Hello Fans and Supporters of Science and Reason!
Here’s to The Most Beautiful Science of the Year. I realize that “new year” was over a month ago but consider the Universe in Verse. Richard Feynman inspired many scientists and non-scientists. He fought for reason and science for most of his life and was well known to non-scientist and scientist alike. I think this 3-part series from FREAKONOMICS might be worth your time… Richard Feynman
Do you know any college bound high school seniors? Maybe you have one and college is looking expensive. Here’s a cool scholarship that could help! The Science Saves Video Scholarship for college-bound high school seniors! “All of our lives have been improved by the discoveries of science. Describe an experience in your life that demonstrates that science does indeed save. The experience can be something that happened to you or someone you know.” The deadline for entry is midnight on May 6, 2024.
Interpreting science is a difficult activity sometimes. How do you know if your source of info is, in fact, correct and reliable? What do your blood test results mean? A toxicologist explains the basics of how to interpret them is an interesting read and complement to Every Picture Tells A Story: Death By Diagnostic Error! There is so much to learn… Big Fears Little Risks It seems that science can’t make up its’ mind! Then there is always “human nature” to be considered in how some discoveries become well known and only years later does the truth come out… A new history of the race to decipher DNA reveals Shakespearean plots of scheming.
History is full of amazing scientists and their ideas, discoveries or creations. We are often unaware of who they were and are. I think it is common and maybe even natural to not think about how people of many descriptions and from many places and cultures have been contributing for many lifetimes to help us understand the world, ourselves, and the universe. Guess what… You can “classify” scientists in many ways! Black Scientists Who Changed the World or 38 Scientists who happened to be Black
There has been a lot of speculation about how much science people accept and use to make some of their decisions. Politics this year has the chance to make things a whole lot better… or worse. Americans’ Trust in Scientists, Positive Views of Science Continue to Decline or A new poll examines how the US public views science and scientists. (2023) or How fringe anti-science views infiltrated mainstream politics — and what it means for 2024. That doesn’t even include the potential problem of AI-generated news anchors!
What do your blood test results mean? A toxicologist explains the basics of how to interpret them is an interesting read and complement to Every Picture Tells A Story: Death By Diagnostic Error! There is so much to learn… Big Fears Little Risks It is seems that science can’t make up its’ mind! Then there is always “human nature” to be considered in how some discoveries become well known and only years later does the truth come out… A new history of the race to decipher DNA reveals Shakespearean plots of scheming.
One of the few benefits we have due to covid is that many organizations had to go on line and people got to learn and enjoy from home. When the weather forecasts look like they do for the next few days there will be plenty of things to read (I included a bunch here) and watch! What's the link between cold weather and the common cold? If you get one…
Here are a few items that look pretty interesting and worth note this coming week…
1- Birdy Hour: Lend an Ear: Using Neuroscience to Study Hearing in Songbirds - Tue @ 6:00
2- Critical Environments - Wed @ 3:30 Who knows? This may give us some insight to how the elections and campaigns are going…
3- Celebrate Black History Month: Afrofuturism - Sat @ 10:00
Who knows? This may give us some insight to how the elections and campaigns are going… Wonderfest: The Sense of Fairness in Chimps and Children
You may have missed SexplOrations at the explO last week but they are starting up a longtime favorite program of mine, Pairings, this Thu? Do you like mushrooms? After Dark: Fruiting Fungi
Adding on to earlier… Six Black scientists who changed the course of history and 12 Amazing Black Inventors Who Didn’t Get Enough Credit
Mark you calendar for CSICon 2024 from Oct 24 to Oct 27 this year. The website isn’t up yet but hopefully it will be soon. You can get an idea of the speakers by looking at last years or here.
If there are must see presentations many of us missed this is one of them…Ancient human footprints in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum
Have you ever wondered what your blood test results mean? A toxicologist explains the basics of how to interpret them is an interesting read and complement to Every Picture Tells A Story: Death By Diagnostic Error! There is so much to learn… Big Fears Little Risks It is seems that science can’t make up its’ mind! Then there is always “human nature” to be considered in how some discoveries become well known and only years later does the truth come out… A new history of the race to decipher DNA reveals Shakespearean plots of scheming.
Don’t be discouraged by all of the conflicting stories and ulterior motives. NASA Science is a great place to get some hope and inspiration.
