Happy Father’s Day (and Everyone Else Too!),
Well here we are, not to far from summer now. It seems like there have been a lot of distractions in the past few months. Both good and bad depending on your perspective. Let’s acknowledge that politics has taken too much time and attention for what has actually been accomplished or done. I like to think that science is more efficient at getting to it’s goals even if some of them take many years to get done. I think there is a lot more joy in science to.
Of course we mark the start of summer with astronomical events and now with astronomical precision, Thursday 20 June at 21.51 BST (20.51 GMT). As with so many natural events there is a rich history of how they have been noted and celebrated by humans longer than it seems possible. For instance this week we get a bonus moon! Did you know that it will also be a Strawberry Moon on Jun 21, 2024 at 6:07 pm PDT?
There are many other fascinating things that we are always learning as we study and celebrate our amazing universe. Science is more than appreciation of pretty stars and planets. We are here because of and in spite of many chance and intentional discoveries over the past many years… A Lesson in Science Appreciation
So what sort of plans do you have for the next week? Here are a few opportunities to consider…
Nerd Nite SF#143: Felines, Freedom, and Fairies - 06/19/2024 07:00 PM
Snapshot Cal Coast - Point Molate Intertidal Bioblitz - 06/20/2024 10:00 AM
After Dark: Summer Solstice - 06/20/2024 6:00 PM
Here are a few more ruminations for the week!
Voyager 1 is back online! This is mindblowing to me! The spacecraft has resumed full science operations after a technical issue began creating complications in November 2023. Something launched so long ago and now so far from us can be repaired!
In the Skeptic communities there is a lot of fascination with magic. Magic Died When Art and Science Split
The Burden - Lonely fish that walk upright. Rodents that tap-dance through the fast-food night shift. (Be warned it is absurd!) I occasionally like absurd!
Set to reach Earth orbit in 2029, this small satellite will serve to fine-tune telescopes on our planet.
Between Mathematics and the Miraculous: The Stunning Pendulum Drawings of Swiss Healer and Artist Emma Kunz
We are heading in to fire season here in “the west”. It seems like fire season is becoming much longer and covering more area here. Consider that drought has helped spread intense, early-season blazes in one of the world’s largest wetlands. The Pantanal, famed as a paradise of biodiversity saw 2,387 fires in the first 13 days of November ‘23 alone. Fires in Brazil wetlands surge to record start in 2024. Having had the good luck to have visited there in 2022 I know a bit about the area. That is one of the many parts of travel we all share after a travel to somewhere unfamiliar. Go see something amazing, it might just change you. It seems that we may really be screwing up the planet. In case you missed this… Siberia's Spectacular 'Garbage' Beach
Of course, who doesn’t love a good cat story? How Schrödinger’s Cat Got Famous
Have a great week watching the moon, the planet, and life around you. Did you know that the SciSchmooze is archived? Share the SciSchmooze with someone you care about!
herb masters
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects!” Notebooks of Lazarus Long
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Tuesday, 06/18/2024
'Invisible Rulers' Book Talk - 06/18/2024 06:00 PM
Manny's San Francisco
Join us for a book talk with author Rene DiResta! Her new book, Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, is an essential and riveting (Jonathan Haidt) analysis of the radical shift in the dynamics of power and influence, revealing how the machinery that powered the Big Lie works to create bespoke realities revolutionizing politics, culture, and society.
Rene DiResta’s powerful, original investigation into the way power and influence have been profoundly transformed reveals how a virtual rumor mill of niche propagandists increasingly shapes public opinion. While propagandists position themselves as trustworthy Davids, their reach, influence, and economics make them classic Goliath - invisible rulers who create bespoke realities to revolutionize politics, culture, and society. Their work is driven by a simple maxim: if you make it trend, you make it true.
By revealing the machinery and dynamics of the interplay between influencers, algorithms, and online crowds, DiResta vividly illustrates the way propagandists deliberately undermine belief in the fundamental legitimacy of institutions that make society work. This alternate system for shaping public opinion, unexamined until now, is rewriting the relationship between the people and their government in profound ways. It has become a force so shockingly effective that its destructive power seems limitless. Scientific proof is powerless in front of it. Democratic validity is bulldozed by it. Leaders are humiliated by it. But they need not be.
