Suspense and discovery with Pint of Science

Image of the centre of our galaxy using information obtained from MeerKAT
Credit: South African Radio Astronomy Observatory

Nine scientists walk into a bar. Because they are there, 200 or so other people also walk into a bar. What do you have? A crowded and cosy bar full of people listening to scientists talking about their research over a drink in what has become a global science festival. This is Pint of Science!

Difficult conditions can be difficult to study: the journey of a little white pill

The problems with human subjects
Credit: xkcd

It all starts with a cause. Of course it does. Be it malaria, Alzheimer’s or something else – there is a reason to start looking for a cure. Sometimes, it’s easy. Traditional healing plants are obvious avenues for drug discovery. Sometimes, it’s hard. What do you do when bacteria become resistant to all known drugs? Or if you just don’t understand a disease enough to develop something that will target the underlying cause rather than just the symptoms. Whatever road is taken, drug development has to tick certain boxes, and contend with certain politics, before a pill ends up in your bathroom cabinet.