www.Scient i f icAmerican.com/Mind SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND 25

(calendar)

•Compiled by Frederik Joelving. Send items to editors@SciAmMind.com

cuss advances in our understanding of the disorder as well as the latest results from experimental treatments.Vancouver, B.C.www.worldcongress-hd.net

24 Will neuroscience transform na-tional security? Is a brain-dead

person alive or dead? Could new fi ndings in brain science undermine moral and criminal responsibility? These are a few of the controversial questions that ex-perts will take on at BRAIN Matters:

New Directions in Neuroethics, a cross-disciplinary conference host-ed by the Novel Tech Ethics research

team at Dalhousie University.Halifax, Nova Scotiawww.noveltechethics.ca/site_brainmatters.php

October

1 As many as half of us may suffer from a mental disorder at some point in

our life. Added to the burden of illness is the social stigma that people with men-tal health problems face. The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, sweeping over the country until October 22, tries to raise positive awareness about these issues through a series of concerts, film screenings and theater performances. This will be the third year for the festival, which is the largest of its kind in the world.Scotlandhttp://mentalhealthfestival.dreamhosters.com

8 Ancient wisdom and modern neuro-science will collide at Mind and Life

XIX, a two-day conference presided over by the Dalai Lama himself. Exploring the emerging intersections among their different fi elds, a panel of

September

7 When artists, anthropologists and neuroscientists gather at The Brain

Unravelled in London through Sep-tember 19, their creative efforts will range from paintings to performances to mixed-media works. In addition to the

exhibition, which includes a children’s area, the event offers a daily program of fi lm screenings, concerts, artist talks and lectures by renowned scientists. Informed by the latest research, the speakers will delve into the relation be-tween brains and minds, plumbing the deepest reaches of human experience: our consciousness. Londonwww.thebrainunravelled.com

9 Charles Darwin, in his 1871 book The Descent of Man, provoked his contem-

poraries by suggesting not only that our physical traits had evolved over time but also that our mental faculties had not al-ways been as keen as they are today. At the conference Evolution of Brain, Be-haviour & Intelligence in Cambridge, England, international scientists will dis-cuss advances made since Darwin’s time, drawing on results from species as di-verse as unicellular organisms and Nean-dertals. Darwin biographer James Moore will deliver the keynote lecture.Cambridge, Englandhttps://registration.hinxton.wellcome.ac.uk/display_info.asp?id=130

12 In Huntington’s disease, genetic mutations cause a protein known

as Huntingtin to become toxic to the brain, leading to movement disorders, problems swallowing and speaking, and eventually dementia and death. Hun-dreds of researchers and clinicians will convene in Vancouver at the 2009 Con-gress on Huntington’s Disease to dis-

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educators, scientists and contempla-tives will discuss ways to promote per-sonal and societal health. The Mind and Life Institute’s ultimate goal? To inspire a view of education that will “create com-passionate, engaged, and ethical world citizens.”Washington, D.C.www.educatingworldcitizens.org

17 Fraudulent mind reading, sleight-of-hand illusions

and con artistry—not exactly what you would expect to fi nd at the world’s largest forum for brain scientists, Neuroscience 2009. But among its myriad presenta-tions of cutting-edge research, the 39th annual meeting of the Society for Neuro-science features a different take on per-ception and memory as three renowned magicians present “Magic, the Brain and the Mind.” Workshops, posters and lec-tures will put a more serious face on the science, exploring the nervous system from every possible angle.Chicagowww.sfn.org/am2009

26 When we send criminals to pris-on, it is partly to punish them. But

if a brain scan were to reveal faulty emo-tional circuitry at the root of their mis-deeds, should that change the way we treat them in court? At Law and Neuro-science: Our Growing Understanding of the Human Brain and Its Impact on Our Legal System, international re-searchers will explore how neuroscience infl uences legal practice in Europe.Acquafredda di Maratea, Italywww.esf.org/index.php?id=5679

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