Come and see us at New Scientist Live this week! The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine will be presenting several interactive exhibits and talks from the alongside the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and the Dental Institute.

If you would like to attend, you can use the discount code KCL10 to receive a 10% discount on tickets. 

Book now and come and see us at stands 1541 and 1525!

Talks

The ultra cycle diaries 

Dr Daniel Brayson

Saturday 22 September 

Last year, Daniel Brayson raced the Transcontinental Race – in an unsupported, gruelling 2,400 miles cycle race across Europe.

As a physiologist, he felt this was the perfect opportunity to investigate the physiological and psychological demands of extreme endurance racing upon his body. He proceeded to the start line armed with gadgets and gizmos that might help to understand this. How hard could it possibly be? Find out at his talk.

Gut health: the secret to happiness? 

Dr Megan Rossi

Saturday 22 September

Gut health is the latest craze to hit the media headlines, but unlike other trends, this one is backed by science and making its way into mainstream healthcare recommendations. More specifically there is growing scientific support for a direct relationship between the bacteria that live in our gut and our brain, commonly referred to as the gut-brain axis. Although fuelled by promising research, is this area truly the next major health revolution or simply a case of enthusiasm outpacing the scientific evidence? Megan Rossi will address this question in this talk, sharing the proposed mechanisms underpinning the gut-brain axis and the clinical research supporting this area. She’ll also translate the research into simple take-home messages.

Megan Rossi leads research investigating nutrition-based therapies in gastrointestinal health, including pre- and probiotics, dietary fibres, the low FODMAP diet and food additives.

Hands-on exhibits

Hot Stuff

Detect disease by finding a radioactive signal and image the radioactive organ.

Radiation can be good for you, especially when harnessed for early cancer diagnosis and precision radiotherapy. Despite its bad reputation, it can be a lifesaver when used to detect, monitor or treat human diseases. At this exhibit, you will find out how radioactivity is being used for earlier cancer diagnosis and targeted treatments with fewer side effects.

Heart or blood vessels, who’s to blame?

High blood pressure: hypertension is a major risk factor of mortality worldwide. However, most often people have no symptoms which makes hypertension a “silent killer”. 

Learn about the mechanism of high blood pressure as you watch and take a picture of your heart contracting using heart ultrasound (echocardiography).

How good is your balance?

Can you stand on the board without wobbling? How about when you stand on one leg, or when you close your eyes? Can you overcome these changes in your senses and muscles?

We rely on our senses and muscles to be able to balance. We use sight, our sense of body position, reaction systems in the brain, our calves and our core body muscles. If one or more of these systems aren’t working properly, our ability to balance decreases.

The wobble board test re-creates the balance test used by TwinsUK research to discover new ways to reduce frailty in older age as well as develop new recommendations for healthy ageing.

Practise eye surgery using virtual reality

Can you safely deliver eye treatments before the clock runs out?

Over two million people in the UK live with sight loss, but a revolutionary new study at Moorfields Eye Hospital is changing the way we think about treating some sight loss conditions. Doctors have been able to regenerate cells in the retina and partially restore vision for a patient group with age-related macular degeneration. However, getting these cells to the surface of the retina is a highly delicate procedure. 

Robotic engineering techniques are being used to develop a new flexible device which is designed to help patients living with sight loss. Come and meet the researchers developing this tool and try our immersive surgical simulation.