Science & Cocktails: The Power of Marine Viruses

The Dutch Government has taken extra measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, this event is postponed until further notice. We hope we can welcome you in Paradiso soon for this programme in a safe way. In cooperation with the artist, we already started looking for a new date for this event.

Ticket buyers who have purchased a ticket directly via our website will receive updates through e-mail. As soon as the final decision has been made whether the event is rescheduled or cancelled, it will be possible to request a voucher or refund. More information will follow through email. In the meantime, your ticket will keep its value. For general information regarding postponements, see www.paradi.so/Ticketinfo.

This is the postponed event of 25 March. Tickets bought for the original date are valid for this date.

Science & Cocktails is a series of public talks by scientists with live music and smoky dry-ice chilled cocktails in your hand. Marine Biologist Corina Brussaard will talk about the most abundant life form in our oceans and seas: viruses. Beforehand live music and contagious cocktails.

19:30 doors open for cocktails
20:30 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.

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.

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.