The SciSchmooze Takes a Look Back

Jul 06, 2026

6 July 2026

Iron Lungs, Los Angeles ca. 1953, Getty Images

Greetings, science aficionados,
Salutojn, sciencamantoj,
[Esperanto is spoken today by over 2 million people, usually as a second language.
L.L. Zamenhof published this ‘created language’ in 1887]

Let’s open a fascinating chapter of Public Health at a time we were confronted by an earlier deadly pandemic: Polio

Poliomyelitis - Infantile Paralysis - Polio - has been with us for over 4,000 years, but it did not become a major killer until the advent of modern sanitary practices. This paradox is attributed to the existence of multiple strains of the virus that are (1) mostly harmless, (2) easily contracted in less sanitary community conditions, and (3) confer immunity to a less common but deadly strain.

Fatal epidemics of polio occurred in Europe beginning in the late 1800’s and in the U.S. during the 1900’s. It killed 1 out of 20 infected children with annual cases in the U.S. reaching 58,000. The disease permanently paralysed and shriveled muscles, sometimes paralysing the diaphragm muscles leaving sufferers to die from asphyxiation. [The photo above shows patients lying in “iron lungs” that rhythmically varied air pressure to squeeze and expand their torsos to force breathing.]

Franklin Delano Roosevelt survived polio in 1921 but it left him reliant on a wheelchair for the rest of his life. As President, Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938. The singer Eddie Cantor referred to the Foundation as the “March of Dimes” and the name stuck. The March of Dimes collected coins and donations; $250 million in 1953 alone. (over $3 billion in today’s currency.) The public - not the government - funded polio research and the treatment of polio victims.

In 1948 Hilary Koprowski developed an oral vaccine from ‘live attenuated’ polio virus. Although it was successfully tested on his family and on 20 children, the live attenuated vaccine was considered too risky for further testing or use in the U.S. Other countries on 4 continents successfully put it to use.

In 1954 a ‘killed virus’ injectable vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was ‘tested’ on 1.6 million children in the United States, Finland, and Canada. It was licensed for general use in 1955 although - unlike Koprowski’s oral vaccine - Salk’s injectable vaccine required booster shots.

Albert Sabin received a sample of Koprowski’s oral vaccine and improved upon it. Unable to test it in the U.S., he took it to Moscow where it was given to tens of thousands of Soviet children with results superior to the Salk vaccine. In 1961, the Sabin vaccine was approved for use in the U.S. It tasted very bitter so it was commonly given on a sugar cube which inspired the song, “A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down” in the 1964 movie “Mary Poppins.”

The last case of poliomyelitis contracted in the U.S. was in 1979, yet there are many older persons living around the world with partial paralyses from having polio as a young child.

PATRIOTIC DUTY

The Trump Administration’s Executive Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes to take complete control over all Federal disbursements. All contracts, grants, and publishable results - including scientific research - will be approved or rejected by political appointees, thus sidestepping the current, relevant panels of experts. Furthermore, the Executive Branch will dictate - without explanation - which universities, contractors, and corporations are eligible and ineligible to receive Federal monies.

The window for you to comment on this proposed Regulation ends on July 13th. Click the “Comment” box on this Federal site to register your opinion. If you want suggestions or assistance, check out this site. [For example, you may submit comments anonymously.] I simply commented: “Do not adopt this regulation. Leave funding decisions to the professionals in their fields, not political appointees.”

I commented on this egregious power grab as my patriotic duty for the 4th of July.

RAFFLE

This 450ml laboratory coffee beaker is a popular SciSchmooze Raffle prize. Just send an email before noon Friday to david<dot>almandsmith<at>gmail<dot>com with your guess of an integer from 1 to 1,000. For our previous Raffle, the eOracle offered up 412. Mike and Charmaine were closest with their guesses of 444, but Charmaine’s entry arrived first, winning her a Science T-Shirt.

CLIMATE / ENVIRONMENT

Bolivia’s Lago Poopó in 1984 was 84 km long [52 miles]

Bad news: Thousands of lakes, reservoirs, and rivers around the world are reaching historically low levels. High temperature records are currently being broken around the Northern Hemisphere and contributing to thousands of excess deaths.

