Livestream from AU: Coffee

Holluf Pile Library broadcasts a live lecture from Aarhus University about coffee - from plant to cup to body.

Botanist Anders Barfod has spent over 40 years studying tropical plant resources and presents the biology of the coffee plant, its wild relatives in the Coffea genus, and what exactly constitutes a coffee bean - plus the journey from the ripened bush to the finished cup. Natural resource economist Aske Skovmand Bosselmann examines the millions of farmers in the coffee belt along the Equator who together produce enough for 30,000 cups per second: historically this has cost forests and biodiversity, but under the right conditions, coffee cultivation today also delivers ecosystem services important for the climate. Research on how the crop fares in a changing climate is also presented.

Diabetes and nutrition researcher Kjeld Hermansen concludes by addressing coffee's health reputation. He reviews what research actually says about coffee and mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric disease, and type 2 diabetes - and presents his own research group's work on the mechanisms behind coffee's influence on diabetes risk. As a historical frame, the line is drawn back to 1665, when coffee was first introduced to Denmark.

No registration required - just show up.