Not like the way of evolution - a discussion evening at the forefront of biological research with graduates of the Faymlab competition from Israel and Greece on the evening of 26/10 in Hamada

The entrance is free. The lecturers: Theo Anagnostopoulos from Greece and two Faymlab-Israel graduates, Michal Dekel andRoey Tsezana

Darwin's theory of evolution changed the face of the life sciences and provided far-reaching insights into the origin of man and species. The understanding of evolutionary principles combined with the rapid developments in genetics and computer science allow the human race for the first time to go beyond the limits of evolution and try "shortcuts".

Some argue that this is man's most blatant provocation in nature? Should we step beyond evolution? On 26/10 at 19:30, towards the end of the International Darwin Year, we will hold a science coffee-style discussion evening with the participation of PayLab competition graduates from Israel and Greece. and in collaboration with the British Council Israel. Moderator: Ohad Barzilai, who made it to the opening trio of Faymlab 3.

The upcoming activity, on Monday, is also intended for the general public, it is one of the closing events of "Darwin's Year" (200 years since his birth and 150 years since the "Origin of Species") and it is in the format of Cafe Scientific ("Science over a cup of coffee"). At the event we will hear 3 short lectures on the front of biological research, then we will conduct a discussion on ethical, legal, moral and other issues in small groups. The discussion in each group will be moderated by Faymlab graduates with the aim of hearing and voicing a variety of opinions, especially from those who do not have a biological background. The graduates of Faymlab, an annual competition - a kind of "a star is born for young scientists" - in which research students from all over the country have to speak for 3 minutes on a scientific topic in front of a non-scientific audience have joined together, and they organize science activities throughout the country for the general public.

The event is in collaboration with the British Council, which finances the beautiful science project in Southeast Europe, Hamada and the Greek famelab alumni group. As part of this collaboration, Dr. Theo Anagnostopoulos, a molecular biologist and geneticist, will come to the event especially from Greece, who will lecture on synthetic biology.

In the first part of the evening we will offer three short lectures, followed by a guided discussion in groups.

Guest lecture - synthetic biology

As mentioned, one of the lectures will deal with synthetic biology, with the lecturer being Dr. Theodore (Theo) Anagnostopoulos

Synthetic biology is a new and rapidly developing field that combines principles from the fields of engineering, chemistry, computer science and molecular biology. The field aims to secure the biological tools necessary for the creation and investigation of biological organs, biological devices and even new creatures or to redesign them for useful purposes.

No scientific achievement has offered such great promise, but also raised so great a risk that arguably could allow for deliberate misuse. What are the advantages and disadvantages and how can synthetic biology lead to "synthetic evolution"? (the lecture in English)

Theo Anagnostopoulos is a molecular biologist and geneticist whose research interests focus on human populations, hereditary diseases and reproduction. He has been active in the field of scientific communication since 2007. He founded the non-governmental organization SciCo www.scico.gr whose goal is to simplify scientific topics to be presented to the public in creative and fun ways. He was also one of the founders of the Green Project organization whose goal is to promote and encourage the use of renewable energy sources.

Babies by invitation from lecturer Michal Dekal

Have the reins of evolution passed into our hands? The scientific developments in the field of genetics will allow a person to control the various characteristics of his offspring. So what is the next step in evolution? Are we shaping it by genetic interventions? Do we have the power to bypass natural selection?

Michal Dekal graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in biotechnology and a master's degree in genetics and is currently working on her doctoral thesis on genomic stability in human embryos - in the early stages of development and in the stem cell lineages. This research was conducted in collaboration with the Genetic Institute at Tel Hashomer and the Center for Stem Cell Research at the Technion. Michal won first place in the 2007 "FaymLab" competition, which aims to identify the next voices of science in Israel, and has since represented Israel in various competitions throughout Europe.

Adam 2.0 is taught by Roi Tsezana

Are you satisfied with human evolution and its current product: your body? Are you ready to die of old age a little after the age of eighty, to suffer from obesity and diabetes, or to suffer from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's? Or maybe you want to transcend all this, bypass evolution and leap directly into the 2.0 version of the new man? In the lecture we will talk about the idea of ​​transhumanism and the technological ways in which we begin to expand our minds and bodies and ignore the blind determinations of Mother Nature.

Roi Cezana is a doctoral student in nanotechnology at the Technion who focuses on the research of tissue engineering and human embryonic stem cells. Apart from this, he also enjoys writing popular science in various magazines (Galileo, Hidan, Ynet, Blazer and more) and lecturing the general public on science, society and history.