Thinking about the future? Here’s a message from Earth Day 2047. It might be time to upgrade not just our technology, but also our collective imagination.
There are a lot of links to watch and read this time. I hope they help you weather the storms! Here’s a trick, if you run into a paywall try pasting this in front of the entire url… http://12ft.io/
If you have any hot or cool tips for us, or just want to tell us what you think, please do! Drop a message to calendar@bayareascience.org Also, we don’t have an ad budget! Share this with people you think would like to get yet another weekly email, tell them it’s free and they should subscribe!-}
Have a great week and get wet and cold only when you want to!
herb masters
“Anything you don’t know is going to be hard at first, but if you stay the course, put the time and effort in, it will become seamless eventually.” — Jeanette Epps
Jeanette Epps is the first Black woman astronaut to visit the International Space Station. She also worked for the CIA and Ford Motor Company, for which she authored multiple patents.
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 02/19/2024
The Influence of Diet on Age-Related Neurodegeneration, from Flies to Humans - 02/19/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Dr. Kenny Wilson, Buck Institute
Finding Center: A Balancing Act between Circus and Science - 02/19/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Originally a physicist, Julia Ruth travels the globe entertaining audiences with her acrobatics. Her multiple careers enrich one another as she continues to meld the arts and sciences.
Speaker: Julia Ruth
Tuesday, 02/20/2024
Stanford Atmosphere/Energy Seminar - 02/20/2024 12:00 PM
History Corner (Bldg 200) Stanford
The Atmosphere/Energy Seminar is an interdisciplinary seminar with talks by researchers and practitioners in the fields of atmospheric science and renewable energy engineering. Addresses the causes of climate, air pollution, and weather problems and methods of addressing these problems through renewable and efficient energy systems.
Speaker: Robert Huppertz, Orbio Earth
Room 200-030
Chaotic quantum dynamics and the quantum geometry of spacetime - 02/20/2024 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Research in string theory has uncovered deep connections between strongly coupled quantum systems with chaotic dynamics and the quantum physics of black hole spacetimes. The realization of these ideas for cosmological spacetimes such as de Sitter space is much less well understood. After highlighting some of the challenges for finding a quantum mechanical description of an accelerating universe, we describe some recent progress towards this goal in the form of a close link between the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model and quantum de Sitter spacetime in low dimensions.
Speaker: Herman Verlinde, Stanford University
Gene Editing and the War Against Malaria - 02/20/2024 04:00 PM
Levinthal Hall (Humanities Center) Bldg 02-100 Stanford
CRISPR gene drive is a new technology, but it mimics a natural process that has been known since the 1950s. The genes in an organism sometimes subvert the ability of other genes in the same organism to produce gametes. Such genes are said to induce “segregation distortion” or “meiotic drive.” After explaining this evolutionary idea, Sober will describe how CRISPR gene drives work. Mosquitoes spread malaria to human beings. Rather than seeking to eradicate these mosquitoes, CRISPR gene drives are designed to modify the genes in mosquitoes so that they no longer spread the disease.
Speaker: Elliott Sober, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Room: Board Room
Birdy Hour - Livestream - 02/20/2024 06:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Speaker: Trina Chou, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Astronomy on Tap Tucson #95: India’s Solar Space Telescope + Astronomical Explosions - Livestream - 02/20/2024 06:30 PM
Astronomy on Tap
A Trial by Sun’s Fire: Designing a Telescope to Study the Solar Atmosphere with India’s First Solar Space Observatory
Speaker: Aafaque Khan
Fireworks in the Sky: a tale of one of the most energetic explosions in our universe
Speaker: Manisha Shrestha
On tap this month, we have Steward Observatory graduate student talking about India’s first solar space observatory, and Steward Observatory postdoc Manisha Shrestha teaching us about the most energetic explosions in the universe! And you won’t want to miss the latest Astronomy in the News with Steward postdocs Jackie Champagne and Danny Krolikowski!
Watch on YouTube
Wonderfest: The Sense of Fairness in Chimps and Children - 02/20/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Do non-human animals possess a sense of fairness? In particular, do non-human individuals react negatively when they get fewer resources than others? New evidence suggests that the sense of fairness is a human-unique adaptation to our cooperative lifestyles, typically developing in children by age 8. Further, a new theory suggests that, maybe surprisingly, fairness is not about resources, but about social respect.