With its deep insight into the power of propagandists to drive online crowds into battle - while bearing no responsibility for the consequences - Invisible Rulers not only predicts those consequences but offers ways for leaders to rapidly adapt and fight back.
Speaker: Rene DiResta, Stanford Internet Observatory
The Chinese Computer - 06/18/2024 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
How can Chinese - a language with tens of thousands of characters and no alphabet - be input on a QWERTY keyboard with only a few dozen keys?
In his new book, The Chinese Computer, Stanford professor Thomas Mullaney dissects the history and evolution of Chinese language computing technology and explores the fascinating story of software programs that enable Chinese characters to be produced using alphanumeric symbols.
Join us for a fireside chat with Mullaney as he discusses:
The profound impact this software had on the way Chinese is written. Â How these advances helped computers gain traction in Asian countries.The way culture informs computing and how computing, in turn, shapes culture.
Wednesday, 06/19/2024
Cold-water coral distribution across oxygen minimum zones in the Galapagos Islands and La Isla del Coco - Livestream - 06/19/2024 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Ocean warming caused by climate change influences the expansion of areas of low oxygen concentration in the deep sea. This could threaten cold-water corals (CWC), important ecosystem engineers. The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) has one of the world’s most pronounced oxygen minimum zones (OMZ) as well as some of the most biodiverse marine protected areas, the Galapagos and La Isla del Coco. The pristine deep sea surrounding these islands is home to diverse CWC. Given the expected expansion of the OMZ, we aim to understand whether CWC distribution, biodiversity and abundance across OMZ differ within and between Islands and identify the environmental factors that may support CWC resilience under low oxygen conditions. Using ROV SuBastian on board R/V Falkor (too), we collected video, coral samples and environmental data across the Islands. Preliminary observations reveal varying patterns of coral distribution related to abiotic oceanographic factors and large differences in the OMZ extension between islands.
This research will provide essential information to strengthen the development of a regional marine conservation corridor in the ETP currently under implementation and improve our understanding on CWC adaptation and vulnerability in the Pacific.
Speaker: Ana Beln Ynez Surez, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Register at weblink to receive connection information
A Cosmic shadow theater: How galaxy silhouettes reveal their dark side - 06/19/2024 07:00 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers San Francisco
The afterglow from the Big Bang, the "cosmic microwave background", acts as the backlight in a shadow theater where galaxies are the protagonists. The resulting galaxy shadows contain unique information about the invisible components of galaxies, such as their cold gas and dark matter, which hold clues to the nature of dark matter, dark energy, and the formation of galaxies. Dr. Emmanuel Shaan will present some of the scientific efforts to reveal these galaxy silhouettes, using unprecedented cosmic microwave background experiments and galaxy surveys.
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Speaker Series: Jessica Burton - Livestream - 06/19/2024 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Jessica Burton is a Master's Candidate in Biology at California State University, Long Beach where she is studying artificial habitat supplementation for the light-footed Ridgway's Rail. She received a Bachelor's of Science in Biology from Illinois Wesleyan University. She is currently a Wildlife Biologist at the Santa Ana Watershed Association where she monitors endangered species populations, including the least Bellâs vireo and California least tern.Â
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Nerd Nite SF#143: Felines, Freedom, and Fairies - 06/19/2024 07:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
Come one, come all to our Juneteenth show on (when else?) Wednesday, June 19th. We’ll be celebrating Black nerds in the Bay Area and their brilliant talks about the ecological chaos caused by domestic cats, the Blackness of birds, and the incredible legacy of the movie Fern Gully. Join us!
Tyus Williams - Claws & Consequences: How Feline Frenemies Shape the East Bay Ecology
Join Tyus at Nerd Nite’s Juneteenth show for a purrfectly quirky exploration into the ecological havoc wreaked by our beloved yet mischievous domestic cats in the East Bay. From prowling predators to cuddly companions, discover the untold tales of feline folly and their impact on local wildlife. Prepare for a whisker-twitching adventure filled with humor, insights, and a few surprise guests (no, not your cat)! Let’s unravel the mysteries of our furry friends and their pawprints on the environment.
