al-mofhariz

Announcing the most beastly event of the year . . .

• Calling all science geeks, nature freaks, and rogue geniuses

• Your stuffed squirrel got game? Got a beaver in your brownstone? Then enter it to win in the Carnivorous Nights Taxidermy Contest!

• Show off your beloved moose head, jarred sea cucumber, snake skeleton, raven remains, and other specimens. Compete for prizes and glory!

• Eligible for prizes:
--Taxidermy (bought, found, or homemade)
--Biological oddities (articulated skeletons, skulls—and beyond)

• The contest will be judged by our panel of savage taxidermy enthusiasts, including Robert Marbury, co-founder of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, and Dorian Devins, WFMU DJ and Secret Science Club co-curator

• Don’t miss the feral taxidermy talk by beast mistressMelissa Milgrom, author of the forth-coming book, Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy

• Plus!
--Groove to taxidermy-inspired tunes and video
--Imbibe ferocious specialty drinks!
--Meet and try to beat Grand Master…

According to conventional wisdom, 40 is the new 30. But how about 80 being the new 20? The search for a proverbial fountain of youth has been the subject of legend for centuries, but today the quest for a medical equivalent is the focus of intense research.

Molecular biologist Leonard Guarente pioneered the anti-aging field at MIT with his discovery of genes that control longevity. When activated, these longevity genes cause the body to conserve resources, and they’ve been found to “dramatically boost the life span of yeast, worms, mice and potentially humans.” Specifically, Dr. Guarente studies proteins called sirtuins, which regulate longevity genes and show great promise for developing therapies that slow aging. Dr. Guarente asks:
--Could future drugs decelerate the aging process and allow us to stay young longer?
--Could diseases of aging—cancer, Alzheimer’s, type-2 diabetes, and others—be prevented by prospective anti-aging medications?
--Could we extend not only our life spans, but …