Hello again science fans, سلام بازهم علاقمندان علم
(Over 50,000 Bay Area residents speak Persian at home. Only about 60% of Bay Area residents speak English at home.)
ARCHAEOLOGY
The 6 tonne “Altar Stone" of Stonehenge may have been quarried and transported about 750 km from northern Scotland about 48 centuries ago. That’s a long way during an era before the invention of the wheel. Transport by sea to southern England would have been far easier than an overland route, and is consistent with archaeological evidence of sea trade during that era. [Since you are a SciSchmooze reader, i’m guessing you strongly doubt UFOs did the heavy lifting.] A team of mineralogists from Western Australia and England used textural analysis, U-Pb (uranium-lead) dating, and Lu-Hf (lutetium-hafnium) dating of the minerals apatite, zircon, and rutile (titanium oxide) to match the Altar Stone to rock outcroppings in Scotland.
More fossils have been found of the ‘Hobbits’ (Homo floresiensis) that lived on Flores Island of Indonesia a hundred centuries ago. These meter-high, bipedal, tool users may have diverged a thousand centuries ago from a population of Homo erectus erectus (Java Man) that lived 750 km away. (Hmmm. This is the second time i’ve typed “750 km”.)
ENVIRONMENT
Last month, the White House announced that US government agencies would phase out using single-use plastics by 2035 but would not support a United Nations treaty to curb the production of plastics. In a quick about-face, the US Government announced this week that it will indeed work to draft and support such a treaty. The president of the American Chemical Council responded, “With today’s shift in position to support plastic production caps and regulate chemicals via the UN Plastics Agreement, the White House has signaled it is willing to betray U.S. manufacturing and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports.” Nations will be sending representatives to Busan, South Korea in November to work on drafting the treaty.
The practice of allowing some portion of farmland to go fallow - unplanted - for a season or two increases the health of the soil, but it also means sacrificing some immediate income. Along come solar panels to the rescue. The strategy is to cover a portion of farmland with easels of solar panels which earn income by selling electricity to the regional power company. After a year or so, move the panels to a different plot of land, and put the refreshed plot back into growing crops. Another benefit is an increase in the populations of native insects to pollinate the crops.
This year, farmers in 6 states planted soybean seeds covered with a fungus supplied by an Australian company. Weird, huh. This particular species of fungus helps to improve the soil and also sequesters extra carbon from the atmosphere. If all goes as expected, the practice could become worldwide with a variety of crops.
Grocery stores and other retailers in the U.S. toss out over 2 million tonnes of food every year. There’s an app for that. FlashFood and Too-Good-to-Go will connect you with stores that set aside food nearing the toss-by date.
RAFFLE
We are offering a colorful t-shirt, “Fueled by Mitochondria & Coffee.” Just send an email before noon Friday to david.almandsmith [at] gmail.com with your guess of an integer between 0 and 1,000. You will get to choose the base t-shirt color. Last time, Louisa’s guess of 125 won her a science-themed coffee mug.
CLIMATE
Improving the efficiency of the engines used in those big 18-wheeler tractor-trailer rigs is a good way to reduce the amount of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere. ¿Right? Wrong! Careful modeling revealed that improving their fuel mileage would make hauling by truck more profitable and result in fewer goods being transported by rail - a far more climate-friendly alternative. Powering those trucks with electric motors, however, would greatly reduce CO2 emissions.
About 8% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. come from the health care sector.
Major contributors:
single-use plastics
single-use surgical instruments and medical kits
desflurane (an anesthetic that is a powerful greenhouse gas)
poor practices in the production and transportation of pharmaceuticals
unnecessary medical tests
asthma inhalers containing hydrofluoroalkane (equivalent to half a million cars)
A huge benefit would come from virtual/Zoom visits when appropriate. The US Department of Health and Human Services has called for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions of the health care sector by the end of this decade.
¿Want climate change optimism? Watch this 11-minute video featuring the deputy editor of Our World in Data and an Oxford University scientist, Hannah Ritchie, PhD. (Hint: I turned on subtitles to cope with the Scottish accent.)
MY PICKS of the WEEK (Hint: save dates & times to your mobile phone)
Well, dang! There’s a whole lot of intriguing science stuff this week.
Mapping our Galactic Backyard Mon 7:30 PM, Morrison Planetarium, S.F., $
Wonderfest: The Most Famous Equation Tue 7 PM, Novato
Nerd Night SF: Antimatter, Semiconductors, Beavers Wed 7 PM, S.F., $
Saving Your Mental Health from the Wellness Industry Livestream Thurs 4 PM
What’s the (Dark) Matter with our Universe Thurs 5 PM, Menlo Park
NASA’s Mission to Touch the Sun - Parker Solar Probe Thurs 5:30 PM, S.F.
Real Space Science Vs Hollywood Livestream & In Person, Sat 7:30 PM, Oakland
Why Tides Matter Sun 10:30, Alviso
Sunset Raptor Encounter in Coyote Valley Sun 5:30 PM, San José
RIGHT NOW!
This issue would not be complete without including two newsworthy items.
A worrisome outbreak of a more contagious mpox virus in Africa. The mpox virus outbreak two years ago was mostly spread by sexual contact, but this one spreads far more easily and is deadlier. Unlike COVID, however, mpox is not spread by airborne transmission.
FUN (?) NERDY VIDEOS
The Problems with Microplastics - The Right Chemistry - Joe Schwarcz - 4 mins
Quantum Origin of Galaxies - Veritaseum - Derek Muller - 5 mins
Dark Matter Matters - Sabine Hossenfelder - 5.5 mins
Battery Advances - Just Have a Think - Dave Borlace - 11 mins
Greenland’s Glacial Rivers - NASA - 12 mins
Pure Information Emits Heat - Up and Atom - Jade Tan-Holmes - 17 mins
Jigsaw Puzzle Robot - Mark Rober - 20 mins
We’re All Plastic People People Now - PBS - 56 mins
Name-calling and casting aspersions is not what i expect of myself or of those who represent me.
Have a great week,
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“Dubito, ergo sum, vel, quod idem est, cogito, ergo sum.”
(I doubt, therefore I exist - or what is the same - I think, therefore I exist.)
René Descartes (1596 - 1650) French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 08/19/2024
August Butterfly Walk - 08/19/2024 01:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Join Garden volunteers Sally Levinson and Andy Liu for a guided walk through the Garden in search of butterflies, as you learn about their plant relationships and amazing life cycle. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Registered children welcome. Pre-registration is required, space is limited. Groups larger than 6 people, please contact us to make separate arrangements for a private tour.
This walk follows uneven terrain, with areas of paved and unpaved trail. For accessibility inquiries, please email gardenprograms@berkeley.edu, or call 510-664-7606.
All program fees include same-day admission to the Garden, rain or shine.
Mapping our Galactic Backyard - 08/19/2024 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Join us on a journey through the Sun's galactic backyard as we explore our corner of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Using the latest 3D models enabled by the Gaia space astrometry mission, we will map the nearest 10,000 light years around our solar system, revealing nebulous clouds of interstellar gas, giant cavities carved out by powerful supernova explosions, and a colossal wave-like structure along the closest spiral arm to Earth. We will discuss how these gaseous structures are shaping and being shaped by the youngest generation of stars, and how us Earthlings are getting a front-row seat to all the action as we voyage through the Milky Way.
Speaker: Catherine Zucker, Harvard University & Smithsonian Institution
Wednesday, 08/21/2024
Elucidating driving mechanisms in North Atlantic: Physics-informed and trustworthy ML for ocean science - Livestream - 08/21/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Speaker: Maike Sonnewald - Assistant Professor, UC Davis
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Climate Adaptation Science Fair - 08/21/2024 06:00 PM
KQED, The Commons San Francisco
We want to stay in the Bay Area...but how?! Between the housing crunch and atmospheric rivers it's been a little stressful.KQED, The Lawrence Hall of Science, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Children's Creativity Museum are teaming up to create an event all about solutions. Discover how we can adapt our homes and communities to keep up with the changing climate. Learn about home electrification, housing density projects, how to make your own air filter, and how one little poppy is popping up in the wake of fires.This event includes interactive activities for children ages 6-12, and adults will be able to talk one-on-one with Cal scientists and KQED reporters at booths centered around a theme. Snacks and drinks are included.You can hear more about what Bay Area residents are doing about the overlap between climate and housing crises on KQED's podcast Sold Out: Season 3!
