15th April – The Modern Bestiary with Joanna Bagniewska

Join Zoologist Joanna Bagniewska as she talks about bestiaries and beasts, and shares highlights from her book, The Modern Bestiary.

On Wednesday 15th April, PubSci is delighted to welcome zoologist and award-winning science communicator Joanna Bagniewska to The Old King's Head.

Truth is often stranger than fiction in the animal kingdom and it turns out we don't need to invent mythical beasts as the ancients did in order to encounter some genuinely wondrous animals.

From the familiar to the improbable, the gross to the endearing, Joanna will introduce us to some of her favourite creatures, including pyromaniac beetles, the baddest mice in the West, and sea slugs that actually decapitate themselves!

Arranged by elements (Earth, Water, Air), her book The Modern Bestiary looks at well-known species from new and unexpected angles alongside some lesser-known creatures, such as mice that howl at the moon, cross-dressing cuttlefish, and marsupials that literally mate themselves to death.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear Joanna share fragments from The Modern Bestiary as we discover that truth really is stranger than fiction when the world contains creatures so astonishing they make unicorns look rather commonplace.

Copies of The Modern Bestiary will be on sale in the break and after the talk.

The venue is PubSci's regular home, The Old King's Head near Borough Market, which offers a great range of drinks, has a happy hour before 7pm, and opens the kitchen serving classic pub grub especially for us.

See below for important booking details – please also check the FAQ.

PubSci presents accessible science talks in the comfort of a pub meeting room so you can enjoy top quality talks with a drink in your hand. No specialist knowledge is needed.

If you've ever been fascinated by ancient tales of dragons or medieval portrayals of curious and fantastical beasts, or if you simply love the bizarre and wonderful diversity of the animal kingdom, this is the talk for you.

Is nature stranger and more wondrous than even the most fevered imaginings of medieval illuminators?

Come to PubSci on Wednesday 15th April and decide for yourself!

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PubSci talks run for around 45 minutes, followed by a short break and a Q&A session. We aim to finish by 9pm. The Old King's Head has a happy hour before 7 and the kitchen serves traditional pub grub. The nearest tube is London Bridge (Borough High Street exit). See FAQs for more.

Booking is on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis.

Unfortunately Eventbrite doesn't make this easy, so please read on to understand how booking works.

Each ticket type has a separate allocation – please check both for availability.

• Book without donating (max 4 tickets) if you prefer to put cash in the pot on the night.
• Book for one + Support PubSci (max 1 ticket) if you'd like to contribute with your booking. You don't input a number of tickets, just the amount you wish to contribute which also reserves you one spot at the event.

If Book without donating is sold out, scroll to check Book for one + Support PubSci.

Multiple tickets

If you need multiple tickets, you could get one Support PubSci ticket for whatever amount you're comfortable with contributing for your group, then add the rest of your tickets for free as Book without donating. You can do this in one transaction, but how you book is up to you.

We normally also take a cash collection on the night for those who prefer to support PubSci that way but for January, we’ll be donating all cash to St. Mungo’s instead.

How much are tickets...?

There's no set 'price' – we trust you to contribute what you think is fair for an evening of great science. The precise amount is up to you, but the price of a pub drink is probably a good measure.

PubSci receives no other income. More information at the bottom of this page.

Zoologist and a science communicator, Joanna Bagniewska, is a departmental lecturer in environmental sciences at Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education, where she leads the Postgraduate Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques.

Joanna has a background in behavioural ecology and wildlife conservation,and her academic interests include conservation biology, behavioural ecology and citizen science. She has worked on species ranging from wombats and wallabies to mole-rats and jackals, and she co-runs the Oxfordshire Mammal Group.

Outside academia, Joanna works as a popular science writer, presenter and communications coach. She is passionate about science communication, having won the British Council’s FameLab Poland and the Wellcome-funded “I’m a Scientist, get me out of here!”, given a TEDx talk and performed at science stand-up comedy events.

Joanna is the author of The Modern Bestiary, co-author of The Communicating Scientist: A Practical Handbook, and a contributor to the children’s book Life: The Wild Wonders of Biodiversity.

is published in the UK by Wildfire. Copies will be available to buy after the talk.

PubSci is delighted to welcome Joanna as our April speaker.

PubSci presents accessible science talks in the comfort of a pub meeting room so you can enjoy top quality science talks with a drink in your hand.

It is an independent initiative run by volunteers, is not-for-profit, and receives no funding other than attendee contributions.

We believe science is for everyone and we want everybody to be able to afford our events, so we run PubSci on a Pay-What-You-Can basis. To contribute via Eventbrite choose "Book for one + support PubSci". To contribute on the night, please bring cash.

By making a donation, you make it possible for PubSci to put on events like this. If you're not sure what's a reasonable amount, we suggest the same as you'd pay for a drink at the pub. If you want to support somebody attending who can't afford it, consider putting in the price of two drinks.

Note: We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, but it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the upstairs room of a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access.

Check out our Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar. PubSci events will then automatically appear in your own iCal compatible calendar.

You can learn more about PubSci via our LinkTree and download our events programme here.

Please see the below for all your FAQs

Info: Order drinks and food at the downstairs bar, then join us upstairs.

Info: Introduction followed by the main talk.

Info: Stretch your legs, refill your glass, then come back for part 2. Timing is approximate.

Info: We aim to wrap up by 9pm.

Info: Carry on the conversation. Northern Line trains stop running at 10pm until late Spring 2026

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Old King's Head, King's Head Yard, London, United Kingdom

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