Going back in time with the SciSchmooze
Going back in time with the SciSchmooze
July 24, 2022
Hello again Science fans!
Before we go back in cosmic time today, I want to tell you about a more recent find (“recent” being relative, of course) in Pylos, Greece.
Two archeolgists from the University of Cincinnatti have been excavating a site there for over 30 years now. In 2015, they discovered a grave site in an abandoned olive grove near their excavation. What they found gives insight to the life, times, and artistic capabilities from around 1450 BC. Dubbed the Tomb of the Griffin Warrior by the archeologists, it has yielded numerous artifacts, including the amazing carving in the photo above. The detail on this very small seal stone is amazing.
Sharon Stocker and Jack Davis are the archeologists leading this work. I went to college with Jack and was a groomsman in his wedding. He was studying Clasical Greek then, and I remember asking him what he was going to do with this degree once he graduated. I may have called it a “useless” degree. He didn’t know, saying he would probably end up teaching others the same material. It didn’t exactly work out that way, fortunately for him.
There is a lot of information about Jack and Shari’s discoveries available on the internet, including some videos on YouTube, so I invite you to search. This article, which popped up in my feeds this week, is what inspired me to tell you about the discoveries. In 2019, Jack gave a series of lectures at UC Berkeley which are available on YouTube.
While 1450 BC certainly qualifies as ancient to us, what the James Webb Space Telescope has been showing us in its first images is truly ancient, including what may be the oldest solar system in the universe. The quality of the images is staggering. In the first deep field image from JWST there appears a small red dot, a galaxy 13.1 billion light years away from Earth, probably the oldest object we’ve been able to see so far. One can’t help but wonder what has happened to that galaxy since the light we see now began its journey across space/time to us.
Here are some thoughts on what JWST will show us in the future. And here is a link to a video describing the first four images JWST released to the public, including transitions from the Hubble images of the same areas to the Webb images, showing the differences between the two, complimentary telescopes.
A friend and reader of the SciSchmooze commented to me last week that we will probably be featuring images from the Webb telescope at the top of our newsletters for months. He’s probably right, but his comment also helped me select a non-JWST image to feature today.
I’m sure you share my admiration for the work the Ingenuity space copter has done on Mars. NASA planned for 5 flights. So far, Ingenuity has performed 31! A digest of articles about the firsts and discoveries await your reading.
Since I wrote last month, I’ve taken a road trip from the Bay Area to northeast Ohio. The contrast between the drought-stricken west and the greenery of the mid-West is striking. I was able to see how low the water level of the Great Salt Lake is first-hand.
But the more concerning lake level is that of Lake Mead, which is at the lowest level since 1937, just 27% of capacity. Lake Mead provides drinking water and hydroelectric power for more than 40 million people. NASA photographs show just how dramatic the lake level drop is.
Extreme heat is taking a toll on Europe, India, and other parts of the world. The highest temperature ever recorded in Europe was in Sicily in 2021, and Antarctica’s highest the year before. The highest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was in Death Valley, California in 1913, a broiling 134 degrees.
Lastly, we turn to the visitor that won’t go away, COVID-19. The most common variant now is labeled BA.5. It is most likely the version currently infecting President Biden. It is more contageous, more likely to infect those who have already had COVID-19, and existing vaccines are not very effective in preventing it, although they are very effective at preventing serious cases. The NY Times Morning newsletter from Thursday details the current state of BA.5.
New versions of the vaccines should be available this fall that will include better protection against the Omicron variants, but America’s strategy for getting this vaccine out isn’t quite ready.
Also on the vaccine front, the Novavax shot, a more traditional form of vaccine, has been approved for use in the US. Those who are afraid of the new technology behind the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines may be more inclined to trust this one.
Have a great week in Science!
Bob
Monday, 07/25/2022
Scaling ML/AI workloads with Ray Ecosystem - Livestream - 07/25/2022 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
Modern machine learning (ML) workloads, such as deep learning and large-scale model training, are compute-intensive and require distributed execution. Ray is an open-source, distributed framework from U.C. Berkeley's RISELab that easily scales Python applications and ML workloads from a laptop to a cluster, with an emphasis on the unique performance challenges of ML/AI systems. It is now used in many production deployments.
This talk will cover Ray's overview, architecture, core concepts, and primitives, such as remote Tasks and Actors; briefly discuss Ray native libraries (Ray Tune, Ray Train, Ray Serve, Ray Datasets, RLlib); and Ray's growing ecosystem.