Speaker: Jan Engelmann, UC Berkeley
This event was originally scheduled for September 26, 2023
Diversity and Distribution of the genus Boletus sensu stricto in the American Continent - 02/20/2024 07:00 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco San Francisco
Speaker: Roberto Flores Arzu, Biologist by San Carlos de Guatemala University-USAC
Attend in person or online via Zoom (see weblink)
Editor's Note: Michael Wood was originally scheduled to speak at this event.
Wednesday, 02/21/2024
As the world transitions to a new digital economy, access to digital technologies becomes a fundamental necessity for all. However, our adaptation to this new digital economy is significantly lagging behind, with many countries disconnected from the digital world and others failing to take necessary actions to prepare for the change. Welcome to a new global problem: The Digital Divide.
To address this growing gap and ensure the development of a more equitable society, we need to promote Digital Inclusion, which includes taking action in many areas such as technology, digital literacy, availability of resources and community support.
Speaker: Miguel Cordeiro, Director MyBusiness.com | CEO Media Invest Lisboa, Portugal
Moderator: Duarte Pinheiro, Executive Director, Center for Portuguese Studies
Critical Environments - 02/21/2024 03:30 PM
McCone Hall Berkeley
It is widely believed that “the environment” is in crisis; that humankind is degrading, contaminating, and transforming the natural world in unprecedented and urgently dangerous ways. The evidence for these claims come from diverse sources and disciplines, and it ranges in scale from the cellular to the planetary and from the immediate present to the geological. Critical environments acknowledges the reality and importance of these ideas, but refuse to take them at face value. Nature, science, and difference are not simply inert objects, methods, and identities. Instead, Professors Jake Kosek and Tianna Bruno understand them as vibrant and contested elements of critical and justice-oriented geography. This talk explores lives and ecologies that emerge together with histories of capitalism, militarism, racism, colonialism, and sexuality.
Speakers: Tianna Bruno and Jake Kosek, UC Berkeley
Energy Transition Towards Decarbonization: distributed energy resource aggregation, energy storage, and alternative energy - 02/21/2024 04:00 PM
Soda Hall Berkeley
The global energy transition toward a carbon-neutral future relies on the large-scale integration of renewables and electrification in transportation, civil infrastructure, and industrial manufacturing sectors. This talk addresses two challenges of this transition: (i) the aggregation of small but vast distributed energy resources (e.g., rooftop solar and electric vehicles) to balance global energy demand and supply under the recent landmark ruling of Federal Energy Regulatory Agency; (ii) the integration of battery resources for reliability, resiliency, and economic efficiency of future power grids with high penetration of stochastic renewable energy and inverter-based resources. To this end, we develop novel operation and market designs that coordinate and incentivize demands and supplies for power and energy systems reliability, resiliency, and market efficiency.
Speaker: Cong Chen, Cornell University
From Cancer to UAP - A Common Investigatory Framework to Study the Knowable - 02/21/2024 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Join us in person for a fascinating conversation with Garry Nolan, a cancer researcher at Stanford School of Medicine, whose scientific research interests extend to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).
The study of the unknown starts with an observation of nature that begs explanation. Science as a template for exploring nature, or phenomenon, proceeds according to rules laid out over at least two millennia in Western civilization alone. Framed against a universe now thought to be nearly 15 billion years old, what have we yet to learn, and what might others have learned separately from humanity?
Speaker: Garry Nolan, Stanford School of Medicine; George Hammond, Author, Moderator
Attend in person or online. Register at weblink.
Early Release Science with the James Webb Space Telescope: Nested Dust Shells Around the Wolf-Rayet Binary WR 140 - 02/21/2024 07:00 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers San Francisco
Understanding the journey of stellar dust - the collection of heavy elements and formation of complex molecules - is crucial to understanding the later formation of planets, organic compounds and life. How does this dust survive the intense radiation of nearby stars? How do these molecules become distributed throughout the universe? Dr. Madura has been studying recent JWST data from Wolf-Rayet binary star system WR 140, which yields predictable dust-formation episodes every 7.93 years. Indeed, mid-IR spectra indicate ring patterns of carbon-rich molecules surrounding WR 140, giving fresh insight into the formation and survival of carbonaceous dust. Dr. Madura will also bring 3D printed models of MIRI images, which he uses when teaching astronomy to individuals with visual impairments.
