Rebecca Lai, associate professor of chemistry, will compare the fantastic beasts from Harry Potter’s universe with a few of our more magical earthly creatures at 7 p.m. Nov. 7.

The latest in the university’s SciPop Talks! series, Lai’s presentation will take place at the Adele Coryell Hall Learning Commons in Love Library North, 1300 R St. The talk is free and open to the public.

Lai will introduce animals that, similar to Harry Potter’s Augurey, can forecast weather and predict earthquakes. She’ll explain how scorpion, bee and snake venom can aid cancer treatments and why snail secretions find their way into anti-aging face creams. And she’ll discuss how the wizards of Harry Potter use the hair of the mythical Demiguise to make invisibility cloaks.

Questions about the talk can be directed to Kiyomi Deards at kdeards2@unl.edu or 402-472-2554.