf￩, based at the Metro Brasserie in Glagow's Cresswell Lane, is somewhere members of the public can relax with a cup of coffee or glass of wine whilst exploring the latest ideas in science and technology. It's also the place to quiz leading scientists for the truth behind the headlines on subjects from MMR & Autism to cloning and GM foods in a cocktail of sparkling conversation and probing questions.

The Glasgow Caf￩ ﾖ held on the third Thursday each month ﾖ is being organised by Professor Mandy MacLean of the University of Glasgow and the broadcaster and writer, Vanessa Collingridge.

"At a time when science is increasingly taking centre stage in both politics and everyday life, the Caf￩s are an important step forward into making science more accountable, understandable and relevant to the general public ﾖ even those who haven't touched the subject since school", said Professor Mandy MacLean.

For starters, Professor John Brown, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, will be launching the Glasgow Caf￩ at 8pm on March 18th with an evening on "Black Holes and other Cosmic Wierdos". Black holes are amongst the weirdest objects in the universe, along with cosmic strings, dark energy ﾖ and perhaps the Beagle II mystery! The Astronomer Royal will have just 20 minutes to whet your appetite with his ideas before the public gets the chance to ask questions and raise issues of their own in an atmosphere that's about as far from the lecture hall as you can imagine.

From gigantic universes, the Caf￩ moves on to talk about tiny DNA at the second Glasgow Caf￩ on April 22nd. The session will be hosted by Prof David Porteous who'll be talking on the controversial subject of "Gene Medicine". The evening will explore the Human Genome Project and the diseases that ravage the population of Scotland.

Since they started in Leeds in 1997, the Caf￩s have been taking Britain and America by storm, drawing huge audiences and winning a number of major awards in their efforts to bring "science to the people". From leading controversies to radical new approaches and just sheer fascination, the Caf￩s are bringing real science to real people.

Notes:

The first Caf￩ will take place on March 18th with a conversation with Professor John Brown, Astronomer Royal for Scotland. Venue: Metro Brasserie, Cresswell Lane off Byres Road, Glasgow. Doors open 6.30pm for an 8pm start. Food and licenced bar are available.

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For further information please contact Prof Mandy MacLean, Professor of Pulmonary Pharmacology at the University of Glasgow Email: M.MacLean@bio.gla.ac.uk or Vanessa Collingridge, writer and broadcaster and leading correspondent on BBC1?s flagship current affairs programme, Real Story Email: ness@monstermedia.tv. Otherwise contact the University Press Office Tel: 0141 330 3535.

First published: 17 March 2004