Speaker: Tom Madura
Editor's note: This was originally listed for January 21 in error
Nerd Nite SF#139: Hiking Trails, Gender Equity in Medical Research, and the History of the Presidio - 02/21/2024 07:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
Hidden History of the Presidio/Marina
Speaker: Lucas Ho
What are the earthquake shacks? How did Laguna St get its name? Where was Irish coffee introduced to the US? Learn all this, and more hidden history of the Presidio/Marina.
Lucas is a software engineer living in San Francisco who was born and raised in the Bay Area. He previously worked with the authors of Walking SF’s 49 Mile Scenic Drive to create a walking tour app, which inspired a walking tour he led, which inspired this Nerd Nite talk.
The Wild World of Trail building
Have you ever been hiking on a trail and wondered, “how did this get here?” Trail crew leader Joe Gibson will peel back the curtain on the subtle art of trail building, sharing a glimpse of the techniques, philosophy, and science that go into making a hiking trail seem like it has been there since time immemorial. We will explore the arcane profession of trail work, with all of its culture, quirks, and adventure. You’ll never look at a trail the same!
Speaker :Joe Gibson is a writer, photographer, and trail crew leader based in San Francisco. You can follow his project to document trail work and trail workers at trailcrewstories.com and @trailcrewstories on social media.
Gender Equity in Medicine and Science
Gender inequities are found throughout medicine and science. Stories about men and women physicians and scientists from across the US will be shared with the goal of making inequities visible and identifying potential solutions.
Speaker Bio:Dr. Jennifer R. Grandis is a physician scientist who is interested in the impact of gender on career development in medicine and science. She is an ENT surgeon who studies head and neck cancer with the goals of enabling precision medicine studies. She has leveraged her access to head and neck cancer patients and their biospecimens to optimize translational research studies that include developing novel therapies in the laboratory for clinical application as well as generating and interrogating relevant preclinical models to determine the underlying mechanism of clinical findings.
Nerd Nite Co-Founder to Guest with OFFICIAL Nerd Nite Book
To celebrate the release of HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE FUNGI, book contributor Kelly Jansen and Matt Wasowski, Nerd Nite co-founder and co-author, will be our special guests for the night! Books will also be available for purchase from Book Passage at the event!
Thursday, 02/22/2024
Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities and Defenses for EV Charging Systems - 02/22/2024 01:30 PM
Environment & Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
This talk will cover cybersecurity vulnerabilities discovered in private and public electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) systems and technologies that can reduce the risk of cyberattacks on these systems. Cybersecurity researchers have recently identified several vulnerabilities that exist in EVSE devices, communications to electric vehicles (EVs), and upstream services, such as EVSE vendor cloud services, third party systems, and grid operators. The potential impact of attacks on these systems stretches from localized, relatively minor effects to long-term national disruptions.
Speaker: Jay Johnson, DER Security Corp
Room 292A
Patience is a Virtue: The 15-Year NANOGrav Gravitational Wave Results - 02/22/2024 03:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
This past summer, the pulsar timing array community announced strong evidence for the presence of a stochastic background of nanoHertz frequency gravitational waves. This has been the primary goal of the community for the past two decades, and it took thousands of hours of telescope time, over 500,000 pulse arrival times from ~70 millisecond pulsars, and a highly sophisticated and very computationally demanding analysis effort to accomplish.
Speaker: Scott Ransom, University of Virginia
Twelve Fast, Experimentally-Vetted Ways to Reduce Denial of Human-Caused Global Warming - 02/22/2024 04:00 PM
Berkeley Way West Berkeley
This talk’s content might transform your 2024 Thanksgiving conversations! Our experiments show that a dozen different brief (usually under-five-minute) “hunks” of scientific information increase acceptance (among conservatives and liberals alike; i.e., without polarization) that anthropogenic Global Warming (GW) is occurring/concerning (e.g., Ranney & Velautham, 2021).
Speaker: Michael Ranney, UC Berkeley
NightLife: Noise Pop - 02/22/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
We’ve got live music down to a science. Noise Pop Music and Arts Festival returns with a special guest. Stay tuned for details!