Tyus Williams is a third-year PhD candidate and NSF Fellow at UC Berkeley.
Julian Nesbitt - The Blackest of Birds: Waiting for the Moment to Ariseâ
About a decade ago, renowned Black birder and professor, J. Drew Lanham wrote 9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher. The rule that stuck out to Julian Nesbitt the most was #5: Black birds - any black birds - are your bird They’re largely ignored because of their ubiquity and often persecuted because of stereotypes and misunderstanding. Sounds like profiling to me. This got Julian thinking, in what other ways can black birds, from red-winged blackbirds and others from the actual blackbird family, to corvids like crows and ravens, to nearly all species of penguin, relate to the Black human experience? And what other birds can we claim as well? Come to Juneteenth Nerd Nite to find out.
In 2006, a young boy watched Animal Planet for the first time and discovered his passion for singing, and the rest was history. Nearly two decades later, Julian is showing no signs of recovering from the nature-lover bug that bit him. Between nature and the arts, an ecologist by day and performer by night, Julian has had plenty of opportunities to nerd out on these two areas of life. Julian, a Birding for Everyone Fellow in the Golden Gate Birding Alliance, has found a way to combine his Blackness with his passions and showcase his knowledge and talents while representing his roots. From classrooms at school, to hangouts with friends, even overseas and now here at Nerd Nite.*
Chelsea Connor For Our Children’s Children: The History, Natural History and Legacy of FernGully
When FernGully: The Last Rainforest was released in 1992, it did what few other animated movies of its time did. It inspired young naturalists and conservationists. A departure from the Disneyfication of wildlife, with real world concerns and inspirations, FernGully is a cult classic. Join Chelsea on a journey through the rainforests of Australia, cataloging the creatures, themes, impact and Burlesque skeletons from a well woven tale that wants to help us save our planet.
Chelsea Connor is an award winning wildlife biologist.
See weblink for tickets.
Thursday, 06/20/2024
Snapshot Cal Coast - Point Molate Intertidal Bioblitz - 06/20/2024 10:00 AM
Point Molate Beach Park Richmond
Join Wholly H2O and the Point Molate Alliance in support of California Academy of Sciences' Snapshot Cal Coast intertidalfor a fun-filled exploration of Point Molate! Get ready to have tons of fun documenting local flora and fauna by observing and capturing the wildlife at Point Molate. Check out iNaturalist page from Pt. Molate to see what other species our community has documented in the area.
This will be the fourth year at Point Molate and you can see the observations from previous years. page from Pt. Molate to see what other species our community has documented in the area. Cal Academy also has a great page about tintertidal species, both native and nonative.
A bioblitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period. We will show off our observationalist skills by taking pictures and uploading them to your account on iNaturalist (so easy to make if this is your first time).
Birdy Hour: Learning Watercolor Techniques to Paint Birds - Livestream - 06/20/2024 05:30 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
In this fun, unique Birdy Hour, artist Anastasia Nguyen will teach you how to paint a beautiful bird in watercolor! She will be using the winning photos from the Art Category of the May 25th, 2024, Spring Bird Photo Big Day as references for the artwork, so you will learn which bird you will be painting after the Bird Photo Big Day ends. During the workshop, Anastasia will first explain her creative process and her recommended supplies. Then, she will guide participants in painting a bird in its environment with watercolors using a reference photo. While she paints, she will also be answering your questions about watercolor, bird illustration, or just art in general.
Register at weblink
NightLife: Inked - 06/20/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Inked is back at NightLife! Explore the wonders of ink from cephalopods to live tattoos - yes, the real kind!
After Dark: Summer Solstice - 06/20/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
On Summer Solstice, our galleries will be as lit as the day outside. Encounter the ExtraOrdinary with our special exhibition that turns everyday objects into stunning artworks, and enjoy breathtaking waterfront views at our Observatory. Come celebrate the longest day of the year at After Dark, and discover something new about yourself.
