About us
INTRODUCTION BY THE GROUP CO-ORGANISER, BOB
Café Science – Basingstoke is an independent, not‑for‑profit forum for curious minds. We bring together scientists, technologists, and interested members of the public to discuss the latest developments in science, technology, and climate change — in a relaxed, inclusive environment.
We welcome anyone with an interest in exploring big ideas — whether you're deeply knowledgeable or just curious. We hope you enjoy the talks and livestream events we publicise, and help us grow this community of science conversation.
ABOUT LOCAL IN-PERSON TALKS
We encourage our subscribers to attend in-person talks hosted by local science discussion groups that are within easy reach of Basingstoke. The groups we mostly publicise include Science in Reading, Henley Science Cafe, Romsey Science Cafe, Salisbury Science Cafe and Winchester Skeptics in the Pub.
The in-person events include a speaker plus a break with a follow-on Q&A discussion of the presentation topic. The speakers will often be researchers and experts in their field invited from local companies and academic centres and are specialists in the subjects under discussion.
IN-PERSON ADMISSION / DONATION FEES
You should be aware that groups running in-person talks will often request an admission fee or donation of up to £5 towards speakers and group expenses.
ONLINE LIVESTREAM TALKS
For those unable to attend the in-person talks, we also provide details of lectures and discussions delivered as on-line livestream talks that you can watch with your family, friends and neighbours. Why not make the most of this great social opportunity by inviting others to join you in a cafe or at home and then have your own discussion afterwards about the topic you watched. The livestream talks and discussions include those from The Royal Institution, The Royal Society, Gresham College and occasional University public lectures.
BOOKING LIVESTREAM EVENTS
Access and booking arrangements for online live stream talks are always handled by the talk organisers outside of this meetup site. Please ensure you take the time to read the booking instructions carefully.
GROUP ORGANISERS
Meetup requires an official group administrator, so Andrew C manages the Meetup account and related logistics. Bob Clifford continues to head up the event planning, coordination, and group leadership. Bob now works from Norwich and oversees the event calendar remotely, so while he may not attend many local meetups in person, he remains the primary contact via Meetup for all group queries and planning matters.
NOTIFICATIONS
Join this meetup group to receive email notifications via Meetup of any in-person and live stream science and technology talks, debates and lectures that we hear about.
Upcoming events
11
Royal Institution "How AI is Reinventing the Battery"
The Royal Institution, The Royal Institution 21 Albemarle Street London W1S 4BS,, United Kingdom, GBThis is a theatre and livestream talk from the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Join the Faraday Institution, and a panel of leading scientists and engineers, for a series of talks exploring how AI could lead to a battery revolution.
ADVANCE BOOKING AND PAYMENT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TALK.
More details and booking instructions on the RI web site:https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/how-ai-reinventing-battery
SUMMARY
Batteries are the heartbeat of the modern world. But the race to build a device that charges faster, lasts longer, and costs less has traditionally been a slow game of chemical trial and error.It’s time to change the rules.
Join the Faraday Institution for an electrifying evening where artificial intelligence meets electrochemistry. Guided by chair James Le Houx we will journey from:
The atomic scale with Aron Walsh, showing how AI acts as a digital alchemist, simulating billions of crystals to discover new materials before they even exist in the lab;
To the microscale with Sam Cooper, demonstrating how machine learning optimises the manufacturing recipe to bake the perfect internal structure;
To system scale with Mona Faraji Niri, showing how smart algorithms act as a forensic investigator, analysing complex data streams to uncover hidden internal faults and predict battery lifespans with unprecedented accuracy.Join our panel of experts who will reveal how AI is accelerating the development of batteries of the future.
This event is in collaboration with the Faraday Institution.
This is a theatre and livestream event for an adult audience, where the speakers and audience in our Theatre are joined by our audience online.
The livestream will go live around 6.55pm, and the talk will begin at 7.00pm. If you register but miss the livestream, the video will be available to you via the same link for two weeks after the event date.
For more information on livestreams, see the information below, or visit our FAQs page. Please use the event link you have been provided with.
By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and accept the Ri's event terms and conditions. You also agree to abide by our code of conduct, and help to create a great experience for yourself and your fellow participants.
1 attendee
Royal Society - Feeding the world without costing the earth
The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, London, GBMeet world-leading researchers from universities and science institutions across the UK at the Royal Society’s public events of cutting-edge science. Tonight's lecture is "Environment Prize Lecture: Feeding the world without costing the earth" as the Environment Prize Lecture 2026 delivered by Professor Andrew Balmford FRS.
This livestream event is free to join and requires prior registration with the Royal Society at the web address below.
https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2026/06/environment-prize-lecture/
SUMMARY
The Environment Medal and Lecture 2025 is awarded to Professor Andrew Balmford FRS for groundbreaking contributions to conservation science, having built transformative partnerships and redefining the landscape of conservation education.Food production does more damage to wild species than any other sector of human activity, yet how best to limit its growing impact is greatly contested. Looking first at recent progress in encouraging less damaging diets and trying to cut food loss and waste, Professor Balmford will conclude that both are essential but far from sufficient. On the production side, field studies from five continents quantifying the impacts of different farming systems on almost 2000 individually-assessed species reveals, perhaps surprisingly, that land-sparing – adopting high-yield farming to in order make space nearby for natural habitats – consistently outperforms approaches focused on retaining wildlife within farms. Sparing also offers considerable potential for mitigating climate change. But delivering land sparing raises important challenges—in particular, identifying and promoting sustainable higher-yielding farm methods that are less environmentally harmful than current industrial agriculture, and devising mechanisms which ensure yield gains also deliver habitat conservation. These findings challenge current conservation orthodoxy but suggest that without novel collaborations between conservation and the agriculture sector we will not succeed in bending the curve of biodiversity loss.