Baking with the Stars: Recipes for getting started in Astrophotography - 08/21/2024 07:00 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers San Francisco
Baking and astrophotography share many things in common: You need the right equipment, attention to detail, and a creative flair. If it seems intimidating, following a recipe can be a great way to start. SFAA member Jason Griesbach will guide you through four astrophotography recipes, using only modest equipment. The result will be a heavenly four-course "meal", as we explore various ways to experience the night sky.
See weblink for Zoom and YouTube information
Nerd Nite SF #145: Semiconductors, Missing Antimatter and the Mighty American Beaver - 08/21/2024 07:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
This month we're asking the Big Questions:
Where's all the stuff that's supposed to make up the universe?
Can we solve the climate crisis and keep our smartphones?
Could we perhaps solve the climate crisis with help from beavers?
Answers to these questions - and more - will be at our August 21st show!
"The Semiconductor Climate Conundrum"
Speaker: Joe Palazzo, Google
From cars and dishwashers to phones and all things AI, semiconductors are everywhere in most of modern society, and their relationship with the climate is extremely complicated. In 2021, the semiconductor industry accounted for an estimated 500 Megatonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions, the same as over 100 million gas cars on the road. But there is potential for positive change and impact. Join Joe Palazzo on his lifelong journey to unpack and share his hope for the complicated relationship between semiconductors and the environment.
"Lopsided Mystery: Searching to Solve the Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry of the Universe"
Speaker: Tessa Johnson
Do you ever think about how we got here? Do those thoughts ever span back to the very first microseconds of the universe after the Big Bang? Before matter formed atoms, and atoms formed stars, and star dust formed planets, and on at least one planet, life evolved enough for you to read these words, some of the antimatter created during the Big Bang must have disappeared. Without this missing antimatter, there would be no stars or planets, and no you - making matter-antimatter asymmetry the ultimate existential problem. Join us on the journeys of scientists trying to figure out the fate of this missing antimatter, spanning from deep underground caverns to the depths of outer space.
"Bringing Back the Beaver!"
Speaker: Samuel Weingast
Symbiotic Restoration partners with beavers to create healthy habitat, fire resilience, and naturally draw down carbon out of the atmosphere. We'll dive into the ins and outs of process based restoration and see how humans can have a powerful effect in rebuilding critical ecosystems.
Get tickets at weblink
Thursday, 08/22/2024
Grid Regionalization in the West: Reliability Benefits from Increased Cooperation in Electricity Markets and Operations - Livestream - 08/22/2024 01:30 PM
Stanford University
In recent years, parts of the U.S. electricity grid have experienced increasing impacts from weather and climate-related extreme events that have disrupted system operations, triggered emergency responses, and motivated stakeholders to make substantial changes to planning strategies. In the West, extreme heat events combined with severe drought that limits availability of hydropower have proven particularly challenging for grid operators to manage. This webinar, hosted by the Stanford Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, will present the results of a new study evaluating the potential reliability benefits from improved coordination of electricity operations in the West under grid stress conditions created by extreme heat. This work complements earlier work on economic benefits and adds a more complete picture of potential benefits from energy market regionalization. A panel of energy experts will then discuss ongoing efforts to expand cooperation in western electricity markets to contend with the growing impacts of climate change and support increasing use of renewable energy around the West.
Speakers
Stacey Crowley, Vice President, External Affairs, California Independent System Operator (CAISO)
Kathleen Staks, Executive Director, Western Freedom
Marybel Batjer, Partner, California Strategies
Mareldi Ahumada Paras, Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford Climate & Energy Policy Program
Register at weblink
Saving Your Mental Health from the Wellness Industry - Livestream - 08/22/2024 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
The world of mental healthcare is very much caveat emptor: buyer beware. Today, people looking to care for their mental health face a market with at least 600 "brands" of psychotherapy - and counting. Most are ineffective, and many could be harmful. The $5.6 trillion dollar wellness industry includes countless unregulated providers of mental health services looking to exploit people's financial and emotional vulnerabilities.