After Dark: Fruiting Fungi - 02/22/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Did you know that mushrooms are the fruiting body of fungi? Hidden among forest floor and decaying logs, these ephemeral organisms are way more than a forager’s delight or a (sometimes) tasty dish. Join us for a fungi-tastic evening of mushroom identification and cultivation. Discover local specimens, use mushrooms for art, and then catch a live cooking demonstration at the return of our food science event Pairings!
Ages 18+
Electric Vehicle Financial Incentives - 02/22/2024 07:00 PM
City of Sunnyvale
Think you can’t afford an Electric Vehicle (EV)? Think again! Learn about the many financial assistance programs available for purchasing an EV. This webinar is available in Spanish and English. For more guidance, opt-in for a free consultation in the post-event survey.
Friday, 02/23/2024
Current Developments and the Future of Photovoltaic Technologies - 02/23/2024 02:00 PM
Etcheverry Hall Berkeley
The global PV market experienced consistent growth in the last decades that can well be called unparalleled. Since 1992 it is achieving an average annual growth rate above 30%!
PV technology will continue to grow in energy conversion efficiency at ever-falling cost. We started with the old industry standard PV technology, based on crystalline Si wafers, and characterized by an Al backsurface contact on a p-Si wafer. About 10 years ago this was replaced by Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact technology (PERC), where the wafer backside is covered by a well-passivating layer. Now we are at the brink of the third generation of c-Si PV technologies. There are fundamentally two third-generation technologies available,
Speaker: Eicke Weber, European Solar Manufacturing Council
Room 3108
Accelerating Deep Decarbonization of US Transportation Modes - 02/23/2024 03:00 PM
O'Brien Hall Berkeley
Climate change is already causing large damages from sea level rise, drought, and extreme weather. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (often called ‘decarbonization’ reflecting the role of carbon dioxide in greenhouse warming) is imperative if these costs are to be mitigated or reduced. This seminar will draw on work from the National Research Council’s Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States study committee reports as well as the speaker’s personal views. Policy actions include (1) Improve energy efficiency and productivity, (2) Electrify transportation as much as possible, (3) Decarbonize power generation, (4) Build critical network infrastructure, (5) Mitigate non-energy greenhouse gas emissions and (6) Innovate to create a net-zero toolkit. At the same time, the US should pursue socio-economic goals to insure just and sustainable transitions.
Speaker: Chris Hendrickson, Carnegie Mellon University
Saturday, 02/24/2024
Celebrate Black History Month: Afrofuturism - 02/24/2024 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
This Black History Month, join Chabot Space and Science Center in a celebration of Black scientists, scholars, and artists of the past, present, and future. Afrofuturism is an activist aesthetic movement that imagines the future through a Black cultural lens. Through music, art, and storytelling, Afrofuturism imagines a just future rooted in Black liberation. Come join us in a day of hands-on activities, presentations, and live demos for the whole family.
Salamander Search at Sanborn - 02/24/2024 10:30 AM
Sanborn Science and Nature Center Saratoga
Sanborn is famous for its amphibians; you just need to do some extra searching to find them! Join us for a fun day of looking under rocks, logs, and other unique hiding spots that Sanborn’s Salamanders call home!
Ages 4 - 12, with registered adult
Register at weblink
Stewardship Saturday: Navigating the Bay Shore with Cafe Ohlone - 02/24/2024 11:00 AM
Coyote Hills Parking Lot Fremont
Join Cafe Ohlone, Coyote Hills Regional Park, and The Marine Mammal Center as we embark on a winter hike through the marshes, along the bay shore, and up the hill, led by Cafe Ohlone co-founders and chefs Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino. Learn about Ohlone language, culture, and history; how the Ohlone people use shoreline plants; and the importance of protecting the bay for humans and marine mammals. Our hope is that you leave this event knowing more about Ohlone culture, as well as what you can do to conserve local ecosystems and traditions.
Intended for high school students
Parking passes and lunch will be provided.
Makerspace Science Talk with Dan Palance - 02/24/2024 11:30 AM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center Santa Cruz
Join us for an informative presentation by Dan Palance on marine hotspots and their significance to coastal communities. Dan’s research uses hotspot concepts and advanced modeling to forecast shifts in top predator habitats and their prey. He collaborates with a large team from NOAA, UCSC, and beyond to bring cohesion to various hotspot definitions. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights into the future of marine ecosystems and their impact on our coastlines.
