The Oregon Humanities Center will host the second talk in its Wine Chat series with biologist Brendan Bohannan and philosopher Nicolae Morar on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Their talk, “Thinking about the Human Microbiome: From Concepts to Therapy and Human Nature,” will take place at 6 p.m. at Civic Wines and Winery, 50 E. 11th Ave. in Eugene. 

The human microbiome is a complex system of microorganisms on and in the human body that is crucial to many vital functions. Bohannan and Morar examined the concepts scientists use to think about the microbiome to determine the benefits and limitations of each, discovering that none of the labels capture the complexity of the human microbiome.

They conclude that the reason there is no clear description of the nature of the human-microbe system is that it is many things at the same time.

Bohannan is a professor of biology and environmental studies; Morar is an assistant professor of philosophy and environmental studies and a 2019-20 humanities center faculty research fellow.

The event is free and open to the public. Beverages and snacks are available for purchase. For more information call 541-346-3934.