Ocean Observation Initiative networks. Credit: Center for Environmental Visualization

Good news: The Trump Administration reversed its decision to end the Ocean Observation Initiative - a $368 million NOAA system with over 900 installed instruments - following pushback by citizens, scientists, and legislators. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: “I’m grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for approving this legislation unanimously and helping to ensure that stakeholders and industry experts are consulted to keep our scientific researchers, our fishermen, and our communities equipped with this essential information.”

Good news: Researchers have identified over 150 coral reef systems that are not currently threatened. They exist in predominantly cooler water currents. Locations include Africa, Australia, Cuba, Indonesia, and around several island archipelagoes.

Good news: After the Trump Administration fired climate experts and removed the website Climate.gov, those unemployed experts created a non-profit organization, crowd-sourced over a quarter million dollars, hired web technicians, recruited volunteer scientists, recovered the deleted content, restored the website as Climate.us, and are keeping it updated. [Consider making a small donation to keep it going.]

Good news: Over 900 huge wind turbines located in New Mexico came ‘online’ last month. Over 880 km (550 mi) of High Voltage Direct Current powerlines connect them to Arizona. This largest renewable energy project in the U.S. can - at peak power - deliver 3.5 gigawatts of electricity - enough for one million homes.

Good news: A test installation near Turlock may lead to solar panels covering much of California’s 6,000+ kilometers (3,600+ miles] of canals. As an added benefit, billions of liters of water would be prevented from evaporating each year.

¿News? During the annual “London Climate Action Week Conference“ in June, a session titled, “Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world,” was cancelled due to extreme heat.

My EVENT PICKS

Action Together: West – Protest activities happening every day

Harsh Medicine: Gender Bias in Science & Health Care Livestream Monday 6PM, $

The Numerology of Toxicology: How Bad Science Travels into the Regulatory Domain - Livestream Thursday 7:30PM

Twilight Marsh Walk Saturday 6:45 - 8:30PM, Fremont [Register online]

S.F. CHRONICLE’S TOP 10 MUSEUMS (1 July 2026)

Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Berkeley
Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, Berkeley
Black Panther Party Museum, Oakland
Radio Central Museum, Alameda
Legion of Honor, San Francisco
USS Hornet Museum, Alameda
Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa
Blackhawk Museum, Danville
Pacific Pinball Museum, Alameda
Children’s Museum of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa

EDUCATION

Glenn Branch of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) in Oakland took a survey of State Republican Party Platforms with respect to teaching science. Here are a few relevant ‘planks’:

Minnesota: “Science standards should recognize the controversy over the theory of evolution.”
Missouri: “[T]he Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS: … Empowering local school districts to determine how best to handle the teaching of creationism and the theory of evolution.”
Oklahoma: “We believe Biblical creation and intelligent design must be taught and must receive equal funding, class time, and materials as other theories such as evolution.”
Oklahoma: “We oppose the teaching of the theory of anthropogenic global warming without providing equal time for instruction in the complex systems of geo-physics [sic] that cause observable climate change, such as solar variations, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions.”
Texas: “In science, we support objective teaching of scientific method, practices, and theories including the complexity of life origins and the changing climate throughout geologic history. These concepts shall be taught as challengeable scientific theories subject to change as new data is [sic] produced. Teachers and students shall discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these theories openly, without fear of retribution or discrimination.”
Iowa: Refers to “alleged man-made global warming or climate change”
West Virginia: “We reject the notion of man-made climate change and do not submit to a radical climate agenda that seeks to weaken America.”

I’ve extracted a few more ‘interesting’ State Republican Party Platform planks.

Idaho: “[We] do not support using taxpayer funding for programs beyond high school.”
Minnesota: “Educators who discuss creation science should be protected from disciplinary action.” “College education should be paid for by students and not taxpayers.”
Oklahoma: “We oppose all Marxist ideology such as Critical Race Theory (CRT), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and all other critical theories.”
South Carolina: “We reject any and all mandated vaccine decrees.”
Texas: “We demand that the Legislature pass a law prohibiting the teaching of sex education, sexual health, or sexual choice or identity in any government school in any grade whatsoever…”

SPACE

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory officially began its unprecedented data collecting mission of the skies. A flood of data is now flowing out from the mountains of Chile that will reveal thousands of ‘new’ asteroids & supernovae, and will inform studies of dark energy and dark matter. Click HERE to zoom into a mind-blowing ‘zoomable’ example of Rubin’s view of the heavens.

¿Why do we call it “Kepler’s Supernova Remnant”? Because Johannes Kepler - among others - witnessed the supernova explosion in 1604. Debris continues to spread. NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory has been recording the aftermath since the year 2000 (animation).

GOOD NERDY PODCAST

Fact Checking Wikipedia - Body of Evidence - Christopher Labos & Susan Gerbic - 32 mins

GOOD NERDY VIDEOS

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring - 250 to 250 - Katherine Richardson - 1 min

Vera C. Rubin Observatory - CuriousMindsTech - 2 mins
Great little video from earlier this year

Dramatic Bamboo - Hannah Fry - 2 mins
With a ‘dramtic’ true story

60 Million Stars - ESA - Euclid Telescope - 3 mins
Mind-blowing!

A Short History of Modern Communication - Cup o’ Joe - Joe Schwarcz - 4 mins
Only 99 simultaneous intercontinental telephone conversations in 1962

Advance in Treating Brain Tumors - SciShow - Savannah Geary - 7 mins
Turning cancer cells into functioning brain cells

A Meter-Long Scorpion - 7 Days of Science - Ben Thomas - 8 mins
Oh My!

Whale Necropolis Discovered - nature video - 8.5 mins
7 kilometers below the ocean’s surface

¿Life on Mars? - Star Talk - Neil deGrasse Tyson & David Grinspoon - 10 mins

Attack of the Bubbles: Detergents - Sci Show - Savannah Geary - 11 mins

Scholars use Tech on Burnt Scrolls - Dig It With Raven - Raven Todd daSilva - 12 mins
Vesuvius burned scrolls to a crisp but we are reading them anyway

High-Fatality Heat Waves Are Not Disasters - PBS Terra - Maiya May - 12 mins
Huh?

Insane Clean Energy Manufacturing - Engineering with Rosie - Rosie Barnes - 14 mins
Off to China we go!

First (& almost fatal) Trip into the Stratosphere - SciShow - Savannah Geary - 23 mins
Yikes!

Magnesium - Tales from the Periodic Table - Ron Hipschman - 35 mins

Put on good shoes, take some water, and go enjoy our world.
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics

“I am profoundly convinced that every nationalism offers humanity only the greatest unhappiness, and that the aim of all peoples ought to be: creating a harmonious humanity.”
— L.L. Zamenhof (1859 - 1917) Creator of the Esperanto language.

Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.

Monday, 07/06/2026

Harsh Medicine: Gender Bias in Science & Health Care - 07/06/2026 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco

Despite decades of progress, women continue to face systemic barriers to success in medicine and science. This is the considered view of Dr. Jennifer Grandis, Distinguished Professor at UC San Francisco. In her new book, Harsh Medicine: Why Women Can’t Get Ahead in Science and Health Care, Dr. Grandis draws on case studies, rigorous analysis, and decades of experience to reveal how gender bias is embedded in the structures of academic medicine and scientific research. How do science policies, funding systems, promotion practices, and cultural norms disadvantage women throughout their careers in science and medicine?

Attend in person or online. Use promo code WONDERNAUTS for a $10 discount, making the online ticket free.