Join us for our final Skeptical Inquirer Presents livestream of 2024. Our guest will be Jonathan Stea, a clinical psychologist who regularly deals with some of society's most vulnerable people. Having seen so many of his patients hurt by pseudoscience, Stea is on a mission to expose its harm and protect the public from mental health misinformation. He'll discuss and debunk the predatory pseudoscience and grift of the multi-trillion-dollar wellness industry and point us toward a better way to take care of our mental health.
This live Zoom event is free, but advance registration is required (see weblink).
What's the (dark) Matter with our Universe? Rubin Observatory is on the Case! - 08/22/2024 05:00 PM
The Dutch Goose Menlo Park
Discovering millions of galaxies and unraveling the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy is far out! Join us when SLAC engineer Hannah Pollek will talk about the LSST Camera and how it will help the Vera C. Rubin Observatory catalog the cosmos, creating a decade-long 3D-movie of space. Have a drink, learn about what's hop-pening in space, and stick around after the talk for some trivia, giveaways and a hands-on activity. It will be out of this world.
Register at weblink
NASA's Mission to Touch the Sun -- Parker Solar Probe - Livestream - 08/22/2024 05:30 PM
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
What is faster than a speeding bullet? What can fly though turbulence without fastening its seat belt? What can tell us about the origins of our solar system at the same time performing its main mission to understand our closest star? NASA's Parker Solar Probe! The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft was designed to solve 3 mysteries of the Sun as well as the very practical goal of furthering our understanding of space weather. The talk will cover Parker's measurements of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs- billions of tons of material hurling through space at millions of miles an hour - part of space weather), as well as recent Venus encounters and a few other surprises that Parker has discovered as the mission gets ready for its closest planned approach in December 2024!
Speaker: Kelly Korreck, NASA Headquarters
Register at weblink
After Dark: Try for Yourself - 08/22/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Tinker, touch, notice, play - and prototype! Tonight's After Dark invites you to unplug and play with exhibits in development and share your feedback with us. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how some of your favorite exhibits came to be, play with brand-new ones before anyone else, and connect with our awesome exhibit engineers. Plus, our summer exhibition ExtraOrdinary! is in full swing, with stunning artworks that promise to bring out your inner artist-scientist.
Ages 18+
Friday, 08/23/2024
'Small Town University' - Livestream - 08/23/2024 05:30 PM
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Small Town Universe paints an intimate and captivating portrait of life in Green Bank, West Virginia, home to the world's most sensitive radio telescope and the only U.S. town where Wi-Fi and cell phones are banned. In this uniquely radio-quiet community, scientists use the telescope to search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence and advance the field of radio astronomy while residents navigate through pivotal moments of existence, forming deep connections with the universe, science, and one another.
Speakers: Katie Dellamaggiore, filmmaker and director; Ellie White, Marshall University, Astrophysicist
Register at weblink
The Many Worlds Around Other Stars - SOLD OUT - 08/23/2024 08:00 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Speaker: Dr. John Brewer
Saturday, 08/24/2024
Science at Cal - Music and the Brain - 08/24/2024 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Music is everywhere. At a party, on the street, in our bodies - and in our minds. In fact, music is a powerful tool for understanding the brain. What happens when a song gets stuck in your head? Why does certain music make us move? Join us in the Lawrence Hall of Science's 3D Theater for a presentation by musician and UC Berkeley neuroscientist Dr. David Quiroga Martínez. Dr. Quiroga will share how his research seeks to answer these questions, potentially improving the quality of life for patients diagnosed with devastating diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. After the presentation, mingle with Dr. Quiroga in the Making Music: Math and Science Out Loud exhibit, featuring activities and music-making tools to uncover the science behind melodies, harmonies, beats, and more.
Event Schedule
10:00 - Check-in begins (registered guests only)
10:45 - Doors open to the 3D Theater
11:00 - Presentation and Q&A
12:30 - Mingle with the scientist and explore the exhibit floor (open to all)
Register at weblink. Attendance is limited
Space Science Fact vs. Hollywood Space Science-Fiction, What they Get Right and What they Get Wrong - 08/24/2024 07:30 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society Oakland
Much of what we think we know about space comes from film and television, but Hollywood's job is to entertain more than to educate. In this presentation, Prof. Thomas Targett of Sonoma State university will sort fact from fiction, taking a tour through the worlds of Star Trek, Star Wars, and much more.
Speaker: Thomas Targett, Sonoma State University
Attend in person or online via Facebook
Dark Energy - How to observe the invisible - SOLD OUT - 08/24/2024 08:00 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Speaker: Claire Poppett, UC Berkeley
Sunday, 08/25/2024
Why Tides Matter - 08/25/2024 10:30 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center Alviso
Docent Laurel Stell will talk and walk you through all things tides. What are they? How do they affect wildlife? How have humans reshaped the Bay's tidal lands?
Depending on conditions, this program will be held either in our open-air pavilion or inside the Environmental Education Center of the Don Edwards SF Bay NWR, and will be followed by an easy 0.5-mile walk. All are welcome.
Prior registration is required. Register at Eventbrite.
Sunset Raptor Encounter in Coyote Valley - 08/25/2024 05:30 PM
North Coyote Valley Conservation Area San Jose
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (OSA) in welcoming master falconer and educator Antonio Balestreri to Laguna Seca in North Coyote Valley! Guests will experience several of our native raptor species, including an American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, and the Red-tailed Hawk.
This educational presentation will focus on the roles raptors play in our environment, some of the day to day challenges they face, and of course raptor biology and conservation. Sign up for this unique opportunity to see these rescued and captive-bred raptors up close.
Seating will be on the ground and the program may include a free flying bird of prey. Please come prepared with a picnic blanket to help you be comfortable sitting in the open field. Low-profile chairs will be allowed, but we will ask that you setup behind guests seated on blankets.
Please note that children are welcome and encouraged to attend! However, this event is a 2 hour sit/listen educational program and may be better suited to kids age 10 or older. Remember, this event is intended less intended to entertain, but rather to educate our community about the lives of our local birds of prey and how we can better take care of them as a community.
Register at weblink
Monday, 08/26/2024
Live Imaging Analysis of Chromosome Movement Along a Centrosome, and Apical-Basal Axis During Metaphase to G1 Interphase - 08/26/2024 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Tuesday, 08/27/2024
Two talks: Emerging optics technologies for AR glasses - 08/27/2024 04:00 PM
Spilker Hall Stanford
Cheaper, Faster, Better: Tom Steyer on Winning the Climate War - 08/27/2024 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Wonderfest: The Fermi Paradox - 08/27/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Moving Cargo, Keeping Whales: Identifying Solutions for Ocean Noise Pollution - Livestream - 08/27/2024 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Big Data - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow(2013), Updated to 2024 - 08/27/2024 07:00 PM
Valley Research Park Mountain View
Wednesday, 08/28/2024
Neural Mechanisms of Natural Spatial Behaviors in Bats - 08/28/2024 12:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
Biotechnological applications in marine science: How to understand the language of physiology? - Livestream - 08/28/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Thursday, 08/29/2024
Astronomy on Tap: Baton Rouge - Livestream - 08/29/2024 05:00 PM
Astronomy on Tap Baton Rouge
After Dark: ExtraOrdinary Closing - 08/29/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
NightLife - 08/29/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Earth-Independent Operations for Human Missions to Mars - 08/29/2024 07:00 PM
Los Altos Public Library Los Altos
Friday, 08/30/2024
In Town Star Party - 08/30/2024 08:45 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association, Houge Park San Jose
Come join San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) for an evening of stargazing.
Event details:
Events are held at the parking lot of our headquarters, Houge Park San Jose. The event duration is 2 hours. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their telescopes.
Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes (Binoculars are welcome). If you like to be a volunteer with or without a telescope please email at "itsp@sjaa.net".
SJAA as an all volunteer-nonprofit org depends on the City of San Jose to use facilities at Houge Park. To maintain this relationship, we must provide facility-use data to the city. Therefore, we ask you to sign in (no traceable personal data collected) when you arrive at the event.
Saturday, 08/31/2024
Stewardship Saturday: Restoring and Exploring the South Bay - 08/31/2024 09:00 AM
Alviso Marina County Park Alviso
Science Saturdays: Backyard Birds - 08/31/2024 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Starry Nights Star Party - 08/31/2024 08:30 PM
Rancho Cañada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan Hill