Family Bird Walk - 02/24/2024 12:00 PM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont
Let family walks become a shared time of nature learning. We’ll begin by helping kids create their personal bird watching field guides, and then head out onto the trails to find those birds. A limited number of binoculars are available to borrow. Recommended for children ages 5-10. Extreme weather conditions could cancel. This program is led by Ken Roux. Tickets are free but are in very limited numbers. Reservations through Eventbrite are required. Please include your telephone number so that we can confirm that you are going.
Register at weblink
Especially recommended for families with children ages 5 - 10.
Twilight Marsh Walk - 02/24/2024 05:00 PM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont
Take a relaxing walk in an area that often has striking sunsets while learning about the Don Edwards SF Bay Refuge.
Experience the salt marsh at twilight on an easy stroll along refuge trails (about .6 miles). At the setting of the sun we will observe the beginning of nature’s night shift. Come discover the sights, sounds, and smells of the refuge as night descends. Not suitable for young children. Tickets are limited. If you are not able to attend please cancel through this website. You can also call 510-377-5659 for help if you cannot cancel and someone on the waitlist will be notified. This program is led by Mary and Gene Bobik.
Monday, 02/26/2024
Understanding Aging: The Importance of Taking out the Trash - 02/26/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Dr. Hiroshi Ebata, Buck Institute
Surprises in the n-type cuprates - 02/26/2024 02:30 PM
Birge Hall Berkeley
The n-type cuprates have long been considered the little cousin of the p-type cuprates, with an apparently simpler phase diagram dominated by antiferromagnetic correlations. Through angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies, we reveal that there are surprises and important insights to be learned from a prototypical n-type cuprate Nd2-xCexCuO4. In the first part of the talk, I will show our recent experimental progress culminating in the observation of Bogoliubov quasiparticles in the n-type cuprates for the first time with ARPES.
Speakers: Ke-Jun Ben Xu, Stanford University
Mechanotransduction in unexpected places - 02/26/2024 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Speaker: Rose Hill, Stanford University
Spinning Tales: Exploring Muons - 02/26/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Dr. Maarten Golterman will delve into the fascinating world of muon anomalous magnetic moment and its implications through the lens of quantum field theory.
Speaker: Maarten Golterman, San Francisco State University
On the many-body physics of embryonic development - 02/26/2024 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
While the complexity and robustness of embryonic development are plain to see, a physicist might ask whether there are simple principles that underlie them. Can we ever have a “Theory” or is it just a matter of filling up repositories of data, tabulating what happens, but not why? Focusing on the development of a sea squirt, we develop theoretical approaches pointing to the origins of the embryo’s mechanical and chemical dynamics based on recent live-imaging and single-cell gene expression measurements.
Speaker: Madhav Mani, Northwestern University
Geologic Hydrogen - A Critical Part of a Net-Zero Strategy? - 02/26/2024 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Hydrogen is projected to play a significant if not crucial role in the future energy mix, with the IEA forecasting an increase of almost an order of magnitude compared to hydrogen consumption today. This increase is driven by the possible dual use of hydrogen: to provide a clean or green high energy density fuel as well as a clean “chemical building block” towards more circular sustainable chemical manufacturing industries. Current technology to produce large volumes of hydrogen with low/zero CO2 footprint at competitive low cost (e.g. < 1 USD/kg) struggle to scale to the projected volumes needed in a few decades. Methane reforming or electrolysis routes appear inadequate to scale up fast in either a carbon-neutral or a cost-effective way for some time to come. Without a realistic view to low-cost bulk volume hydrogen, the energy transition may significantly slow down.
Speaker: Dirk Smit, Oxford University
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Dark Energy: Past, Present, and Future - 02/26/2024 07:00 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Dark Energy was initially suggested as an explanation for the accelerated expansion of the cosmos, yet its true nature remains unknown. In this lecture, we will explore this mysterious aspect of the Universe alongside the human stories of discovery. We will begin by revisiting the discovery of the expanding Universe and the rise of the Big Bang and the cosmic inflation. I will then discuss the motivation for dark energy and its current state of study, including emerging inconsistencies in our measurement of the expansion rate of the Universe from different probes. Finally, we will look ahead to future experiments and theoretical considerations that can help refine our understanding of the Universe.
