Hello Science Inclined People,
I woke up to the news of more hate and violence. This time in Colorado Springs. I just want to say that we all need to be proactive. If any of us hears someone spouting hate, willful ignorance, or lies, we really need to stand up for science and how well we are informed by it in certain realms. I don't think there is anyone who is 100% single gender. Male or female? It's not always so simple Information Brief: SEX, GENDER AND GENETICS
It has been quite a week. On Nov 15 the world population passed 8 BILLION! That is terrifying to me. I don't know about you, but I have always wondered why so many think it is ok to harvest, extract, or mine until there's none of it left and then complain after it's all gone. It has gone from individual resources to most of or all of a habitat. That only leads to the problem of what to do with all of the waste we humans produce, especially in "advanced" countries or cultures (these cross national boundaries). Consider how we handle the need for a precious resource and how we fall for nonsense. Looking back at the earth from Artemis 1, the earth looks like it did 50 years ago from Apollo 17
I've said it many times but science (and art) are tools that help us understand how we fit in and how we can survive and thrive. Have you ever wondered why people squint? We humans have developed very precise measures of stuff but too often money is the easiest way to measure something and that is not very good way to look to the future. Some think that the resources of the planet should be shared more equitably as well. It used to be thought that humoralism was how to care for and treat our bodies. Sadly it seems that some of this continues as a kind of Toxic Treason Of Junk Science. We have much to learn. The Evidence Shows Big Fears Little Risks
A lot of the organizations are taking the week off so the number of opportunities to go and learn new things formally or informally is a bit reduced from normal. So I'm only going to suggest these.
- Go outside, find something beautiful, watch it and wonder. Then go learn about it.
- San Francisco Free Museum Weekend Dec 3-4 is coming. Check it out. Don't go where you're a member, go somewhere else!
- LIVE 7:15 a.m. EST (12:15 UTC), Monday, Nov. 21: Live coverage of Orion's first flyby of the Moon
One resource that is not often looked at for interesting data is the US Census. Here's an interesting looking resource if you are curious about how census data can be used... Census Academy
Here's a bit of great trivia. What patent for a very science based toy was issued 156 years ago today?
Now for some more links...
Artemis 1 Reference Guide for the serious fan who knows where Artemis is now.
Is Physical Law an Alien Intelligence?
Understanding the periodic table.
Here is some Food Science for one of the biggest weeks of American Culinary Science. I hope you have a great celebration with friends and family the next time you have a glass of cabernet with a hot, hearty meal, know that you are following a centuries-old tradition of keeping the cold at bay with food. 4 Food Items That Sound Healthy, But Really Aren't
Have a great week eating and learning. Remember it's much harder to learn too much than eat too much!
herb masters
Enjoy the Sound of Science
"I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative. Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could think was “It won the fight!” Albert Einstein:
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 11/21/2022
What can batteries teach us about memory devices? - Livestream - 11/21/2022 10:40 AM
UC Santa Cruz
As Moore’s Law is reaching its physical limits, novel types of computing systems are necessary to meet rapidly increasing computing demands. One such approach is compute-in-memory, which utilizes memory-logic hybrid devices called resistive memory that promises orders of magnitude improvements in energy efficiency. These resistive memory devices are made of transition metal oxides and have very different device physics compared to field-effect transistors made using covalent semiconductors. In this seminar, I will present the overlapping principles between Li-ion batteries and resistive memory. We discuss how both electrochemical redox and phase transformations, two core principles of batteries, can be used to better understand and engineer resistive memory devices.
Speaker: Yiyang Lee, University of Michigan
See weblink to attend online.
Insect Endosymbionts Mediate Adaptation to Changing Environments in a Montane Leaf Beetle - Livestream - 11/21/2022 12:00 PM
Sonoma State Biology Colloquium
Speaker: Dr. Nathan Rank, Sonoma State University Biology Department.
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar - 11/21/2022 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Speaker: Tony Heinz, Stanford University
See weblink for Zoom information.
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquia - Canceled - 11/21/2022 04:15 PM
UC Berkeley
Speaker: TBA
See weblink for Zoom information. In person attendance TBD.
Addressing HIV/AIDS, PrEP and STI After the Pandemic - 11/21/2022 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
In what we hope is the waning months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we'll take a look at other long-running issues relating to health care, healthy living, and access to care for the LGBTQ+ community.
Our expert panelists for this discussion are leaders in the efforts to reach LGBTQ+ people, informing them and connecting them to appropriate health care services.
Panel: Dr. Monica Ghandi, UC San Francisco; Craig Rouskey, Renegade.bio; Tristan Schukraft, Mistr.com
Attend in person or online
Tuesday, 11/22/2022
Meteorite hunting in Antarctica to uncover Solar System mysteries - 11/22/2022 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Emilie Dunham, UC Los Angeles
Christine Chen from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was originally scheduled to speak today.
Saturday, 11/26/2022
Drop-in at Palo Alto Baylands - 11/26/2022 09:00 AM
Palo Alto Duck Pond Palo Alto
Drop-in anytime between 9 am and 11 am to bird with us! SCVAS volunteers will be stationed at Palo Alto Baylands on the north side of the duck pond with binoculars and scopes to help you identify the huge variety of shorebirds and ducks that call the Bay Area home. No RSVP required.