SPEAKER
Andrew Balmford is Professor of Conservation Science in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, where his research focuses on how to reconcile biodiversity conservation with meeting human food needs and other land-demanding activities, on the effectiveness of conservation actions, and on the costs and benefits of retaining intact ecosystems. He collaborates closely with conservation practitioners and with colleagues in other disciplines including economics, agriculture and psychology.Andrew helped establish the Student Conference on Conservation Science, the Cambridge Conservation Forum, Earth Optimism and the Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits. In his book ‘Wild Hope’ - which has since inspired a TV series - he argues that cautious, evidence-based optimism is vital in tackling environmental challenges. Andrew was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2011.
## Attending the event
- The event is free to join, please register via register via Eventbrite
- Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually
### Attending online
- The lecture can be attended in person at the Royal Society
- Please note that as this is a free event, we anticipate that not everyone who reserves tickets will use them and we therefore make more tickets available than there are seats. You are highly unlikely to be refused entry but please be aware that admission is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed. Please arrive early to secure a seat
- This event is free to join. Pre-bookable
- please register via Eventbrite for a ticket
- Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually
- Doors will open at 6pm
Find travel and accessibility information on our website. Please email us with any access requirements or questions.
- You can take part in the live Q&A via Slido
- This event will be recorded (including the live Q&A) and the recording will be available on YouTube soon after the event
For all enquiries, please contact awards@royalsociety.org.
2 attendees
Henley Café Sci: The Murchison Meteorite
Henley Hockey Club, 353 Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames, GBBasingstoke Science Cafe enthusiasts are invited to the in-person talk hosted by Henley Cafe Scientifique on “The Murchison Meteorite”.
Please try to avoid last minute bookings. It can cause lots of administration especially when we are full. Thank you
To attend, please email the Henley Café Sci organiser directly at:
cafescihenley@gmail.comCafé Scientifique organises talks, usually given by scientists, followed by questions from the audience in the second half. They are a great opportunity to explore the latest ideas in science and technology, you don't need to be a scientist to enjoy the evening, everyone is welcome to ask a question or make a comment. Join us for tonight's talk:
SUMMARY
The Murchison meteorite fell to Earth in 1969, in rural Australia. It belongs to the rare CM group of Carbonaceous Chondrites and has a complex chemistry that gives rise to lots of questions about the origin of life - both on and off the Earth. Because of it's unique size it has been extensively studied and we will look at what has been discovered to date from this fascinating rock.SPEAKER:
Jim House, Reading Geological Society
and Member for Café Sci Henley____________________________________________________________________________________
HOW TO BOOK
These events can be very popular and MUST be booked in advance.To book your places(s) please email the Henley Café Sci organiser directly at cafescihenley@gmail.com. When he has confirmed your booking, please RSVP here so that we know you are coming and can look out for you.
The booking process remains as before
1. Café-Sci announce an event by sending members this announcement email
2. You respond by requesting a registration to attend live
3. If you subsequently find you are not able to attend, please advise as often there is a waitlist
4. You attend at the newly refurbished Henley Hockey Club, where a few members bring their own cushions
5. Avoid the Tesco Car Park, gates close at 9pm.
6. If we cancel, the notice will go those who registeredTIMING AND REFRESHMENTS
Please arrive from 7pm for a 7:30 start. Usual format is 45 min talk followed by 45 Q&A. Liquid refreshments are available at the bar.Admission is free, but the organisers ask for a voluntary contribution from about £3.
DIRECTIONS:
If coming into Henley along the Reading Road turn right at the roundabout towards Tesco, then first left and left again into the hockey club car park. The entrance is near the far end.Avoid the Tesco Car park, gates close at 9pm.
2 attendees
Gresham College: "On the Nature of Time According to Modern Physics"
Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL London, London, GBThis in-person theatre and livestream talk is available online from Gresham College to Basingstoke Science subscribers.
ADVANCE BOOKING AND PAYMENT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TALK.
More details and booking instructions on the Gresham web site:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/speakers/professor-robin-maySUMMARY
#### Part of:
The Sir Thomas Gresham Annual Lecture Series
What does modern physics have to say about the meaning of time? Is it a fundamental feature of reality or merely an emergent property from something deeper? Does time flow, and is the present moment special when Einstein tells us that all times coexist? Where does the arrow of time come from, if all the fundamental laws of physics are symmetric in time? In this lecture, Jim Al-Khalili examines many of these issues and gives our best guess answers as we understand the universe today.
This is the Annual Sir Thomas Gresham Lecture.
LIVESTREAM TIMING
The livestream will go live at 6.55pm, and the introduction will begin at 7.00pm. If you register but miss the livestream, the video will be available to you via the same link for two weeks after the event date.For more information on livestreams, see the information below, or visit our FAQs page. Please use the event link you have been provided with.
Gresham College has offered an outstanding education to the public free of charge for over 400 years. Today, Gresham College plays an important role in fostering a love of learning and a greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Please consider making a donation on their web site to support the work of Gresham College.
3 attendees
Past events
1781
Group links
Members
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