Hello again Science Fans!
ሰላም በድጋሚ የሳይንስ ደጋፊዎች!
(Many of the Bay Area’s 20,000 Ethiopians live in Oakland.)
The weekly SciSchmooze reliably delivers the latest in science, especially for the San Francisco Bay Area. Give friends and family a free subscription at https://www.bayareascience.org/
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As we cross over into the year 2025, it is a good time to look back at the significant stories we brought to you in 2024.
SPACE
A recent milestone was achieved by the Parker Solar Probe: it skirted just 6 million kilometers from our Sun’s surface. The next closest probe is HELIOS 2 some seven times farther out. Parker ‘phoned home’ to say it was still healthy and is sending data back to our Earth which orbits 150 million kilometers from the nearest star. ¿How fast was the Parker Solar Probe going at its closest approach? Think of a location about 190 kilometers (120 miles) from where you are right now. The probe covered that much distance each second. When Parker reaches its farthest distance from the Sun, it will be poking along at a mere 12 kilometers per second. Learn today’s story of the Parker Solar Probe in this 5 minute video.
Another event is one that did not happen in 2024. T Coronae Borealis is a binary system [Red Giant and White Dwarf] that flares up every 80 years and was expected to burst into naked-eye brightness in 2024. Did not happen. Some astronomical prognosticators believe it could blaze up as late as 2027.
NASA launched the Europa Clipper in October to understand the potential for life on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Four minute video about the mission. Tune in again in April 2030 when it gets there.
Top 5 News Stories in Astronomy for 2024 - Dr. Becky - Becky Smethurst - 14.5 mins
ANTHROPOLOGY
The top ten 2024 revelations about Neanderthals include their affinity for fashion and the mysterious disappearance of Neanderthal male DNA. Also, children from matings of H. neanderthalensis with H. sapiens may have been quite common 47,000 years ago.
BIOLOGY
- 2024 brought a markedly more refined description of LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor of humans, bacteria, and all current life on Earth.
- Research revealed a link between the brain and the immune system.
- AI enabled remarkable progress in the science of proteins.
All three of these topics are presented in this excellent 16-minute video from Quanta Magazine.
PHYSICS
The greatest breakthroughs in physics for 2024 were over my head. Regardless, here is another video from Quanta Magazine that attempts to communicate with us mere humans.
Not to be outdone, Big Think issued The 16 stories that shaped physics and astronomy in 2024.
RAFFLE
We are offering a pair of socks. Not just any socks, but Science Socks! Just send an email before noon Friday to david.almandsmith [at] gmail.com with your guess of an integer between 0 and 1,000. Last time, Stuart guessed closest to the randomly generated 708 to win a 450ml coffee mug.
CLIMATE
We wish climate news included some successes other than promises of increased funding arising from COP29. Sadly, the volume and scale of disasters related to climate change topped the news in 2024.
Perhaps most noteworthy is the passing of President Jimmy Carter. He established the Department of Energy to help move the country to a clean energy future. He expanded protections for Alaskan wilderness. He installed solar panels on the West Wing of the White House. He was an engineer who worked tirelessly toward making the world a better planet - a better place to live.
MY PICKS of the WEEK (Hint: save dates & times to your mobile phone)
New Years Eve Party 11am-5pm Tues, Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, $
After Dark: Light the Night 6-10pm Thurs, ExplOratorium, S.F., $
First Friday: Blast Off 6-10pm Fri, Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland, $
Art + Science of Luminous Films 1pm Sat, ExplOratorium, S.F., $
The Physics Show 10am, 1pm, & 3:30pm Sunday. Foothill College, $
BOOKS
Hurrah! You dived into this SciSchmooze this deeply so i’m guessing you like to read. Here are the favorite books of Science News for 2024
FUN (?) NERDY VIDEOS
Coronograph of the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope - NASA - 2 mins
Mystery Drones over New Jersey - Mick West - 4 mins
Burnt Toast - The Right Chemistry - Joe Schwarcz - 4.5 mins
Quantum Tunneling - Perimeter Institute - - 5 mins
LUCA - Last Universal Common Ancestor - Sabine Hossenfelder - 5.5 mins
The Evolution of Spiders - Moth Light Media - 9 mins
Dinosaur Fossilization in North America - PBS Eons - Blake de Pastino - 9 mins
¿Is the World Broken? - Kurzgesagt - 9 mins
The Strangest Mathematician in History - NewsThink - Cindy Pom - 9.5 mins
How the Elephant Got Its Trunk - PBS Eons - Michelle Barboza-Ramirez - 12 mins
Demon Ducks of Australia - 7 Days of Science - Ben G Thomas - 12 mins
Methane & the Climate Emergency - Just Have a Think - Dave Borlace - 13 mins
¿What Is the Shape of the Universe? - Up & Atom - Jade Tan-Holmes – 17 mins
Quest to Make Unbreakable Glass - Veritaseum - Derek Muller - 22 mins
¿Can AI decode animal vocalizations? - The Future with Hannah Fry - 24 mins
Mercola - McGill Office of Science & Society - Jonathan Jarry - 55 mins
Here’s to a Happy New Year (and to the hope that empathy is not on the cutting block of the coming administration)
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something.”
Neil Gaiman (1960 - ) English author and screenwriter
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Tuesday, 12/31/2024
2024 Grand Finale at The Lawrence Hall of Science - 12/31/2024 10:45 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
After Dark: Light the Night - 01/02/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Embrace your curiosity in the new year and join us at the Exploratorium After Dark. Play with LED dungeon crawlers, paint with light and shadow, walk inside 3D illusions, and more! Enjoy illuminating programs on the art and science of light at Glow, and explore our 700+ interactive exhibits throughout the museum.
Friday, 01/03/2025
First Friday Nights at CuriOdyssey - 01/03/2025 05:00 PM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
Swing into the weekend with live music, a food truck, animals, and fun! On the first Friday of every month, parents and kids celebrate together at CuriOdyssey.
Dance to some of your favorite pop and rock hits, while enjoying animal presentations and science activities. Activities and programs are different each time, so make it a monthly tradition!
First Friday: BLAST OFF - 01/03/2025 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
This First Friday, prepare for liftoff at Chabot Space and Science Center, where adventure awaits! Spend a thrilling evening dedicated to the excitement of space exploration. Discover the science behind rocket launches, create your own space-inspired art to take home, and dance the night away to live music. Don’t miss this chance to blast off into an unforgettable night of discovery and fun! The perfect wrap-up to the holiday season.
Saturday, 01/04/2025
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 01/04/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
The Physics Show is a fun science show for kids and their families. This year we will have two weekends of shows in September and two weekends of shows in January.
Performances at 10:00, 1:00, and 3:30 each day.
Venue: Smithwick Theater
Saturday Cinema: The Art + Science of Luminous Films - 01/04/2025 01:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Celebrate the Exploratorium’s winter exhibition Glow with a program of radiant animation and short documentaries, both meditative and kinetic.
TV Light by Bob Kaputof (2 min.)
Magnetic Movie by Semiconductor (2007, 5 min.)
Nature by Numbers by Cristóbal Villa (2010, 4 min.)
Daybreak Express by D.A. Pennebaker (1953, 5 min.)
Rainbow Dance by Len Lye (1938, 3 min.)
Let Your Light Shine by Jodie Mack (2013, 3 min.)
Screenings at 1:00 and 3:00 PM.
Sunday, 01/05/2025
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 01/05/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
The Physics Show is a fun science show for kids and their families. This year we will have two weekends of shows in September and two weekends of shows in January.
Performances at 10:00, 1:00, and 3:30 each day.
Venue: Smithwick Theater
Tuesday, 01/07/2025
From economic geology to ocean chemistry: the wide range of information that can be obtained from a humble pyrite grain - 01/07/2025 12:00 PM
Braun (Geology) Corner (Bldg 320), Rm 220 Stanford
Wednesday, 01/08/2025
Pathways to a Decarbonized French Grid - 01/08/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Marine mammal science and sanctuaries in California coastal waters - 01/08/2025 05:30 PM
UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus Santa Clara
Thursday, 01/09/2025
The importance of geophysics in understanding the dynamics of the terrestrial Arctic due to warmer climate - 01/09/2025 12:00 PM
Mitchell Earth Sciences Building (04-560) Stanford
What to Expect in 2025 in Space Science - Livestream - 01/09/2025 02:30 PM
SETI Institute
GE Vernova President Jessica Uhl - 01/09/2025 04:30 PM
ChEM-H/Neuroscience Building, Gunn Rotunda (E241) Stanford
NightLife x Soulovely - 01/09/2025 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Warm and Fuzzy - 01/09/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Lone Survivors: Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Us - Livestream - 01/09/2025 06:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
Fungi Fundamentals Part II: Top 10 Mushrooms of the Bay Area - Livestream - 01/09/2025 07:00 PM
Penninsula Open Space Trust
Migratory Shore Bird Project: Connecting Communities of the Americas through Research for Conservation - 01/09/2025 07:00 PM
Marin Audubon Society
Friday, 01/10/2025
51st Santa Cruz Fungus Fair 2025 - 01/10/2025 07:00 PM
London Nelson Community Center Santa Cruz
Saturday, 01/11/2025
51st Santa Cruz Fungus Fair 2025 - 01/11/2025 07:00 PM
London Nelson Community Center Santa Cruz
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 01/11/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
The Natural History of Yerba Buena Island - 01/11/2025 10:30 AM
Treasure Island Museum San Francisco
Foothills Family Nature Walk - 01/11/2025 11:00 AM
Foothills Nature Preserve Los Altos
Saturday Cinema: The Art + Science of Luminous Films - 01/11/2025 01:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Weekend Workshop: Adapted for Survival - 01/11/2025 01:00 PM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
City Public Star Party - 01/11/2025 06:00 PM
City Star Parties - Tunnel Tops Park San Francisco
Aurora - One of Nature’s Amazing Light Shows - 01/11/2025 07:30 PM
East Bay Astronomical Society Oakland
Sunday, 01/12/2025
51st Santa Cruz Fungus Fair 2025 - 01/12/2025 07:00 PM
London Nelson Community Center Santa Cruz
The 18th Annual BAMS / Point Reyes National Seashore Fungus Fair - 01/12/2025 10:00 AM
Bear Valley Visitor Center Point Reyes Station
The Physics Show - Three Performances - 01/12/2025 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
Monday, 01/13/2025
Automated Decision Making for Safety Critical Applications - 01/13/2025 03:00 PM
Stanford University Stanford
Life and the Meaning of Death - 01/13/2025 06:00 PM
Science Buzz Cafe Sebastapol