Ages 18+
Serendipity and Salt Ponds - Livestream - 06/20/2024 07:00 PM
Golden Gate Bird Alliance
California experienced rapid and widespread destruction and modification of natural hydrological ecosystems and wetlands after the Gold Rush, including the loss of nearly all tidal wetlands in San Francisco Bay, many of which were converted to commercial salt production ponds. The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is now restoring large swaths of tidal marsh habitat, but they are faced with a new dilemma: many bird species that had used wetlands lost or degraded elsewhere in California, including the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada, have come to use the salt ponds as accidental habitat.
Speaker: Dr. Van Schmidt, Landscape Sustainability Science, UC Berkeley
Friday, 06/21/2024
The wonders of a 400 MHz HTS magnet NMR system, how it works and our results at Amgen - Livestream - 06/21/2024 10:00 AM
California Section American Chemical Society
The discovery of new ceramic materials containing Ba-La-Cu oxides in 1986 exhibiting superconductive properties at high temperatures (35 K or higher), opened a new world of opportunities for NMRs and MRIs to move away from liquid cryogens, recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987. A prototype 400 MHz high temperature superconducting (HTS) power-driven magnet NMR spectrometer was installed at Amgenâs chemistry laboratory to be tested for a variety of applications, structure analysis, reaction monitoring, and CASE-3D studies with RDCs. The HTS âcryofreeâ magnet does not required liquid cryogens refills and has a smaller footprint than a comparable low temperature superconducting (LTS) magnet, with stability as the unknown factor of this technology. Our evaluation of its performance was successful.
Speaker: Maria Victoria Silva Elipe, Amgen
Register at weblink
Saturday, 06/22/2024
NASA Fest at Chabot - 06/22/2024 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
How do you organize a space party? You plan-et! Join us at Chabot for two days of astronomical fun for the whole family! Step into the shoes of a NASA engineer, discover and play with real world space tech, design and test your own Rovers, and hear from extraordinary guest speakers working at the forefront of the development of aerospace technology right here in the Bay!
Art Reception - Nature Paintings of Neha Kabade - 06/22/2024 01:30 PM
Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter Palo Alto
Join us to celebrate the whimsy, color and talent of local artist, Neha Kabade. We kick off the exhibit of her work at the EcoCenter with a fun reception featuring the artistâs works and a chance to ask her questions about her process. Light refreshments will be served. Registration through EventBrite will be helpful for us to have for head counts, but not required.
Bair Island Walking Tour - 06/22/2024 02:30 PM
Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail Redwood City
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a walking tour at Bair Island! Youâll be guided by POST ambassadors who will share the history of this beautiful protected space, information about the species that live there, and what you can do to contribute.
This easy 1 mile walk with little to no elevation gain will highlight the wetlands and the marine life that live within, such as: Endangered Ridgewayâs rails and salt marsh harvest mice. Also cottontail rabbits, peregrine falcons, pelicans, egrets, terns, and stilts. We recommend bringing binoculars to catch sight of some of the beautiful birds at Bair Island.
Register at weblink
Planet Italy: Adventures in Teaching and Learning - 06/22/2024 07:30 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society Oakland
During 2023 Italy had a record 68 million visitors. That spring, one of them was Andy Kreyche of Santa Cruz, but his visit was far from typical. As a planetarium educator, Andy was selected to take part in a program to teach astronomy lessons to high school students in different parts of the country. Each location was both distinctly Italian and decidedly different. And each place came to life due to generous hosts - astronomy educators and amateur enthusiasts who seemed to exemplify their surroundings. Being in Italy for the first time gave Andy new perspectives on artistry, history, and permanence. Come along on a unique journey that will take you from Assisi to a Franciscan convent in the countryside, from historic Ravenna to an observatory in the foothills of the Alps, among other places.
Speaker: Andy Kreyche, West Valley College, Kvamme Panetarium
Attend in person or watch online here.
