LITTLE ROCK – The Science Café Little Rock, co-sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), will hold its next public forum, Charles Darwin: Man & Myth on Feb. 24. Panelists will discus Darwin’s scientific work on coral atolls, barnacles, plants, genetics and Arkansas geological fossils and strata.

Held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Vieux Carré Restaurant/Afterthought Bar

in Little Rock’s Hillcrest area, the Science Café is a relaxed opportunity for monthly exchanges with various experts. Admission is free and no reservations are needed. A variety of food and beverages are available for purchase.

This month, panelists from the Arkansas Master Naturalists, the Arkansas Geological Survey and the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) at Conway will lead the discussion. The moderator is Dorothy Miles, Ph.D., a UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute research associate and KUAR FM89 public radio news anchor/reporter.

Miles also will host a Science Café “Sneak Peak” KUAR-FM89 radio show. Each month a speaker from the Science Café panel will be a guest on the science talk show aired just prior (6:05 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.) to the monthly Science Café event. This month’s guest will be Mark Bland, an assistant professor of biology at UCA.

Science Café forums are held the fourth Tuesday of the month except for July, August and December. Future topics include: the Science of Love; Ecotourism; Genetics; Physics and Light; and Obesity. Check out the Web site for information on monthly speakers and topics at www.sciencecafelr.com.

For more information on future Science Café events, contact Linda Williams at 501-686-7418 or send an e-mail with “subscribe” in the subject field to sciencecafelr@gmail.com.

Science Café was created in partnership with UAMS, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) College of Science and Mathematics, Southwestern Energy, Central Arkansas Section - American Chemical Society, UAMS-Graduate School, KUAR-FM89 and the Arkansas Academy of Sciences.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a new 540,000-square-foot hospital, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,652 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com.