Speaker: Sandy Yuan, Stanford University
Register at weblink. Attend in person or online.
Tuesday, 02/27/2024
Who Gets to Discover the Unknown - The Rubin LSST Ecosystem and the Future on the Cosmic Frontier - 02/27/2024 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Understanding Dolphins Through Their Sexual Behavior - Livestream - 02/27/2024 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Teaching Language Models how to coordinate - Livestream - 02/27/2024 07:00 PM
IEEE Computer Society of Silicon Valley
Wednesday, 02/28/2024
Transforming culture in marine biology, one diver at a time - Livestream - 02/28/2024 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Combining aquarium husbandry and genomics in the pathway to marine ecosystem regeneration - Livestream - 02/28/2024 03:40 PM
Estuary and Ocean Science Center
The Ocean & Humanity - Toward a Symbiotic Existence - 02/28/2024 05:30 PM
Ocean Plant San Francisco
Astromycology in Space Exploration - Livestream - 02/28/2024 06:00 PM
Night Sky Network
Data Science for Social Good - 02/28/2024 07:30 PM
Marin Science Seminar San Rafael
Fascinating mushroom spores - 02/28/2024 07:30 PM
Bay Area Mycological Society Berkeley
Thursday, 02/29/2024
Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium - Robert Stevens - 02/29/2024 12:00 PM
San Jose State University San Jose
Electric Fireside Chat with San Francisco Commissioner Angelique Tompkins - Livestream - 02/29/2024 12:00 PM
San Francisco Environment Department
Chante Harris, Urban and Climate Innovation Champion - Livestream - 02/29/2024 12:15 PM
Stanford Energy
Network-aware Methods for Measuring Economic Inequality - 02/29/2024 12:30 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
AI-Assisted Power Grid Dispatch and Control - 02/29/2024 01:30 PM
Environment & Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
UC Berkeley Astronomy Colloquium - 02/29/2024 03:30 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Using Communication Science to Communicate USGS Science - Livestream - 02/29/2024 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
NightLife - 02/29/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Simple Machines - 02/29/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Friday, 03/01/2024
Computational Approaches for Understanding and Engineering Biomolecular Condensates - 03/01/2024 02:00 PM
Etcheverry Hall Berkeley
First Friday Nights - 03/01/2024 05:00 PM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
Public Astronomy Viewing Nights - 03/01/2024 07:00 PM
Sonoma State University Public Astronomy Rohnert Park
Experiencing the Great North American Eclipse! - 03/01/2024 08:00 PM
College of San Mateo Bldg 36 San Mateo
Saturday, 03/02/2024
Building Scalable & Reliable AI apps with Cloud Native Technologies Workshop - 03/02/2024 09:30 AM
Hacker Dojo Mountain View
Salamander Search at Sanborn - 03/02/2024 10:30 AM
Sanborn Science and Nature Center Saratoga
Randall Museum Science Festival - 03/02/2024 10:30 AM
Randall Museum San Francisco
Nike Missile Site Veteran Open House - 03/02/2024 12:00 PM
Nike Missle Site Mill Valley
Will California’s End-of-life Law Help You If You Need It? - Livestream - 03/02/2024 03:00 PM
Bay Area Humanists
Sunday, 03/03/2024
Solar Observing - 03/03/2024 01:30 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
Monday, 03/04/2024
Conservation & Ecology of the Red-legged Frog - 03/04/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Does Moral Practice Need Moral Theory? - 03/04/2024 12:30 PM
Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg 460) Stanford
Controlled Nuclear Fusion: Scientific Achievement or Power to the Grid? - 03/04/2024 03:30 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Colloquium Series Menlo Park
How does the brain know it's cold? - 03/04/2024 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
A Magic Show of the Neutrinos - 03/04/2024 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
UC Berkeley Physics Colloquium - 03/04/2024 04:15 PM
Physics North Berkeley
Navigating Africa's Trifecta of Energy, Climate, and Development with Pragmatism - 03/04/2024 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
NASA Spacecraft Swarms for Low Earth Orbit and Beyond - 03/04/2024 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco