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The relaxing way to hear and chat about science in Oxford
The Cafe Scientifique is a successful UK community the idea for which was originally imported from France. The Oxford Cafe was the fourth to be started and there are now dozens of Cafes Scientifiques across the British Isles, while the concept is also now spreading widely overseas. The point of the Cafe is to provide a public forum in which scientific ideas can be discussed informally involving scientists and non-scientists alike, aiming to inform, to entertain, and to provoke debate.
The Oxford Cafe Sci meets on the second Tuesday of each month except August. All are welcome and no scientific background is required. Visit the FAQ page for more information if you have never been to a Cafe event before.
The links on the left of this page give more details.
OUR VENUE IS THE OU DEPT OF PHARMACOLOGY ON MANSFIELD ROAD
See the Cafe audio page for streaming audio files of many of the older Cafe talks. These are usually the introductory talks plus some discussions, from the earlier years before we started recording video on Zoom. Some talks have associated image or presentation files linked.
There is a private YouTube channel of Oxford Cafe Sci talks from the pandemic period onwards. The links for its playlists are only given to members of the mailing list (see below) and users are asked not to spread them publicly. A few videos go into the public YouTube playlist.
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| THIS MONTH'S CAFE SCIENTIFIQUE
Tuesday 14th October 2025 - Dr Kathy Potter - Jumping genes as the co-authors of the DNA books of life
The Human Genome Project identified DNA sequences passed down over generations following infections that occurred millions of years ago.
Many of these sequences have become inactive due to mutations over time. Dr Potter will present evidence that supports the concept that DNA is also moving around in present time, both within a single host and between different organisms.
These pieces of mobile DNA are called transposable elements or "jumping genes". Unless inactivated or tightly controlled, these transposable elements can either cause disease or provide survival benefit to the host, which will be included in the discussion.
Dr Potter is a virus expert with a particular interest in baculoviruses who has worked in Canada, the USA and the UK, and recently retired as the manager of the Southampton Medicine Tissue Bank, whilst remaining a Lecturer in Immunology to students.
| DATES FOR THE REST OF THIS ACADEMIC YEAR
Tuesday 11th November 2025 - Dr Maike Kittelmann - the developing nervous system in embryos
Tuesday 9th December** 2025 - Daisy Abraham - 'divorce' and relationships in bird populations
Tuesday 13th January 2026 - Professor Chris Vogel - the practicalities of wind turbines
Tuesday 10th February 2026 - tbc
Tuesday 10th March 2026 - Dr Solomon Gebrechorkos - The thirsty Earth
Tuesday 14th April 2026 - tbc
Tuesday 12th May 2026 - tbc
Tuesday 9th June 2026 - tbc
Tuesday 14th July 2026 - possibly Dr Jared Ching - using a stent to solve glaucoma problems
We always take a break in August of each year.
The Cafe will recommence after its summer break on Tuesday 8th September 2026
IN PERSON DOORS OPEN 6:45pm, ZOOM STARTS 7pm, TALK STARTS 7:15pm, EVENING FINISHES 8:45pm. There is a bench outside the common room on the top floor where early arrivals can sit before the doors open.
If you are not already on our mailing list for updates, please see the foot of this page for how to subscribe. Zoom links and passcodes will only be issued via the mailing list, at 2pm on the day of each talk.
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| VISITING THE CAFE
The Cafe is hosted by the Department of Pharmacology, off Mansfield Road (north end). This is in the centre of Oxford but does not have direct public transport to it. Please see the Pharmacology information page for full details of facilities and directions. There is disabled access to all parts of the building including the top-floor common room used by the Cafe.
Doors open at 6:45pm, with the talk starting at 7:15pm. The evening will end at 8:45pm latest, as we must leave the building by 9pm or earlier. There is a bench outside the common room on the top floor where early arrivals can sit before the doors open. Full venue information below.
We have been running a hybrid Cafe since restarting post-Covid. Zoom attendees must join the mailing list on or before 2pm on the event date and will see the specific link for the night given out in an email sent at 2pm that day: no registration required, and late emails may not be answered. If something happens to interrupt the connection then we will focus on the in-person event. Please do not give the Zoom link out to random people who might misuse it, and please do not ever publish it. The online 'doors' open at 7pm and everyone on the call will remain muted throughout, but may submit questions and comments via the Zoom chat function.
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THANKS AND DONATIONS
The assistance of Pharmacology and particularly Carolyn Thackrah, for offering the Cafe a venue post-pandemic, is much appreciated.
Online donations
Those who wish to donate to the Cafe online may do so via https://paypal.me/CafeSci on Paypal.
Donations cover the refreshments, speaker expenses including taking them for dinner as a thank you (they are not paid), costs such as technology and equipment, the Zoom Pro subscription and occasional photocopying. There is absolutely no obligation whatsoever to donate but all gifts are greatly appreciated. Our thanks to the many who have already donated this academic year.
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OxCafeSci on Twitter - jump to @oxcafesci
OxCafeSci on Facebook - jump to the page
Mailing list - The OxCafeSci mailing list sends out announcements about speakers and events. It allows automatic joining. To auto-subscribe to the Cafe mailing list please send an email from the address you want to use, to cafesci-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk. To auto-unsubscribe, please email to cafesci-unsubscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk. To add or remove other addresses instead of your own please email the organiser.
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