Greetings fans of Science and Reason,
It is hard to accept that humans first walked on the moon 55 years ago today and that humans last walked on the moon about 50 years ago! Yet still, like the flat earthers there are a bunch of folks that think the earth isn’t round! It is amazing that there are so many people that deny what has been demonstrated many times. There are people who deny science and it is hard to imagine the Impacts of Scientific Fraud on our lives. It’s not new either, here’s a look at some of the most notable instances of science denial. Here’s a broader picture, a poet-led tour of the universe. and here’s a bit of a dive into how space movies can help or hinder! You might want to consider The Science of Anomalistic Psychology (there are more interesting videos here). So, can "wrong" be relative?
News has been dominated by politics for the last few weeks. I try avoid diving into politics much but let’s be honest, we need to understand the efforts to deny science in our lives… That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some science news as well. Covid has been back in our lives. I know a few people who are struggling with it now and long covid is still a thing. It’s still out there, please be careful. I would like to suggest that some people are trying to give air to some science that just isn’t backed by data and shouldn’t be considered a good science reference.
As always there is a bunch of cool science learning opportunity coming up…
-Whale Conservation in San Francisco Bay and Beyond - Livestream 7.23 7:00 PM
-After Dark: Growing Green - Thu @ 6:00 PM
-Bubblefest-- Sat and Sun 10:00 - 4:00
Coming soon to a sky near you!
It’s important to take a reality check once in awhile! If You Say ‘Science Is Right,’ You’re Wrong
Here’s some interesting ideas about science and music… Let's Talk Science! Give this one a try first. They are about how we can enjoy music. Have you ever considered poetry in science?
Here’s an interesting discussion about wadding or folding. Give it time, read more of it than you might want to! Turns out it is a topic that uses real science!
Do you or someone you know wear hearing aides? This is kind of interesting… What you don't know about hearing aids Do you know anyone with tinnitus?
Why human attempts to mechanize logic keep breaking down.
SYSTEMATIC ERRORS: STORIES ABOUT FAILED EXPERIMENTS
A Hoot for Conservation ― Blakiston's Fish Owl, Japan
Have an excellent week keeping cool and learning new cool things about science.
herb masters
"The modern version of Buridan’s ass [a figurative description of a man of indecision] has a Ph.D., but no time to grow up as he is undecided between making a Leonardo da Vinci in the test tube or planting a Coca Cola sign on Mars." — Erwin Chargaff
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 07/22/2024
What Does Machine Learning Have to Offer Mathematics? - 07/22/2024 05:30 PM
Calvin Laboratory Berkeley
The interaction of machine learning with math has attracted a lot of attention, because mathematics is in some respects a closed world with well-defined rules (like chess, and unlike poetry-writing) but also a domain where success is ultimately judged by human assessments of ingenuity and importance, not rigid criteria (like poetry-writing, and unlike chess). Can machines prove theorems? Can they have mathematical ideas? Jordan Ellenberg will talk about his joint work with researchers from DeepMind, which used novel techniques in machine learning to make progress in a problem in combinatorics, and will try to chart some near-term ways that machine learning may affect mathematical practice.
Speaker: Jordan Ellenberg, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Register at weblink to attend in person. Lecture will be available on YouTube later (see weblink)
Tuesday, 07/23/2024
Predicting the President: Origins of Computer Forecasting - 07/23/2024 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Every election night, millions of Americans hit refresh on their browsers and social media and tune into the news for the latest predictions on who’s going to win.
But what’s the technology that makes these predictions possible? Join CHM for a riveting story at the intersection of technology and democracy as journalist, professor, and author Ira Chinoy shares insights from his book, Predicting the Winner: The Untold Story of Election Night 1952 and the Dawn of Computer Forecasting.
Don’t miss what promises to be an enlightening talk decoding a part of computing history that's pivotal to the election process.
What to Expect
Learn about the birth of computational methods in predicting election results.Hear the untold story of the legendary 1952 election night and its surprising star.Learn about the enduring legacy of early computer forecasting on contemporary election reporting.
Whale Conservation in San Francisco Bay and Beyond - Livestream - 07/23/2024 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Dive into whale conservation in San Francisco Bay and beyond! Join Kathi George, The Marine Mammal Center’s Director of Cetacean Conservation Biology who will lead us on an exploration of cetacean research initiatives at The Marine Mammal Center including maritime collaborations that reduce the risk of entanglement and vessel strike on large whales. Can there be a balance between whales and human activities? Discover how the Center is working to create such a balance.
Registration is required at weblink
Stargazing and Beyond: A Global Network of Citizen Astronomers - 07/23/2024 07:15 PM
Lindsay Wildlife Experience Walnut Creek
Astronomy is a science that inspires everyone, which makes it a great tool for expanding scientific literacy. It also has a uniquely powerful ability to make us aware of Earth’s value and fragility. And by inspiring people to engage in citizen science, astronomy fosters not only scientific research but also collaborative knowledge- building that’s based on a dialogue between experts and amateurs. The Unistellar network is by far the largest network of telescopes and citizen astronomers around the world, with more than 13,000 digital telescopes in more than 50 countries. This network collected more than 4,000 scientific observations in 2022 and our citizen astronomers have helped the NASA TESS mission by confirming exoplanets and supported NASA DART by recording the impact live and its aftermath, validating the efficiency of the kinetic impactor technique to protect humanity against the threat of asteroid impacts. We present here some of the key scientific results achieved in 2021-2024, and future developments in education.
Wednesday, 07/24/2024
Mixing electricity with water: The world of marine electromagnetic methods - Livestream - 07/24/2024 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
The electrical conductivity of crustal and mantle rocks is a transport property determined, in most cases, by the minor fractions of material contained in pore space between nonconducting mineral grains. Thus conductivity can be used to estimate porosity, tell freshwater from saltwater, oil from water, melt from solid rock, and if the pore fluid has frozen to ice or gas hydrate. Since conductivity is thermally activated, it can be used to tell hot from cold. Alone this can tell us a lot about geological processes, but since conductivity is largely independent of seismic velocity, a combined interpretation can be even more valuable. The magnetotelluric (MT) and controlled-source (CSEM) methods were developed to study conductivity on land in the 1960’s and taken into the marine environment soon after, but remained and academic niche activity. Commercialization around the turn of the century provided resources to advance instrumentation and interpretation software, pushing marine EM methods into the mainstream.
Speaker: Stephen Constable, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Register at weblink
Does life-long acclimatization to environmental variability promote coral resiliance under global change? - Livestream - 07/24/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Speaker: Kristen Brown, University of Pennsylvania
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Making AI systems feel guilty - 07/24/2024 06:30 PM
Valley Research Park Mountain View
Join SF Bay ACM Chapter for an insightful discussion on LLMs and GPT systems has amazed everyone with excellent results for question and answering problems being able to pass exams and tests with ease. However we don’t see these systems being conscious and we don’t see them having emotions. This talk will provide some ideas on how create empathic AI systems and how higher order human like emotions like guilt.
Speaker: Ronjon Nag, Stanford School of Medicine and R42 Group
Thursday, 07/25/2024
NightLife - 07/25/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Calling all creatures of the night: explore the nocturnal side of the Academy at NightLife and see what's revealed. With live DJs, outdoor bars, ambiance lighting, and nearly 60,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude, our alligator with albinism), the night is sure to be wild.
After Dark: Growing Green - 07/25/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Dig into new ideas about agriculture and food, and discover how we can contribute to a more sustainable future through renewable and natural resources. Don’t miss Open Question, our brand-new conversation series, where you’ll learn about eco-friendly food systems from leading experts. And hear from Florencia Pech-Cárdenas, our 2024 Osher Fellow who studies natural resource management in Yucatec Maya communities.
Open Question: Bioeconomy - What do sustainable food systems look like? - 07/25/2024 07:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Building sustainable food systems is an urgent issue around the world. In 2021, the UN estimated that over one-third of available food goes uneaten through loss or waste worldwide - creating a burden on global economy and environment. Join us to learn about the future of renewable food systems, and how fungi might play a role in all of this.
Part of After Dark
Friday, 07/26/2024
Women in Batteries Conference - 07/26/2024 11:00 AM
Cardinal Hall Redwood City
Get ready to be inspired at the Women in Batteries Conference, brought to you by Volta Foundation & Stanford StorageX Initiative. The Women in Batteries Conference is a pioneering event with a mission to celebrate and empower women in the battery industry.
The Women in Batteries initiative by Volta Foundation kicked off with a captivating monthly interview series in 2023, featuring accomplishments of outstanding women in the battery sector such as Shirley Meng and Dee Strand. This interview series has built a strong and supportive community of leaders - with over 1200 members.