Sunday, 06/23/2024
NASA Fest at Chabot - 06/23/2024 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
How do you organize a space party? You plan-et! Join us at Chabot for two days of astronomical fun for the whole family! Step into the shoes of a NASA engineer, discover and play with real world space tech, design and test your own Rovers, and hear from extraordinary guest speakers working at the forefront of the development of aerospace technology right here in the Bay!
The Rhythms of Summer: From the Solstice to Steel Drums - 06/23/2024 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Feel the warmth of the sun and sand between your toes at our outdoor science party! Learn about the longest day of sunshine and enjoy a steel drum performance by the Dans of Steel with special guests. Ohlone educators will teach you how to make and float tule boats on the pond. Flex your creativity by creating sand sculptures, and learn from a Planetarium educator all about the summer solstice!
Event is included with admission to the science center (Adults & children ages 3+: $20). Admission is free for UC Berkeley students & staff, Members, children 2 and under, Museums for All, and active-duty military.
Monday, 06/24/2024
From Cancer to UAP - A Common Investigatory Framework to Study the Knowable - 06/24/2024 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Join us in person for a fascinating conversation with Garry Nolan, a cancer researcher at Stanford School of Medicine, whose scientific research interests extend to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).
The study of the unknown starts with an observation of nature that begs explanation. Science as a template for exploring nature, or phenomenon, proceeds according to rules laid out over at least two millennia in Western civilization alone. Framed against a universe now thought to be nearly 15 billion years old, what have we yet to learn, and what might others have learned separately from humanity?
Nolan will talk about one path through science that started with traditional investigations of how questions lead to human benefit in his cancer and immunology work over the last few decades, and will use that as a template to focus on the reasons why we should be interested in UAP and the potential benefits even asking those questions might provide to human progress, with an emphasis on exploitation of the potential science of alleged UAP materials and physics.
Speaker: Garry Nolan, Stanford School of Medicine; George Hammond, Author, Moderator
Attend in person or online. Register at weblink.
This event was originally scheduled for February 21, 2024
Tuesday, 06/25/2024
Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Medicine & Health Care Is Here - 06/25/2024 09:30 AM
Dublin Ranch Golf Course Dublin
On Call: A Book Talk with Dr. Anthony Fauci - 06/25/2024 02:30 PM
Manny's San Francisco
Wonderfest: The Science of Fog (Karl, in particular) - 06/25/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Wednesday, 06/26/2024
Bodega Marine Lab Seminar Series - Livestream - 06/26/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Thursday, 06/27/2024
Astronomy on Tap Baton Rouge - Livestream - 06/27/2024 04:00 PM
Astronomy on Tap
Hearts and Minds: Rebuilding Respect for Science Through Engaging Science Communication - Livestream - 06/27/2024 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
Science on Tap: Backyard Predators - Coexistence in the Urban-Wildland Interface - 06/27/2024 05:30 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
PRIDE NightLife - 06/27/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Three Years of Exploring Mars - Livestream - 06/27/2024 06:00 PM
Night Sky Network
After Dark: Pride - 06/27/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Making News: How Tech Shapes Journalism and Society - 06/27/2024 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Friday, 06/28/2024
Coastal Walk at Cowell-Purisima Trail - 06/28/2024 10:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
The Golden Era of Time Domain Astrophysics: New explosions and their Origins - SOLD OUT - 06/28/2024 08:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Saturday, 06/29/2024
Asteroid Day - 06/29/2024 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
T. REX 3D Premiere - 06/29/2024 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Stewardship Saturday: Protecting Our Oceans Day and Night - 06/29/2024 06:00 PM
Natural Bridges Visitor Center Santa Cruz
The Universe in Us - 06/29/2024 08:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Starry Nights Star Party - 06/29/2024 09:30 PM
Rancho Cañada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Binocular Stargazing at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve - 06/29/2024 09:30 PM
Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve Morgan Hill
Sunday, 06/30/2024
Wrong Answers Only at The Independent - 06/30/2024 07:00 PM
The Independent San Francisco
Monday, 07/01/2024
The Future Human Exploration of Mars - 07/01/2024 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco