The Empiricist League, who we’ve branded, has their first event, “Darwin Vs Robot”  on Wedenesday, May 9th at the Lolita Bar at 266 Broome Street in Manhattan. Beer + science? What could be better?

Three amazing speakers will be presenting.

Darwin’s Devices: What Evolving Robots Can Teach Us About the History of Life and the Future of Technology

Biorobotics expert John Long creates robots that look and behave like extinct animals, subjects them to evolutionary pressures, lets them compete for mates and resources, and mutates their ‘genes’. In short, he lets robots play the game of life.  Professor Long will speak to the Empiricist League about his new book, Darwin’s Devices, where he tells the story of these evolving biorobots—how they came to be, and what they can teach us about the biology of living and extinct species.

Unleash the Bots of War: Envisioning the Robot Army of the Future

Noah Shachtman is the editor of Wired magazine’s national security blog, Danger Room, as well as a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution. He’s reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and the U.S. military’s classified military drone “cockpits” in Nevada. He has spoken before audiences at West Point, the Army Command and General Staff College, the O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, the U.S. Strategic Command Cyber Symposium, and the National Defense University. The Empiricist League is pleased to host a Q&A session with Mr. Shachtman on the topic of the robot hordes that will soon be marshaling their forces, and what it means for both our security and our very survival as a species.

God’s Mistakes: Bizarre Plants and Animals from the Frontiers of Science

Michael Malice is a horticulturist and subject of Harvey Pekar’s graphic novel Ego & Hubris. He is also the co-author of five books, including forthcoming works with Bret Michaels and D.L. Hughley. Mr. Malice will speak to the Empiricist League about the most grotesque inhabitants of the natural world.