But that's just the beginning! The heart of our initiative lies in the upcoming conference, scheduled for July 26, 2024, where our community will come together to create a transformative experience. During this event, we will dive deeper into the challenges faced by women in the batteries industry and collectively brainstorm strategies to drive positive change. By harnessing the collective wisdom and energy of our diverse community, we seek to influence the industry towards greater inclusivity and gender equality.
Join us in shaping the future of the battery industry
Observing Exoplanets with the James Webb Space Telescope - SOLD OUT - 07/26/2024 08:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
The event activities include:
Astronomy talk by “star” scientists Viewing through the historic 36-inch Great Lick Refractor telescope Viewing through the 40-inch Nickel Reflector telescope Fascinating history talk about Lick Observatory After-hours gift shop access Astronomy discussions with amateur astronomers and viewing through small telescopes
Natalie Batalha has been a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz since 2018. She is an eminent planetary astronomer who served as the scientific lead for NASA’s highly successful Kepler mission, which discovered over 2,700 exoplanets and another 2,000 candidates awaiting confirmation. On the Kepler mission, she identified planets that might be able to sustain life and led the analysis that yielded the discovery in 2011 of the first confirmed rocky planet outside our solar system. In 2017, Time magazine named her among the 100 most influential people in the world.
Speaker: Natalie Batalha, UC Santa Cruz
Saturday, 07/27/2024
Stewardship Saturday: Planting Trees to Restore San Francisco and the Ocean - 07/27/2024 08:45 AM
Bayview San Francisco
This free program for high school students features rotating themes exploring the science of the Center.
Join Friends of the Urban Forest and The Marine Mammal Center as we work to support the environment in San Francisco by planting trees! Urban greening not only improves the health of the land and air, but also controls runoff that can affect marine mammals frequently found in the San Francisco Bay. We hope by the end of this event you will have a stronger understanding of the value of urban greening, and will have some goals for next steps to take on your conservation journey.
NOTE: In order to fully sign up for this event, you will need to complete this Eventbrite registration page AND Friends of the Urban Forest’s registration page.
Free lunch and snacks will be provided.
We can sign community service forms for you if you attend this event!
Bubblefest - 07/27/2024 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Get ready to be blown away at Bubblefest! Step into a world of wobbly wonders and popping surprises as bubble experts showcase the coolest tricks and mind-blowing science behind bubbles. From rainbow-colored bubbles to bubble art masterpieces, there’s something awe inspiring for everyone! Dive into the action with hands on bubble experiments, watch bubbles dance with dry ice, and experience the thrill of being inside a giant bubble! And did you know bubbles hold secrets about stars and outer space? Come join the bubbliest party in town and nonstop bubble fun for all ages!
Tickets at weblink
TechFest: Game Play - 07/27/2024 10:00 AM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
CHM’s all-day TechFest events offer special family-oriented experiences included in the price of Museum admission. We’ll be bringing you tech-themed demos, performances, hands-on activities, and more. Explore CHM exhibits, shop in the Museum store, enjoy a tasty treat from the Cloud Bistro, and have fun at Techfest!
We're celebrating the world of video games. You'll get to play retro game consoles, make your own pixel art, enjoy live performances of video game music, and more!
Sunset Hike at Rancho Cañada del Oro - 07/27/2024 04:30 PM
Rancho Cañada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for an excursion where you’ll explore the Mayfair Ranch - Longwall Canyon trails of Rancho Cañada del Oro! You will be guided by POST Ambassadors who will share with you the history of the preserve, the region, and the importance of conservation in the area.
The hike is moderate to strenuous at about 4 miles round trip with about 700 feet of gradual elevation gain.
This wonderful preserve is a hub for wildlife, such as deer, bobcats, mountain lions, and more! In the Spring, you can expect a colorful array of wildflowers adorning the hillsides, and you may get a chance to see a beautiful little creek running through Llagas meadow.
Please note that dogs are not allowed on this preserve due to active cattle grazing and that all minors must be accompanied by a parent/guardian for the entirety of the hike.
Register at weblink
How Earth Came Alive! - 07/27/2024 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth - we are Earth! Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis that supports and is shaped by life.. . .
Join acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr as he reveals a radical new vision of Earth where lush forests spew water, pollen and bacteria to summon rain; giant animals engineer the very landscapes they roam; microscopic plankton, some as glittering as carved jewels, remake the air and sea; and humans alter more layers of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis.