Science Saturday: Monarch Madness - 11/26/2022 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Let’s celebrate the return of Pacific Grove's monarch butterfly population during Science Saturday: Monarch Madness. Join us at the Museum on November 26th and listen to the Monarch-themed musical stylings of the 5M’s Band, get an up-close view of butterflies, follow their migration, and learn about other pollinators. We encourage you to come dressed like your favorite butterfly!
Monday, 11/28/2022
Insects of the Night - Livestream - 11/28/2022 12:00 PM
Sonoma State Biology Colloquium
Speaker: Kevin Munroe, The Nature Conservancy
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar - 11/28/2022 02:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Speaker: Shahal Ilani
See weblink for Zoom information.
Clock for quantum and fundamental physics - 11/28/2022 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Precise control of quantum states of matter and innovative laser technology are revolutionizing the performance of atomic clocks and metrology, providing opportunities to observe emerging phenomena and explore fundamental physics. Recent advances include measurement of the gravitation time dilation over sub-millimeter distances and incorporating spin entanglement in clock operations.
Speaker: Jun Ye, University of Colorado, Boulder
Commissioner Darcie Houck, California Public Utilities Commission- Livestream - 11/28/2022 04:30 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar
Commissioner Darcie L. Houck was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) by Governor Gavin Newsom on Feb. 9, 2021. She formerly served as Chief Counsel for the California Energy Commission since 2019.
Commissioner Houck was an Administrative Law Judge at the CPUC from 2016 to 2019, a Partner at Fredericks Peebles & Morgan from 2005 to 2016, and Staff Counsel and Policy Advisor at the California Energy Commission from 2000 to 2005.
Commissioner Houck has expertise in matters concerning environmental equity, nuclear energy regulation, and safety policy. She has an extensive background representing Native American tribes throughout the country on matters involving energy, natural resources, land claims, and water rights, among others.
Commissioner Houck is a member of the California Indian Law Association, California Lawyers Association, Schwartz-Levi Inn of Court, Women Lead and the Association of Women in Water, Energy, and Environment. She earned a law degree from the University of California, where she also earned a Master of Science in community development.
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum: Heidi Baumgartner - 11/28/2022 10:00 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Speaker: Heidi Baumgartner, Stanford University
Room 126
Tuesday, 11/29/2022
Sleep and circadian misalignment during spaceflight - Livestream - 11/29/2022 12:00 PM
Stanford University
New insights into the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation instabilities during the last glacial cycle - 11/29/2022 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Cosmic Explorer - a next-gen gravitational-wave observatory - 11/29/2022 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Wonderfest: The Mathematics of Language - 11/29/2022 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Wednesday, 11/30/2022
The Science of Communicating Climate Change - Livestream - 11/30/2022 10:00 AM
Marine Mammal Center
Chromatin Club Bay Area - In Person Symposium - 11/30/2022 11:00 AM
Genentech Hall San Francisco
Making a head: how regulatory conservation underlies body plan disparity in deuterostomes - 11/30/2022 12:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Response of the Delta and Estuary to a major change in wastewater nutrient loading - Livestream - 11/30/2022 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
The James Webb Space Telescope: Our Giant Eye on the Invisible Sky - 11/30/2022 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Hardcore Natural History: Nature’s Extreme Events! - 11/30/2022 06:00 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Big Data to Find Treatments for Long COVID - 11/30/2022 07:30 PM
Marin Science Seminar San Rafael
Thursday, 12/01/2022
Ecological and Evolutionary Responses of Phytoplankton to Global Change and Their Potential for Climate Change Mitigation - 12/01/2022 12:00 PM
Polya Hall Stanford
NightLife: Holiday Bazaar - 12/01/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Light Science - 12/01/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
NightSchool: World's Most Endangered - Livestream - 12/01/2022 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Friday, 12/02/2022
Coastal Walk at Cowell-Purisima Trail - 12/02/2022 10:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 12/02/2022 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Autonomous Big Data Collection and Analysis in Electron Microscopy - 12/02/2022 02:00 PM
Tan Hall Berkeley
First Friday - Moving to Mars - 12/02/2022 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Introduction to Astrophotography - 12/02/2022 08:00 PM
College of San Mateo Bldg 36 San Mateo
Saturday, 12/03/2022
North Coyote Valley December BioBlitz - 12/03/2022 09:00 AM
North Coyote Valley Conservation Area San Jose
Glow Fest - 12/03/2022 11:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Fort Point Candlelight Tour - 12/03/2022 06:30 PM
Fort Point San Francisco
Sunday, 12/04/2022
Afternoon Hike at Mindego Hill - 12/04/2022 02:00 PM
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve Los Altos
Monday, 12/05/2022
Snake Fungal Disease: Distribution and Monitoring Techniques - 12/05/2022 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Symbolic Systems Forum - Livestream - 12/05/2022 12:30 PM
Stanford University
Marine Mammal Monday: Seal and Sea Lion Superstars of 2022 - Livestream - 12/05/2022 04:00 PM
Marine Mammal Center
Asteroid Mining: Stepping Stones to Solar System Exploration - 12/05/2022 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco