Tag: Lizard Lounge

Evolutionary review!

scored a very favourable review in the April issue of the AEU Journal SA (Vol. 38, No. 2):

Evolutionary: The Man in the Lab Coat Evolved
Ben McKenzie

The erudite science communicator serving up their subject with passion and humour has a long and honourable lineage both in and out of the classroom, and Ben McKenzie, aka the Man in the Lab Coat, does not let the side down.

In his Adelaide Fringe show ‘Evolutionary’ downstairs in the Lizard Lounge on Hindley Street, this “amateur scientician” led us through the story of life on Earth, cramming billions of years, into an hour or so.

For him, it is the ultimate ‘Survivor’, where the winning contestants’ kids get to come back for the next episode. He also takes us on excursions into the life of Charles Darwin and the follies of the Creationists in their many mutations.

With a minimum of props – the blackboard, lectern, Cheezels and lab coat – and a warm and spirited delivery, Ben entertained and educated without dumbing down a fascinating and complex subject. And as a bonus, we had a few laughs, and a few humbling insights, on the journey.

Bookmark his web site https://benmckenzie.com.au, and catch his next show if you get a chance. Maybe bring your class along.
Jonathan Goodfield

Lift Off.

Tickets have started to sell for [intlink id=”46″ type=”page” anchor=”Evolutionary”]Evolutionary[/intlink] in the Adelaide Fringe, especially on the cheap nights (opening night and Tuesdays), so be sure and book in early via FringeTIX if you want to get in! Note also that the venue is the Basement Bar, not the Lounge Bar as originally advertised, though I’m still at the Lizard Lounge.

In other news, did I ever tell you about the research that suggests bats have an evolutionary trade-off between brain mass and testicle mass? A survey of bat species showed that the larger their brains, the smaller their testes, and vice versa.

I think there’s a message in that for all of us.