To kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey. – Marcel Proust
Pain speaks as forcefully and as personally as any human experience. While the ability to experience pain is essential for survival, chronic pain is the scourge of sentient existence. As a topic of research, pain presents a formidable challenge for scientists. Why can it be so hard to control? Why does individual perception of pain vary? Come join the discussion as two outstanding neuroscientists reply both “yes” and “no” to our title question: Do we understand pain?
TITLE: DO WE UNDERSTAND PAIN? Co-presented with Ask a Scientist.
SPEAKERS:Allan Basbaum, M.D., Professor of Anatomy, UC San Francisco Michael Rowbotham, M.D., Scientific Director, CPMC Research Institute
HOW: Embarcadero 4 is served well by public transit. Also, its underground garage (at the end of Clay Street, across Drumm) charges just $2.00 for 0-4 hours (with $10+ purchase).
WHY: Because we’re curious creatures
ADMISSION: FREE! But attendance is limited to the first 100 to register. See below.
Earth was once a molten ball totally uninhabitable. In a geological instant, it was filled with life. What do we know about this transformation? And could there be more than one recipe for the transition from non-life to life? [Please register below]
TITLE: A Biologist and a Chemist Confer on the Recipe for Life
SPEAKERS:Lynn Rothschild, Astrobiologist, NASA-Ames Reasearch Center; Richard Zare, Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University
WHEN: Tuesday, Jan 14, 2014
WHERE: NASA Ames Conference Center, Building 152, Room 171; 200 Dailey Road, Mountain View, CA 94043 – Map: http://goo.gl/maps/oq1sG
HOW: This dialogue is presented as a public service by Wonderfest and the Commonwealth Club with the thoughtful assistance of NASA-Ames Research Center