What do actress Isabella Rossellini and neuroscientist Helen Hou have in common? It turns out, a lot. On March 4, the two sat down for a live Q&A following a special performance of Rossellini’s new one-woman show, Darwin’s Smile, at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Inspired by Charles Darwin’s The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, the play shows how the worlds of art and science are closer than you might think.
Hou studies the expression of emotions in animals at CSHL. Right now, she’s focused on mice. But like Rossellini, her work also speaks to the human experience. And like Hou, Rossellini is deeply fascinated in biology. This was apparent as the two discussed Darwin, women in STEM, stage fright, and more. Press play to sit in on their full conversation at CSHL’s Grace Auditorium.
Want to see more? Click here to take a tour of Hou’s neuroscience lab—and keep an eye out for more to come from Rossellini and her friends at CSHL.