Speaker: Jennifer Grandis, UC San Francisco; Katie Hafner, Lost Women of Science podcast, moderator

Wednesday, 07/08/2026

Expanding accessibility in the geosciences through Group Level Assessment (GLA) - 07/08/2026 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Landing

The implementation of methods emphasizing inclusion and accessibility have noticeably increased in the geosciences over the last few decades. In particular, geoscientists of color and geoscientists with disabilities have both become the focus of various efforts to provide improved support for long-term success in the discipline. In order to continue improving upon methods to broaden participation of underrepresented individuals in the geosciences, it is essential that intersectional approaches be introduced to support multiple aspects of a person’s identity. The goal of this study was to explore the application of Group Level Assessment (GLA) in understanding barriers that impact geoscientists at the intersections of race and disability. Using a Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lens, this presentation provides guidance for better understanding the lived experiences of underrepresented individuals in the geosciences and work to guide future efforts for supporting the intersectional needs of geoscientists.

Speaker: Ian Castro, Austin Peay State University

Thursday, 07/09/2026

NightLife - 07/09/2026 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco

Thursdays hit different at NightLife. The museum comes alive after hours - wilder, more curious, and full of exciting creatures. Grab your friends, grab a hand-crafted drink, and let yourself wander into whatever weird or wonderful corner calls you.

Plus, you can:

Step inside our four-story Osher Rainforest, where you can explore the Amazon’s treetops surrounded by free-flying birds and butterflies.Wander our newest exhibit, Vivid: Immerse Your Senses, for an unforgettable, embodied experience that awakens the senses and unlocks hidden worlds and unexpected perspectives.Venture into our aquarium exhibit Venom, to encounter live venomous animals and learn the power of venom to both harm and heal.Bask in the glow of one of the largest living indoor coral reef displays in the world: our 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef habitat.Take in the interstellar views from the Living Roof, then grab a bite from the Academy Café and head to the West Garden to drink and dine under the stars.

After Dark: Science of Sports - 07/09/2026 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco

Discover the science behind how elite athletes harness physics, psychology, and strategy to perform at the highest level.

Ages 18+

The Numerology of Toxicology: How Bad Science Travels into the Regulatory Domain - Livestream - 07/09/2026 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics

Scientific literature is routinely shaped, and sometimes outright manufactured, by parties with a commercial stake in the conclusions. Studies designed to defend a product’s efficacy or safety often acquire an outsized regulatory presence, circulating across jurisdictions and becoming load-bearing references for decisions made by agencies around the world. Once embedded, such studies can prove remarkably durable, continuing to anchor regulatory judgments long after their weaknesses are known.

Here I trace one such trajectory in detail: a case study of a widely used herbicide whose underlying safety studies penetrated regulatory regimes globally despite serious methodological and ethical problems. Following these studies from their origin into the decisions they came to support reveals how readily flawed evidence can be laundered into authoritative fact.

From that case study, I take up a more general question: how did toxicology, as a discipline, come to rely on frameworks and risk-assessment defaults that began as essentially self-admitted arbitrary numerical choices half a century ago, yet still persist in regulatory standards worldwide? I argue that confronting the contingent, even numerological, origins of these conventions reveals just how arbitrary they are, and how much of the real risk they fail to capture.

Speaker: Sasha Kaurov, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research

Click here to watch

Friday, 07/10/2026

Lick Observatory After Hours - SOLD OUT - 07/10/2026 06:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton

Saturday, 07/11/2026

History of Drawbridge - 07/11/2026 09:30 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center Alviso

About fifty years ago, the last inhabitant of Drawbridge left. Drawbridge was a small community in the middle of the south Bay marshes, about 3 miles north of Alviso, that existed from the late 1880s to mid-1970s. Learn about what was the catalyst for it to form, why people lived there, and about their life and times on Drawbridge.

The presentation will take place in the pavilion at the Environmental Education Center in Alviso at the Don Edwards SF Bay NWR. Option afterwards to take a ~3.2 round trip walk to the viewpoint to see buildings across Coyote Creek on Station Island (bring lots of sun protection, plenty of water, and comfortable walking shoes).

Family Nature Adventures: Redwoods - 07/11/2026 10:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland

This Months Theme: Guardians of the Forest - Discover the Oakland Redwoods!

Journey into the majestic redwood groves of the Oakland Hills and explore the towering giants that call our local parks home.

Interactive Workshop: Learn what makes coast redwoods the tallest trees on Earth and how they thrive in the unique climate of the Oakland Redwoods. Discover how fire, fog, and time shape these forests and why they are such an important part of our local ecosystem.

Guided Nature Walk: Step beneath the cool canopy of our very own redwood trails as we observe bark textures, search for cones, and identify the layers of life that flourish in the understory. Along the way, we’ll look for signs of wildlife and learn how these ancient trees support the plants and animals living right here in our community.

The Tech Interactive’s Molecular Meals: Summer BBQ Workshop - 07/11/2026 02:00 PM
The Tech Interactive San Jose

Experience the ultimate summer BBQ reinvented through cutting-edge food science. Gather your friends and family for a culinary adventure where classic comfort food meets futuristic gastronomy. Using the precise chemical process of spherification, your group will step behind the kitchen counter to hand-craft a gourmet spread of edible, bursting spheres that encapsulate your favorite hot-weather flavors.

This is not your average backyard cookout. It is an exploration of how structural chemistry and texturizing agents alter our perception of taste. Think of it as crafting custom popping boba, but elevated into a refined multi-course flavor profile. You will learn techniques used in Michelin-starred restaurants to manipulate calcium baths and sodium alginate, transforming liquids into perfectly delicate, membrane-bound flavor explosions that pop on the palate.

During this epicurean lab session, you will get comfortable using specialized culinary tools, master the delicate balance of pH levels, and discover the secrets of modern sensory pairing. Come ready to unlock your inner chef, experiment with edible chemistry, and taste the culinary arts like never before.

Lick Observatory After Hours - SOLD OUT - 07/11/2026 06:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton

Twilight Marsh Walk - 07/11/2026 06:45 PM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont

Experience the salt marsh at twilight on an easy stroll along refuge trails (about 0.6 miles). You will learn about the habitats at the refuge, the wildlife it protects, why the refuge was established and why it is just as important for us. This program is led by USFWS volunteer Mary Bobik. Meet outside the Visitor Center.

Sunday, 07/12/2026

History of Drawbridge - 07/12/2026 10:00 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont

Join us for a presentation at the Visitor Contact Station on the Bay Area’s historic town!

About fifty years ago, the last inhabitant of Drawbridge left. Drawbridge was a small community in the middle of the South Bay marshes, about 3 miles north of Alviso, that existed from the late 1880s to mid-1970s. Learn about what was the catalyst for it to form, why people lived there, and about their life and times on Drawbridge.

The presentation will take place in the Education Room of the Visitor Contact Station at the Don Edwards SF Bay NWR in Fremont.

Top Predators - 07/12/2026 10:30 AM
Marine Mammal Center Sausalito

Some of the world’s best predators are in the ocean! Come learn about orcas, sharks, and even polar bears! You’ll hear about hunting habits to what we think makes them succeed, as we dive into some incredible top predators!

30 minute presentations at 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 2:00 pm

The Tech Interactive’s Molecular Meals: Summer BBQ Workshop - 07/12/2026 02:00 PM
The Tech Interactive San Jose

Monday, 07/13/2026

Evolution through gene duplications - 07/13/2026 06:00 PM
Crepe Place Santa Cruz

Tuesday, 07/14/2026

Restoring the Carmel River: The Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project - 07/14/2026 06:00 PM
Hopkins Marine Station Pacific Grove

Wonderfest: Neural Synchrony - 07/14/2026 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato

Skeptics in a Real Pub - 07/14/2026 07:00 PM
Fiddler’s Green Millbrae

Wednesday, 07/15/2026

Special LASER celebrating Stanford Research Park’s 75th Anniversary - What is Special about Silicon Valley? - 07/15/2026 05:30 PM
The Hub at Stanford Research Park Palo Alto

Multi-Agent Systems at Scale as a Shared Platform for the enterprises - 07/15/2026 07:00 PM
Valley Research Park Mountain View

Decoding the Magnetic Interstellar Medium - 07/15/2026 07:00 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers San Francisco