Greetings Science Based Readers,
It has only been 127 days and it seems like 2 years of science under attack (democracy too), and reason as well as many other topics that I'll steer clear of here! (a quick side note: try searching for "reason under attack"). I encourage you to read "Science under threat" by the Royal Society, it's brief and concise. The UCS "Attacks on Science" page starts with "Science is at the core of a healthy democracy. But for years, presidential administrations have, in differing ways, sidelined scientific evidence and attacked scientific integrity." This isn't new, 4 years ago... Now is the moment to act Many scientists are being compelled to get involved in the politics of the defence of science. Look at how many signatories there are in TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE from so many organizations. Deliberation Corrects: The Case of Conspiracy Theories
So what are you doing about it? Here are a couple of suggestions. If there is a protest near you, go and stand up. Support informal science education, NISE is a good place to start. A quick search shows 36 science museums in the SF Bay area (there is room for a recount!) Go to the one closest to you and make a donation, or better yet, join. Do you have kids? Take them there. Helping Your Child Learn Science is important. The challenge science teachers face is terrifying.
May I suggest the Science Schmooze and bayareascience.org are good resources too? Here are a few up and coming presentations for adults and kids...
Advanced Research on the Science You Learned in High School - Livestream - 05/21/2025 05:00 PM
After Dark: Make, Test, Repeat - 05/22/2025 06:00 PM
Foothills Family Nature Walk - 05/24/2025 11:00 AM
Every week I get overwhelmed with the number and array of items that come across my monitor. Here are some that I think you might enjoy diving into a little bit. They might be very informative and/or entertaining! Check a few out and see what you think...
Ultimate Battle! Moray Eel vs. Pufferfish
What Science says About the Reliability of Our Intuition
The Most Violent Solar Storm Ever Detected Hit Earth in 12350 BCE
How Prepared Are We For A Carrington Level Solar Storm?
Why bad philosophy is stopping progress in physics
A Philosophy of Planetary Computation
Deliberation Corrects: The Case of Conspiracy Theories
Looking forward a bit...
Field Recording Workshop June 20 - 22, 2025 The Nature Sounds Society presents a weekend in the rich environment of California's Sierra Nevada learning the art and science of nature recording
Global Skeptics in the Pub is coming on Aug 22, 2025
The War On Sciences: Why people still don’t believe in science?
Range Rover: The Conservative War on Science
Have a great week learning new and cool things about our old and cool universe and do something to support science!
herb masters
"If it [a scientific hypothesis] disagrees with experiment, it’s WRONG." – Physics Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Note: Every listing below is linked to our calendar with a full description. If the subject looks remotely interesting click on it and you’ll get the full listing and a link to the presenting organization with the latest updates on it.
Monday, 05/19/2025
CITRIS Tech for Social Good Project Showcase - Livestream - 05/19/2025 01:00 PM
UC Santa Cruz
The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at UC Santa Cruz is hosting the 2024-25 Tech for Social Good Project Showcase, a virtual event that highlights student-led technology development projects focused on promoting social good. A Zoom link will be provided upon registration.
Register at weblink
Hope Versus Hype: Quantum, AI and the Path to Commercial Advantage - POSTPONED - 05/19/2025 03:30 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Colloquium Series Menlo Park
This event will be rescheduled at a future date.
Seeing in the cold: biology of the ground squirrel hibernation and its potential applications - 05/19/2025 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Speaker: Wei Li, National Institutes of Health
Room: Auditorium
A Conversation with The Nature Conservancy's Katharine Hayhoe - 05/19/2025 04:00 PM
Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center Stanford
Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe will join Stanford Woods Institute Director Chris Field for a conversation on human and planetary health, her career as an atmospheric scientist, the importance of science communication, and why we should remain optimistic in the face of a changing climate.
Register at weblink.
Low-conflict strategies for getting to gigawatt-scale renewable deployment - 05/19/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Achieving net zero emissions by midcentury in the US will require a daunting pace of clean and renewable energy deployment, accelerating to 6-8 times the current rate of project development and amounting to land area requirements equivalent to that of California for just onshore wind and solar development alone.
Speaker: Grace Wu, UC Santa Barbara
Fusion Energy: Why, How and When - 05/19/2025 07:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
In a remarkable public lecture in 1920, Arthur Eddington speculated that fusion might become the ultimate long-term energy source. More than a century later, the world is approaching a milestone: generating electricity from fusion for the first time.
Speaker: Steven Cowley, Princeton University
Astronomy on Tap Santa Cruz: Searching for Young Exoplanets to Understand Planet Formation and Exploring the Mysteries of the Insides of Stars - 05/19/2025 07:30 PM
Abbott Square Market Santa Cruz
Searching For Young Exoplanets to Understand Planet Formation Speaker: Kendall Sullivan (UCSC)
Exploring the mysteries of the insides of stars Speaker: Loren Matilsky (UCSC)
Tuesday, 05/20/2025
Bridging Geoscience and Data Science for Smart Mineral Exploration - 05/20/2025 12:00 PM
Braun (Geology) Corner (Bldg 320), Rm 220 Stanford
Climate action goals, such as achieving net-zero emissions, heavily depend on scaling up renewable energy systems, which require a reliable supply of critical minerals and metals. Projected deficits of these resources underscore the urgent need to discover new, economically viable deposits.
Speaker: Adel Asadi, Stanford University
When do Plasmas Explode? - 05/20/2025 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Magnetized plasmas - both in nature and in the laboratory - frequently erupt in sudden, dramatic events that release large amounts of energy and disrupt confinement.
Speaker: Steven Cowley, Princeton University
Frank Drake Award Gala - 05/20/2025 05:30 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Please join members of the Board, many of the scientists, and supporters of the SETI Institute at the The 2025 Frank Drake Award Ceremonies (from 6:30 - 9:00 pm, with special guests and commentary for those joining us on line.)
https://drakeaward.seti.org/
Popping the Science Bubble: Two Talks - 05/20/2025 05:30 PM
Berkeley Public Library Berkeley
T Cells: Tiny Heroes of Immunity Speaker: Esther Kim, UC Berkeley
Lowering the Barrier: Speeding Up Chemical Reactions with Catalysts Speaker: Jenna Manske, UC Berkeley
Attend in person or watch by clicking here.
HIV Prevention Revolution - Hype or Hope? - 05/20/2025 06:00 PM
Manny's San Francisco
UCSF Professor and HIV expert Dr. Diane Havlir will host a conversation with Dr. Susan Buchbinder and Dr. Hyman Scott on the latest developments in HIV prevention and how these are being affected by new US policies.
Female Mushroom Hunters of Zambia: Food, Medicine and Livelihoods - 05/20/2025 06:30 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco San Francisco
Zambia, a country in sub-tropical southeastern Africa, experiences a burst of fungal abundance during the rainy season when the ectomycorrhizal miombo forests fill with mushrooms. Zambia is a mycophilic culture, where mushrooms are loved and celebrated. The forests yield a variety of edible mushrooms such as chanterelles, Russulas, and Lactarius species, as well as the highly prized Termitomyces titanicus, the world’s largest edible mushroom.
Speaker: Mai Lovaas, researcher
Lecture begins at 7:30. Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Astronomy on Tap Tucson #107: Binary Stars & Black Holes - Livestream - 05/20/2025 07:30 PM
Astronomy on Tap
Tucson’s local flavor of Astronomy on Tap, Space Drafts, is excited to present its 106th edition! This month, we’ll be joined by Steward postdoc Dr. Koushik Sen, who will be talking about eclipsing binary stars, and Steward graduate student Vikram Manikantan giving us the run down on black holes!
Batman and Eclipsing Binaries Speaker: Koushik Sen
A Brief History (and Future) of Black Holes Speaker: Vikram Manikantan
Wednesday, 05/21/2025
Whole Earth Seminar - 05/21/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Mark Brandon, Yale University
Sabotaging Gatekeeper Proteins: Revealing the Molecular Mechanisms of Seafood Contamination by Legacy Pollutants - Livestream - 05/21/2025 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Join us for the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Seminar Series, featuring speakers from within the marine sciences community and beyond.
Speaker: Sascha Nicklisch, UC Davis
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Advanced Research on the Science You Learned in High School - Livestream - 05/21/2025 05:00 PM
UC Berkeley
Do you remember sitting in your high school science class wondering “when will I ever use this?” Join us as our experts share how they use the basic scientific topics of photosynthesis, gravity, and cell division to uncover fascinating truths about the world we live in.
Moderated by
Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy
Panel:
Elcin Ünal, Associate Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and DevelopmentMoi Expósito-Alonso, Assistant Professor of Integrative BiologyElisa Tabor, graduate student, Physics Department
Register at weblink
California Dragonflies - Livestream - 05/21/2025 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance
Summer is here, the birds are nesting, but you’re anxious to be out in Nature, finding creatures. Dragonflies are the perfect solution! They are active in the warm summer sunshine and you have already developed the skills necessary for making identifications. Santa Clara County has 54 of California’s 114 species of Odonates.
There’s the Cardinal Meadowhawk, Flame Skimmer, Blue Dasher, Western Pondhawk, Common Whitetail and more. They come in all the colors of the rainbow and have interesting and unique and quite advanced anatomy and biology, especially when you consider that they have been on the planet since before the dinosaurs!
Join us for an exploration of the Bay Areas dragonflies with noted authors Kathy Biggs and Sandra von Arb as they discuss the Dragonflies found it the Bay Area. They will present their newest work, a completely revised edition of the seminal work, Dragonflies of California.
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Note date has changed from 5/28/25
Thursday, 05/22/2025
PARC Forum online: AI’s impact on communities worldwide - Livestream - 05/22/2025 11:30 AM
PARC Forum
Join us for the first PARC Forum online-only event. Award-winning journalist Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s Open AI, and Karen Myers, vice president of SRI’s Information and Computing Sciences division and AI Center director will discuss the human dimensions of AI.
Register at weblink to attend
Smart Grid Seminar - 05/22/2025 01:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
Maryam Khanbaghi is the director of Power Systems and Sustainable Energy Program and associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Editor's Note: This speaker was originally scheduled for May 5, 2025
LaserSETI Update - Livestream - 05/22/2025 02:00 PM
SETI Institute
On Exhibit in London and a New Station in Puerto Rico A major new exhibition at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth?, runs from May 17, 2025, to January 4, 2026, and will feature a complete LaserSETI instrument on display. The exhibit explores one of humanity’s most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? The exhibition brings together cutting-edge science, captivating artifacts, and the latest research in astrobiology, exoplanets, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. LaserSETI represents a new frontier in SETI, using a global network of instruments to continuously scan the night sky for brief laser pulses - potential signs of technology from beyond Earth. The first two sites were in California, at the Ferguson Observatory in Sonoma County, and on Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii. Last year, a third site went online in Sonora, Arizona; now, a new station is being installed in Puerto Rico. Join Simon Steel (Deputy Director, Carl Sagan Center) and planetary astronomer Franck Marchis (plus special guests) to talk about the London exhibition, the new observatories, and what this all means in the search for life beyond Earth.
WATCH ON FACEBOOK!WATCH ON YOUTUBE!
Birdy Hour: Mixed-Species Foraging Flocks and Functional Diversity in Costa Rica - Livestream - 05/22/2025 05:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
During this Birdy Hour Sam will discuss why tropical ecosystems are so diverse and the role that mountains play in shaping patterns of tropical bird diversity. He will address possible reasons why bird species might join mixed-species foraging flocks, and talk about why these flocks are so interesting. Then he will introduce the concept of functional diversity and talk about what he discovered about mixed-species flocks in Costa Rica when he looked at the functional diversity of birds that participate in them.
Speaker: Sam Eberhard, San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
kNightLife: Renaissance Faire - 05/22/2025 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Raise a goblet and don thy finest garb. A night of reverly and merriment awaits thee at the Academy. Gather yer crew and step back into ye olde good times with live performances, local artisans, and more. Costumes* are celebrated and highly encouraged!
After Dark: Make, Test, Repeat - 05/22/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Discover what goes into making an exhibit through the process of prototyping. Chat with our exhibit engineers and developers and learn how they iterate - make something, test it out, and repeat the process - to come up with fascinating new exhibits, and how this process applies to innovation in general. Take a tour through our exhibit development workshop to see behind-the-scenes building and testing, or a showcase of fresh exhibit ideas not yet ready for the floor.
Nerd Nite SF #151: Fad Diets, Jane Austen, and the Shell Space Band! - 05/22/2025 08:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
We would to invite you to our humble venue the 22nd day of May for another rousting installation of Night for Nerds.
During the night, we will be lulled by the tunes of our house band for the event, Shell Space, and the compositions of our dearest in-house record composer, Lady &Jelly. Baroness Jackie Liu, will talk to us over the course of supper (you may provide your own, we fear we cannot do so for you), on the impacts and suitability of diets for the members of the ton.
And, for those of peerage who are not wed or so engaged, we will receive advice on how not to become miserable spinsters at the ripe age of two-and-twenty or miserable wives from Jane Austen herself… via her proxy Marchioness Christina Li.
There will also be a bit of gossip for those who relish the activity.
What’s For Dinner? - A One-Size Diet Truly Does Not Fit All
Speaker: Jackie Liu
It almost seems like every day there is a new diet being advertised as the ultimate way to eat. Whether it’s the carnivore diet, keto, or intermittent fasting - it can feel impossible to navigate. Lucky for us, tonight’s speaker is here to separate fact from fad.
Jackie Liu is a UC Berkeley and UCSF-trained Registered Dietitian who currently provides medical nutrition therapy in the inpatient and outpatient settings at Stanford Hospital
Fun With Dorks and Jane
Speaker: Lark
Jane Austen has held the western world in a literary chokehold for 250 years. However, the field of Austen studies has shied away from the most hard-hitting topics. Today, we will ask and answer the question: what is the sexiest Jane Austen film adaptation? While this may not sound like the deepest intellectual inquiry, be prepared for an in depth exploration of aesthetics, affect theory, and historicist close reading to explain why we Yearn
Lark is a lifelong lit nerd with the BA in English and MA in Humanities to prove it.
Special Musical Guest: Shell Space!
Shell Space is a six-piece indie rock band birthed in Berkeley. Their songs reference Tilden Park, rectangles, and feldspar.
Friday, 05/23/2025
Geophysical and Planetary Physics Lecture - 05/23/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: TBA
In Town Star Party - 05/23/2025 09:15 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association 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, 05/24/2025
Foothills Family Nature Walk - 05/24/2025 11:00 AM
Foothills Nature Preserve Los Altos
Join us at Foothills Nature Preserve for a family-friendly nature walk, guided by EV docents. Good for ages 6 and up; all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Sunday, 05/25/2025
Morning Hike at Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve - 05/25/2025 09:00 AM
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve Los Altos
Join POST for this guided hike at Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve! A POST Representative will share a few words about POST’s decades of conservation success before hiking groups leave to explore a moderate to strenuous 4.5 mile hike with 800 feet of elevation gain.
POST has made many contributions towards protecting Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve and the surrounding lands over the past several decades, which are now managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. This area contains diverse plant ecosystems and water features that make it an important habitat for a variety of wildlife. This hike will feature views of a lake, pond, and views of stunning redwood groves. The area also contains bedrock mortars, highlighting the presence of Native peoples in this area since time immemorial.
RSVP to attend
Tuesday, 05/27/2025
A Power Supply to Remove Machine Learning Transients from the Grid - Livestream - 05/27/2025 10:30 AM
Stanford University
Optimizing Sleep for Peak Athletic Performance - Livestream - 05/27/2025 12:00 PM
Stanford University
Gray Whale Tales: Insights Into a Recent Unusual Mortality Event - Livestream - 05/27/2025 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Wednesday, 05/28/2025
Role of atmosphere-ocean-ice interactions in a changing climate - 05/28/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Bodega Marine Lab Seminar Series - Livestream - 05/28/2025 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
The Dreams and Nightmares of OpenAI - 05/28/2025 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Alicia John-Baptiste - SF's Chief of Infrastructure, Climate, and Mobility - 05/28/2025 06:00 PM
Manny's San Francisco
Choosing the Best Telescope: Panel of SFAA observers help navigate the myriad of options - 05/28/2025 07:00 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers San Francisco
Science at the Edge of the Solar System: Uncovering the Secrets of the Pluto System and Arrokoth - 05/28/2025 07:00 PM
Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series Los Altos Hills
Thursday, 05/29/2025
Space in the Bay Area: Research, Technology and the Commercialization of Space - 05/29/2025 09:15 AM
The Historical Klamath San Francisco
Integrated Energy Systems for Underserved Communities - 05/29/2025 01:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
Titan’s Missing Deltas? What Cassini Saw - and What It Didn’t - Livestream - 05/29/2025 02:30 PM
SETI Live
Governing the Net Zero Transition - Planning, Markets, and Financial Governance in China and India - Livestream - 05/29/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University
NightLife - 05/29/2025 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Tapestry - 05/29/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Climate action in San Francisco - Pollution, Policy, and People Power - 05/29/2025 06:00 PM
Manny's San Francisco
Friday, 05/30/2025
Morning Hike at Bear Creek Redwoods - 05/30/2025 09:00 AM
Bear Creek Redwoods Los Gatos
Geophysical and Planetary Physics Lecture - 05/30/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Saturday, 05/31/2025
Science Saturday: Native Plants - 05/31/2025 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Grass Identification and Appreciation Walk - 05/31/2025 10:00 AM
Bouverie Preserve Glen Ellen
Plant ID at Sanborn - 05/31/2025 10:30 AM
Sanborn Science and Nature Center Saratoga
Stewardship Saturday: Experiencing Fish Kitchen - 05/31/2025 11:30 AM
Marine Mammal Center Sausalito
Sunday, 06/01/2025
InsectPalooza - The Art and Magical Science of Arthropods - 06/01/2025 12:00 PM
Minnesota Street Project San Francisco
Solar Observing - 06/01/2025 02:00 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
Monday, 06/02/2025
Quintupling global energy end-use efficiency by integrative design - 06/02/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Revealing Dark Matter with Strong Gravitational Lensing - 06/02/2025 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco