Science & Cocktails: The Power of Marine Viruses

Tuesday 30 November 2021

In Tolhuistuin - Club

Doors: 19:00, Doors close: 23:00, Support: 19:15, Main programme: 20:00

This event is postponed due to the current corona restrictions. We are currently planning a new date for the event in cooperation with the artist. All ticket buyers will receive an e-mail with more details shortly, and will be informed when a new date is announced. Purchased tickets remain valid for the new date. For general information regarding postponements, see www.paradi.so/Ticketinfo.

Program is seated only

Science & Cocktails is a series of public talks by scientists with live music and smoky dry-ice chilled cocktails in your hand.

19:00 doors open for cocktails
19:15 Graeme James (live music)
20:00 Corina Brussaard (talk)

Event in English, semi-seated.

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Contagious Waves: The Power of Marine Viruses
Did you know that a glass of seawater contains 100 million viruses? Who will these viruses infect? Are these tiny parasites alive? Can viruses be infected by viruses? But more importantly, how important are they and what are the ecological consequences for seas and oceans? Now and in the future? Viruses are the most abundant life form in our oceans and seas. Viruses need a host to multiply and remarkably, many are available in the sea. Apparently simple, the absolute variety in viral shape, size and action make them complex to study. Most interesting, their collective ecological significance goes far beyond their local destructive parasitic action. For one, viruses are drivers of biodiversity; the variety and variability of life on Earth. Moreover, viral action results in the release of new viruses together with the content of the single-celled host, and recycling of this organic material is shown to stimulate the growth of other organisms. Marine Biologist Corina Brussaard and her team at NIOZ discovered that death due to viral infection is just as important as a predator killing its prey. At the same time, their impact on the flow of energy and matter differs strongly. The effects of viral activity on marine ecosystem functioning is still largely understudied. The devastating effects of global climate change on ocean life make it even more urgent to understand how environmental factors affect virus production. In her talk, Corina will take you along her exploration of the exciting world of marine viral ecology, from our coast to Arctic and Antarctic waters, and will reveal how these tiny entities can have such an impressive influence.

This event is an initiative by the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (DIEP) with the support of NWA Route2.

Science & Cocktails Amsterdam is presented in cooperation with Paradiso Amsterdam and acknowledges the support of New Scientist NL.

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Line-up

Club

Corina Brussaard
Graeme James

Corina Brussaard

Professor Dr. Corina Brussaard is senior team leader at the NIOZ - Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, and holds a special chair in Viral Ecology at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focusses largely on the ecological impact viruses have on host population dynamics and biogeochemical cycling in the seas and oceans. Brussaard has developed several key methodologies, amongst which rapid detection and enumeration of aquatic viruses. Her research demonstrates quantitative importance of viruses as mortality agents for algae, and contributes crucial understanding of the effects of global climate change on algal host-virus interactions. As such, her work has made key improvements to our understanding of how globally important viruses are as drivers of succession, biodiversity and overall ecosystem productivity. Brussaard is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, president of the International Society for Viruses of Microorganisms (ISVM), editor of FEMS Microbiology Reviews, editorial board member for the Phycological Society of America (PSA), and member of the advisory committee (round table) of Earth Sciences of NWO Domain Science.

Graeme James

New Zealand born Graeme James currently lives in the Netherlands and shares his rich stories and musical traditions of folk there. During his exciting and dynamic live shows, Graeme plays all the instruments as a one-man band and combines electric violin, guitar, banjo, bass, piano, baritone ukulele, mandolin, accordion, harmonica and percussion with the help of a loop pedal.

Luister naar muziek van Graeme James

How to get to Tolhuistuin

Tolhuistuin (formerly Paradiso Noord) is located at IJpromenade 2 in Amsterdam North. A free ferry is departing from Amsterdam Central Station to Buiksloterweg. Turn left and you’ll walk into Tolhuistuin. For club nights, the rear entrance is used (Buiksloterweg 5C), which can be reached via the Overhoeksplein.

Restaurant
Tolhuistuin also has a restaurant in which you can have a bite before the show. We advise to make a reservation in advance via this website.

Google Maps

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