Through a demo using XGBoost for classification, we will demonstrate how you can scale training, hyperparameter tuning, and inference - from a single node to a cluster, with tangible performance difference when using Ray.
The takeaways from this talk are :
Learn Ray architecture, core concepts, and Ray primitives and patterns
Why Distributed computing will be the norm not an exception
How to scale your ML workloads with Ray libraries:
Training on a single node vs. Ray cluster, using XGBoost with/without RayHyperparameter search and tuning, using XGBoost with Ray TuneInferencing at scale, using XGBoost with/without Ray
Speaker: Jules Damji, Anyscale Inc
Register to receive connection information
Tuesday, 07/26/2022
July Butterfly Walk - First Session - FULL - 07/26/2022 01:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
July Butterfly Walk - Second Session - 07/26/2022 03:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Join Sally Levinson, 'caterpillar lady', and Sarab Seth, 'butterfly guy,' for a guided, family friendly, one hour walk through the Botanical Garden in search of butterflies. Bring binoculars if you have them. This walk follows uneven terrain, with areas of paved and unpaved trail. While masks are not required outdoors, we will be in close proximity during this walk, so you may consider bringing a mask for the tour. All program fees include same-day admission to the Garden, rain or shine.
Restoring the Bay Area's Endangered Coho Salmon - Livestream - 07/26/2022 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
We are delighted to host Preston Brown, Conservation Director of the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN), a program run by Turtle Island Restoration Network. Mr. Brown will provide an overview of SPAWN's work and approach to restoration (where they work and how). He will discuss coho salmon life history, limiting factors, and where their restoration efforts are focused. the presentation will highlight two examples of large-scale restoration projects SPAWN recently completed. Mr. Brown will also describe ways to help and get involved.
Wonderfest: The Hidden World of Vibrations - 07/26/2022 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
As humans, our appreciation of the natural world is tied to our senses - the sights, sounds, and smells we experience. Recent scientific research, however, has shown just how limited our viewpoint is. Most creatures on Earth use sights, sounds, and smells that are imperceptible to humans. With the help of technology, researchers have finally started to open up this hidden world, unlocking key insights into animal biodiversity and animal evolution in general.
Speaker: Dr. Damian Elias, UC Berkeley
Wednesday, 07/27/2022
Lessons From Newborns: Neurohormonal Signals Limiting Mammalian Heart Regeneration - 07/27/2022 05:00 PM
Cafe Scientifique Silicon Valley
Heart failure after ischemic damage remains a leading cause of death in the United States due to the inability of adult humans to regenerate their hearts after injury. In contrast, newborn mammals possess an immense capacity for complete heart regeneration. Cardiac regeneration in neonatal rodents relies on the proliferation of pre-existing heart muscle cells - called cardiomyocytes (CM) - to replace the damaged tissue. This ability is lost during the first week of development when the majority of rodent CMs undergo permanent cell cycle arrest, polyploidization, and hypertrophic growth. We've recently discovered that increasing levels of circulating thyroid hormones after birth drive this developmental transition. Furthermore, we identified possible interactions between thyroid hormones and adrenergic receptor signaling that further inhibit CM proliferation and cardiac regeneration. Our lab now focuses on resolving the cellular and molecular mechanisms downstream of these neurohormonal signals that restrict heart regenerative potential in mammals.
Speaker: Alexander Payumo, San Jose State University
Register at weblink
Thursday, 07/28/2022
Coastal Walk at Pillar Point Bluff - 07/28/2022 10:00 AM
Pillar Point Bluff Moss Beach
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for an afternoon walk at Pillar Point Bluff just north of Half Moon Bay! You will be guided by a POST representative who will share details about the area's interesting natural history, from the coastal scrub habitat to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve that hosts tide pools and breeding grounds for harbor seals.
The walk is moderate at about 2.5 miles round trip with around 350 feet of gradual elevation gain.
In 2004, POST stepped in to fund protection of the bluff, restore it to ecological health, and construct a 1.6-mile section of the California Coastal Trail that now runs across it. Today, all 161 acres of the bluff are fully protected in perpetuity - a process that took four transactions, 11 years of work, and an array of visionaries, landowners and donors, both public and private.
