Beyond University Walls: Talk with Academics at Bars - Developmental Biology

​“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
— Albert Einstein​

🔍 Event Overview

Think & Drink Different brings leading scholars into bars to explore the questions that shape our lives—from AI and mortality to sex, space, and consciousness—through live talks and informal conversation. It’s a space for curiosity, complexity, and open, two-way dialogue with academics.

The best part isn’t just listening—it’s asking. Your questions shape the night. This is your chance to get direct access to academic scholars' unfiltered perspective, and answers tailored to what you’re curious about. In a bar setting: it’s casual, it’s fun, and it’s free-flowing.

This edition dives into one of life’s greatest mysteries: how a single cell transforms into a complete, living organism. With humor, stories, and cutting-edge science, Dr. Yossi Capua will unravel the wonders of developmental biology—from mutant frogs to plant tricks, and the research that might one day allow us to grow new organs.

For the curious mind—or anyone who loves asking “how on earth is that possible?”—this is an evening where ideas spark in a bar, not a lecture hall, lowering the barrier for us mortals to ask casual, informal, or even playful or personal questions we’d never dare to ask in a formal academic setting.

🧠 Why Is This an Uncommon Experience?

This isn’t just another lecture. Having the chance to ask academics live questions in a relaxed setting is powerful because it flips learning from passive to active Here’s why it matters:

1. Direct access to expertise
Academics spend years (sometimes decades) diving deep into a single field. Asking them questions gives you distilled insight straight from the source—something you’d rarely get from a book or YouTube video.

2. Unfiltered perspective
Academics aren’t just sharing facts—they’re sharing how they think about problems, uncertainties, and future directions. That behind-the-scenes look into the mind of a researcher is often as valuable as the “answer” itself.

3. Interactive, not one-way
A lecture is one-directional. A Q&A is a conversation. It shrinks the gap between expert and audience, making knowledge feel accessible, shared, and social.

4. Clarity on complex ideas
Big concepts can be intimidating in abstract. Asking questions helps break them down, connect them to everyday life, and make them meaningful. You can follow your own thread of thought and see where it leads.

👌What You'll Experience (with Drinks in Hand):

Think & Drink Different is about scratching the itch of curiosity in the most human way: together, with a glass in hand. Here’s what this experience mean:

• Share a table (and a drink) with curious minds from all walks of life—scientists, creatives, expats, locals, and the simply curious
• Explore how genetics, hormones, and forces shape living forms
• Discover the strange ways plants and animals build themselves
• Discuss the future of regenerative medicine and what it means for us
• Feel the freedom of a bar setting where questions flow as easily as the drinks
• Leave not just with new knowledge, but with new perspectives—and maybe even a few new friends

📅 Schedule

• 18:45 → Doors open. Welcome, grab a drink, and settle in with the group.
• 19:30 – 21:00 → Talk + conversation with Dr. Yossi Capua
• After 21:00 → Stick around— some of the best ideas come up after the official part, in small groups and side conversations that carry late into the evening

✅ Practical Details
📍 Location: The Book Nook, Singel 82, 1015 AC Amsterdam
🎟️ Price: €14 (+€0,35 service fee) – includes ligth drinks
🎫 Tickets: Get your ticket here: https://www.thinkanddrink.nl/event-details/from-a-single-cell-to-a-complex-life-form-unraveling-the-mysteries-of-developmental-biology-dr-yossi-capua

⚠️ Note: These events take place in small, cozy bars with limited seating. Tickets tend to go fast—so grab yours early!

👩‍🔬 About the Speaker
Dr. Yossi Capua is a plant developmental geneticist exploring how genes and hormones interact to shape plant form and structure. Using tools from classical Mendelian genetics to advanced genome editing, he investigates the mechanisms behind plant architecture—and invites you to discover the cutting edge of modern biology.

👄 The Meetup Organizer Comments
I discovered Think & Drink Different when I joined one of their talks, Unlocking the Dark Genome with Prof. Tzfadia. It was such a fascinating night! I walked in knowing just a little about how genes are studied and left feeling like I’d learned a lot. The bar setting made it relaxed and approachable, and the Q&A kept the conversation flowing long after the talk ended. It reminded me why I love social learning: you always leave with new knowledge—and often with a few new people to share it with.