Jabr will draw on the work in his new book Becoming Earth, which delves into the hidden workings of our planet and its many lifeforms and invites us to reexamine our place in it. What we do next will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come . . .
Speaker: Ferris Jabr, author; Jenny Odell, Writer and Artist, Moderator
Attend in person or online
“We are stardust: the story of cosmic alchemy” - 07/27/2024 08:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Each year Lick Observatory brings world-renown musicians and astronomers to the summit of Mount Hamilton for a musical night to remember.
The event activities include:
Concert Astronomy talk by world-renowned scientists Viewing through the historic 36-inch Great Lick Refractor telescope Viewing through the 40-inch Nickel Reflector telescope Astronomy discussions with amateur astronomers and viewing through small telescopes Dr. Sanjana Curtis is currently working on many interesting problems in astrophysics - supernovae, merging compact objects (e.g. neutron stars), and the origin of the chemical elements. Her primary motivation is to understand how fundamental forces and particles interact under extreme conditions. She utilizes both theoretical and computational methods for her research. Dr. Curtis is an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Astronomy at UC Berkeley. Before joining Berkeley, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago. She has lived and worked in India, the Netherlands, and all four US time zones. She also is a science communicator, publishing articles in popular science magazines such as Scientific American.
Speaker: Sanjana Curtis, UC Berkeley
Artist: Jimbo Scott
Tickets go on sale April 17 at Noon.
Starry Nights Star Party - 07/27/2024 09:00 PM
Rancho Cañada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
The San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA), working with the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA), is glad to co-host a public star party at Rancho Canada del Oro (RCDO) Open Space Preserve. This site, just 30 minutes south of downtown San Jose, features dark skies. It's dark enough to see the band of our Milky Way galaxy in the summer.
Do not bring your own telescope (binoculars are welcome, but please no tripods). SJAA club members will set up their telescopes to help star party guests get the most knowledge and enjoyment out of the dark night sky.
Sunday, 07/28/2024
Hike at Windy Hill - 07/28/2024 09:00 AM
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve Portola Valley
Join POST on a guided hike on one of the first open spaces we protected as an organization! A POST Representative will share a few words about POST’s decades of conservation success before hiking groups leave to explore a strenuous but rewarding 7 mile hike with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
Windy Hill was the first land protection project POST ever completed. Today, it’s an ideal spot for flying kites, walking dogs, mountain biking and horseback riding. The grassy ridge top of this popular 1,312-acre open space preserve is clearly visible from many spots along the Peninsula and is an ideal property to highlight POST’s work to expand the extensive recreational trail networks in our region.
All attendees must RSVP via Eventbrite. More detailed information regarding parking and meet-up locations will be sent out to all attendees prior to the event.
Register at weblink
Bubblefest - 07/28/2024 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Get ready to be blown away at Bubblefest! Step into a world of wobbly wonders and popping surprises as bubble experts showcase the coolest tricks and mind-blowing science behind bubbles. From rainbow-colored bubbles to bubble art masterpieces, there’s something awe inspiring for everyone! Dive into the action with hands on bubble experiments, watch bubbles dance with dry ice, and experience the thrill of being inside a giant bubble! And did you know bubbles hold secrets about stars and outer space? Come join the bubbliest party in town and nonstop bubble fun for all ages!
Tickets at weblink
Tuesday, 07/30/2024
Wonderfest: Black Holes, and the Tech to Find Them - 07/30/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Wednesday, 07/31/2024
Serving science by serving people - Livestream - 07/31/2024 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Bodega Marine Lab Seminar Series - Livestream - 07/31/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Thursday, 08/01/2024
After Dark: See for Yourself - 08/01/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Radio Axion: Tuning in to the Dark Matter Airwaves - 08/01/2024 07:00 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Public Lecture Series Menlo Park
Friday, 08/02/2024
Vintage Computer Festival - 08/02/2024 10:00 AM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Saturday, 08/03/2024
Vintage Computer Festival - 08/03/2024 10:00 AM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Bay Day - 08/03/2024 11:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Nike Missile Site Veteran Open House - 08/03/2024 12:00 PM
Nike Missle Site Mill Valley
The Bioethics of Gene Therapy - Livestream - 08/03/2024 06:00 PM
Bay Area Humanists