NightLife: Summertime Bazaar - 07/28/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
DIY Demos
Science Today
At 8:00, Explore the many uses of chaga and adaptogenic mushrooms during a talk from The Chaga Company - perfect for the fungi-lovers out there
At 8:15, Put a rosy tint on your evening with a presentation from Arcadian Stained Glass
At 8:30, Learn all about air plant biology and care with The Garden Home
At 8:45, Catch a special beaded earring demo with Indigenous Luxury.
Piña Claude-a
Location TBD
6 - 9 PM
Cool off with a scoop of a special flavor of ice cream made in honor of our favorite cold-blooded cronie, Claude! Available for a very limited time from Humphrey Slocombe.
Fabula Tea
Curiosity Grove
6 - 10 PM
Slow down, have a seat and reclaim your inner peace by learning about the rich history of Chinese tea ceremonies with Fabula Tea.
Summertime Bazaar
Piazza & Swamp
6 - 10 PM
Peruse a pop-up marketplace packed with one-of-a-kind items, including original artwork, ceramics and pottery, handcrafted jewelry, apothecary products, and more - presented by SF Bazaar.
Featuring:
Mapping the World from Satellites - Helping us understand Global Food & Water Security in the 21st Century - Livestream - 07/28/2022 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
These non-technical lectures are free and are intended for a general audience that may not be familiar with USGS science.
Speaker: USGS Research Geographer Prasad Thenkabail
Global food and water security challenges are real in a changing climate & ballooning populations and further exasperated by pandemics & wars. How did the World feed itself in the past? How will it feed itself in the future? Earth Observing (EO) satellites are ideal platforms to observe and study the Planet over time and space.Planet-scale big-data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing are leveraged to answer critical questions on World's food & water security.
See weblink to attend.
After Dark: Shine - 07/28/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Illuminate the connections between art and science during a night devoted to shadow and light. Manipulate objects to cast entrancing images in the Light Lab. Wander through exhibits that gleam, glow, dazzle, and flash (capture your image on phosphor-impregnated vinyl in Shadow Box!), and be transported by a premiere shadow-play performance from Facing West Shadows. After Dark, it's time to shine!
Saturday, 07/30/2022
Climate Resiliency Walks: Point Pinole - 07/30/2022 10:00 AM
Point Pinole Regional Park Richmond Ave
Explore the Dotson Family Marsh to experience what planning for climate change looks like. Witness the importance of restoring tidal marshes and observe the birds and wildlife that call this area home. 2-mile out and back hike. This is a drop-in program; no registration is required.
Sunday, 07/31/2022
Sunset Science: Searching For Planets - 07/31/2022 06:30 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Enjoy a warm summer evening of activities and stargazing on Chabot's stunning Observation Deck! Learn about stellar concepts with special demonstrations, activities and more. When the Sun goes down, the stars come out for exploring the cosmos through historic telescopes.
Graze while you gaze! Food, wine and beer will be available for purchase on-site.
Learn about planets around other stars in the universe called exoplanets and how scientists use tools to look for them. Enter the Exoplanet zone where you will use your imaging to create your own planet, perform experiments with frozen icy orbs to learn why astrobiologists are interested in water worlds and their potential for life. Julia DeMarines will return for an encore performance of Space in Your Face, a life science and comedic performance that pushes the boundaries of science futurism and reality. Chabot's Lisa Hoover will thrill audiences with a special performance of Planet Hunter.
Planet Hunter
A comical and clueless Planet Hunter learns about the search for extrasolar planets from two savvy FBI agents in this short multimedia-enhanced performance. In this live interactive family theater show you will learn: 1. The difference between stars and planets 2. The differences between solar systems and galaxies 3. That extra-solar planets have been discovered and explore the transit method of discovery 4. That the search for life on extra-solar planets begins with finding Earth-like planets - rocky and water-supporting.
Please enter via the observation deck. Advance purchase only.
Thursday, 08/04/2022
Nightlife - 08/04/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
NightSchool: Field Guide to Field Guides - 08/04/2022 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Friday, 08/05/2022
First Friday: Far Out - 08/05/2022 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Evening with the Stars at Lick Observatory - Sold Out - 08/05/2022 08:00 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Saturday, 08/06/2022
Music of the Spheres at Lick Observatory - 08/06/2022 01:00 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
SLAC Community Day - 08/06/2022 04:00 PM
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Menlo Park
Mt Tam Astronomy Lectures - Canceled - 08/06/2022 07:30 PM
Mt. Tam Astronomy
Monday, 08/08/2022
Decoding the Mystery of Dark Matter Using Galaxy Clusters - 08/08/2022 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco