SciSchmoozing California (& Beyond)
Over in San Francisco is the SHARKS exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences. Please note that because of the pandemic, proof of vaccination is required for entry and capacity is limited.
Also in San Francisco, the GOOD Meat company is ramping up its production of ‘cultivated meat.’ They are one of several companies intending to take the guilt out of eating meat by manufacturing it without killing animals; without the methane burps and farts; without grazing lands, feedlots, and packing plants. (At home, we’re pretty content with Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger. ¿Have you had an Impossible Whopper? Order it without mayo if you want it vegan.)
Over in Livermore the National Ignition Facility (NIF) blasted a BB-size pellet of hydrogen with 192 insanely powerful laser beams and the result was better than expected. As the hydrogen fused into helium, ten petawatts of energy was released - 1/20th the amount of sunlight energy striking the entire Earth. (NY Times readers, click here.) However, the sum power of those laser beams was half again more than came from the resulting fusion. It was an awesome result, but far from the goal of sustainable fusion power for civilization.
Even a treasure as ‘timeless’ as California’s Yosemite is susceptible to climate change. I’d like to share this drear assessment of Yosemite published as a guest essay in the NY Times. The light dusting of white ashes on my black Prius is a reminder that thousands are displaced by the ravages of California wildfires. Today i downloaded an app to my mobile phone that reports and forecasts air quality - locally and internationally. ¿And how big a deal is half a degree Celsius? Quickly increasing our reliance on renewable energy resources is critically important in lowering CO2 emissions (in part because building new nuclear power plants is so slow) but that requires increasing energy storage.
Being somewhat geeky, i frequently consider buying a 3D printer and fabricating odd little items. Down in Los Angeles, a company named Relativity Space is 3D printing humongous rockets.
Last month, Bob Livsey won the Perseverance coffee mug. This time we are giving away a model of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo. It’s an unassembled Revell (Germany) 1:144 plastic scale model with a 29.7 cm wingspan and a display stand. Same rules: Send me an email (only one) before noon Friday with an integer between zero and 1,000. We will then use a random number generator to select the target number. The person who came closest wins the model.
My event picks for the week:
In-Person Events:
Wonderfest: Aging and Cancer: Rival Demons? - Monday 7pm, Novato
After Dark: Science of Breathing - Thursday 7pm, San Francisco (explOratorium)
‘The Illusion of Knowledge’ book launch with Dr. Harold Katcher - Saturday 3 - 5pm, San Francisco
Livestream Events:
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Saturday 9 - 10:30 pm (Chabot Space & Science Center)
Carolyn Porco - There Is No Planet B - Thursday 4pm (Skeptical Inquirer)
Night School: Nature is Nurture - Thursday 7pm (Cal Academy of Sciences)
In Southern California, the James Webb Space Telescope is being packaged up for shipping to Kourou, French Guiana where it will be mounted on an Ariane 5 rocket. Launch date is late November or early December.
You’ve doubtless heard that the Pfizer COVID vaccine received full FDA approval. ¿Will some people continue to refuse getting vaccinated? The folk at FiveThirtyEight take a look at survey data in exploring that question. Another big question is ¿what can we expect as new COVID variants arise? At Stanford University, Katherine Xue, Ph.D., takes a deeper dive into the future of COVID in The New Yorker Magazine. Of the million physicians in the U.S. there are about 20 that discourage everyone from getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr. Joseph Mercola is one of them. Again, my favorite site for COVID-19 data is the Worldometer. Click on any country to see separate graphs and data.
Perhaps my biggest failing of late is getting enough exercise. ¿Remember those exercise videotapes? Here's one that’s a bit different. To learn more, hear from some of the people behind this project.
I think i’ll end this week’s SciSchmooze with ¿Why Is Sex a Thing?
Have a wonderful healthy week,
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“The story is a machine for empathy. In contrast to logic or reason, a story is about emotion that gets staged over a sequence of dramatic moments, so you empathize with the characters without really thinking about it too much. It is a really powerful tool for imagining yourself in other people's situations.”
- Ira Glass, radio personality and writer (1959 - )
Monday, 08/30/2021
A scientific understanding of modern deep learning - Livestream - 08/30/2021 10:00 AM
UC Berkeley Condensed Matter Physics Seminar
Artificial deep neural networks have in recent years emerged as a powerful class of function approximators for a broad range of problems in which we seek to learn from data. Largely due to their model complexity, however, basic questions surrounding how they learn and function are not well understood. I will survey parts of a body of recent work in which we tackle these questions. This will include theoretical insights for deep learning based off of exactly solvable limits, distilled models that illuminate universal phenomena; and a theoretical understanding of empirically observed "scaling laws." These investigations draw ideas, tools, and inspiration from statistical mechanics, information theory, and many-body theory more broadly while integrating together some of the perspectives of theoretical physics, statistics, and computer science.
Speaker: Yasaman Bahri, Google
See weblink for Zoom link.
Deep Mutagenesis of a DNA Polymerase Clamp-Loader System - 08/30/2021 04:00 PM
Stanley Hall Berkeley
Clamp loaders are AAA+ ATPases that load sliding clamps onto DNA. We have developed a high-throughput platform for mutagenesis of components of the DNA replication system of T4 bacteriophage, and are using it to understand allosteric coupling in the component proteins.
Speaker: John Kuriyan, UC Berkeley
What the Heck is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? A Psychology Professor Tells All! - 08/30/2021 05:00 PM
Speakeasy Science
In this 60 minute talk, I will describe what CBT is and how it differs from other kinds of psychotherapy. I will explain what to look for in a good CBT therapist and once you begin, how to maximize the beneficial effects of CBT.
This talk is suited for people who are thinking about starting therapy, or those who are in therapy but wondering if they are actually getting good therapy!
By the end of this talk, you should have a clear understanding of what CBT is, how it is supposed to help you, and what to look for in a CBT therapist.
Speaker: Dr. Camilo Ortiz
Wonderfest: Aging and Cancer - Rival Demons? - 08/30/2021 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Aging greatly increases our susceptibility to a myriad of diseases, ranging from neurodegeneration to cancer. Given the very different tissues and manifestations of these diseases, aging researchers suspect there are basic aging processes that drive all or most of them. One such process is cellular senescence. Researchers, including those at Marin's Buck Center, are now beginning to understand the senescence response in some detail and, importantly, beginning to develop new drugs to deal with senescent cells.
Speaker: Dr. Judith Campisi, Buck Institute on Aging
Tuesday, 08/31/2021
Diversity, Inclusion, and Collective Intelligence - 08/31/2021 11:00 AM
Gladstone Institutes
Diverse teams, made up of both cognitive and identity diverse people, can improve problem solving, predictions, and creative thinking. The bonuses that accrue from diversity rest on logical, mechanistic principles but achieving them requires understanding people, and how to create inclusive spaces that encourage frank considerations of ideas. Not easy, given how our thoughts are often tied up with our identities. In this webinar, Scott Page will take on some of the whys and hows of being an effective diverse organization.
Speaker: Scott E. Page, University of Michigan; Tyrone Porter, University of Texas, Austin, Moderator
If you can’t get into the Zoom webinar, you can also watch live on our Facebook page.
Register at weblink for Zoom information.
Mapping Urban Air - 08/31/2021 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
Speaker: Ron Cohen, UC Berkeley
Wednesday, 09/01/2021
A Measurements-Based Approach to Machine Learning - Livestream - 09/01/2021 12:00 PM
CITRIS Research Exchange
Speaker: Dr. Gerald Friedland, UC Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore Lab
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Ask the Scientist - Tomoko Komada - 09/01/2021 02:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
My research focuses on understanding the organic carbon cycle, with emphasis on the processes taking place at the land-ocean margin. I utilize natural abundance radiocarbon (14C), in conjunction with the stable isotope 13C, to investigate the sources, cycling, and fate of various organic carbon pools in the environment. Topics of interest include: sediment biogeochemistry and the significance of coastal benthic processes in organic matter dynamics, composition of organic matter suspended in rivers and its fate in the ocean, and the role of organic-mineral associations in organic matter degradation and preservation.
Speaker: Tomoko Komada, Estuary and Ocean Science Center
See weblink for restrictions and other information.
The ‘Fast’ and ‘Slow’ in Blue Carbon: Differential Fates of Indigenous and Imported Organic Matter in Intertidal Salt Marsh Sediments - Livestream - 09/01/2021 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
Salt marshes have been identified as Blue Carbon ecosystemsfor their ability to rapidly bury organic carbon through sedimentation. However, in order for sediment accretion to offset ongoing anthropogenic CO2 emissions, carbon undergoing burialmust be derived from contemporary primary production. Geochemical analyses of sediments accreting in two intertidal salt marshes in San Francisco Bay indicate that the majority of organic matter was photosynthesized many centuries ago, and was likely imported into the marsh after having aged elsewhere, such as within terrestrial soils. Marsh plants introduce organic carbon into the sediments, but this locally-produced organic matter is lost from the sediment profile at a faster rate compared to imported organic matter. The rapidturnover of indigenous organic matter (‘fast carbon’) relative to the apparent stability of imported organic matter (‘slow carbon’) suggest that carbon burial in these systems is largely decoupled from ongoing anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
Speaker: Tomoko Komada, San Francisco State University
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Speaker: Lela Vukovic, University of Texas, El Paso
See weblink for Zoom link
September LASER Event - Livestream - 09/01/2021 06:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening RendezvousCarol Strohecker (Dean of Design, University of Minnesota, and cofounder of the SEAD network for Sciences, Engineering, Arts and Design) on "The Kusske Design Initiative: Inciting interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration for designing in harmony with the natural world "Warren Sack (UC Santa Cruz/ Digital Media) on "Software Arts"Anastasia Raina (Rhode Island School of Design) on "Posthuman Polymythology"
Thursday, 09/02/2021
NightLife - 09/02/2021 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 40,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude the albino alligator), the night is sure to be wild.
Step inside the iconic Shake House and our four-story Rainforest, where you can explore the Amazon’s treetops surrounded by free-flying birds and butterflies. Reservations for these exhibits are no longer required. However, please note that the last entry into the rainforest is 7:30 pm - our animals need their sleep!
Venture into our latest aquarium exhibit Venom to encounter live venomous animals and learn the power of venom to both harm and heal.
Visit the BigPicture exhibit in the Piazza to marvel at the most recent winners of the BigPicture Natural Photography competition.
Bask in the glow of one of the largest living coral reef displays in the world: our 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef tank.
Take in the interstellar views from the Living Roof, then grab a bite from the Academy Cafe and head to the West Garden outdoor bar to drink and dine under the stars. For adults 21+.
After Dark: Science of Breathing - 09/02/2021 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
It happens around 15 times a minute, regularly and rhythmically. You may not even notice it - but if it stopped, you definitely would. Tonight, we turn our attention to human breath. Find out how respiration regulates our systems and, with the right kind of practice, can allow for extraordinary feats.
NightSchool: Nature is Nurture - Livestream - 09/02/2021 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
How does nature nurture human health? Join scientists as they share the surprising ways poison birds and biodiversity can impact medicine and public health.
Ages 21+
See weblink for YouTube and Facebook links.
Friday, 09/03/2021
The effect of stellar activity on the detection of terrestrial planets - Livestream - 09/03/2021 11:30 AM
Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
Stars undergo activity cycles often lasting many years. During these periods surface phenomena on their surfaces may not only make exoplanet planet detection and characterisation difficult but, in some cases, may produce spurious signals that mimic those expected from exoplanet mass companions. Here we look at the menagerie of processes occurring and look at ways to minimize their effects. Further developments will be needed if we are to reach sufficient accuracy to detect earth analogue systems or to reveal atmospheres of small planets.
Speaker:Don Pollacco, University of Warwick
Saturday, 09/04/2021
'The Illusion of Knowledge' book launch with Dr. Harold Katcher - 09/04/2021 03:00 PM
Book Passage SF San Francisco
Harold Katcher, the scientist whose treatment of rats led to a 54% reduction in their epigenetic age, will launch the book “The Illusion of Knowledge”, in which he explains his theory of aging, gives details about the experiment of rejuvenation of rats with the plasma fraction called E5, and explains how this discovery fits into the history and evolution of scientific ideas. In addition, Dr. Katcher, who holds a PhD in Biology and has a long career in science, being one of the discoverers of the breast cancer gene (BRCA1), tells in the book a little of his personal story and his struggle to put into practice a vision of aging and a possible therapy that prove to be extremely promising for the field of rejuvenation.
The scientific article that informed the whole scientific community about the extraordinary results of rejuvenation of rats can be found at https://www.biorxiv.org/.../2020.05.07.082917v1.full.pdf and was published in May 2020. A very relevant fact was that the measurement of the epigenetic rejuvenation of rats was performed by Steve Horvath, the scientist who invented the epigenetic clock and who is the first author of the article. The article was published in bioRχiv and not in a peer-review publication because the plasma fraction used in the rats, E5, is still under patenting process, and therefore its composition could not be revealed, only the results.
Dr. Katcher has thousands of citations in the scientific literature, with publications ranging from protein structure to bacteriology, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biochemistry. He was the Academic Director for Natural Sciences for the Asian Division of the University of Maryland Global Campus, and nowadays is Chief Scientific Officer at Yuvan Research Inc., which is working on the development of rejuvenation treatments.
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 09/04/2021 09:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!
Each week, our astronomers will guide us through spectacular night sky viewing through Nellie, Chabot‘s most powerful telescope. Weather permitting we will be able to view objects live through the telescopes and our astronomers will be available for an open forum for all of your most pressing astronomy questions.
Tuesday, 09/07/2021
Elucidating reaction mechanisms by imaging ion-neutral collisions - 09/07/2021 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
Wednesday, 09/08/2021
Fear of a Black Universe - Livestream - 09/08/2021 03:00 PM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
Marine Protected Areas in Small Island Developing States - Livestream - 09/08/2021 03:30 PM
Estuary & Ocean Science Center
EVs for Equity - Livestream - 09/08/2021 04:30 PM
Acterra
Cocktails & Conservation: Saving the Chimps of the Budongo Forest - Livestream - 09/08/2021 06:00 PM
Oakland Zoo
System Error: Rebooting our Tech Future - 09/08/2021 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Thursday, 09/09/2021
A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks - Livestream - 09/09/2021 12:30 PM
Long Now Foundation
UC Berkeley Astronomy Colloquium - 09/09/2021 12:40 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
Snowy Plover Conservation in the Bay Area: Successes and Challenges in a Shifting Landscape - Livestream - 09/09/2021 05:00 PM
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Evening Tours of Lick Observatory - SOLD OUT - 09/09/2021 06:00 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
NightLife x SFCM - 09/09/2021 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Science Fiction Turned Fact - 09/09/2021 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Micromitigation: Fighting Air Pollution with Activated Carbon - Livestream - 09/09/2021 07:00 PM
Counter Culture Labs
Que Sera, Sera. Is the future ours to see? The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project - Livestream - 09/09/2021 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
Saturday, 09/11/2021
Animal Tracks - Livestream - 09/11/2021 01:30 PM
Environmental Volunteers
Advanced Instrumentation in Optical Astronomy - Livestream - 09/11/2021 07:30 PM
Mount Tamalpias Astronomy Lectures
Virtual Telescope Viewing - Livestream - 09/11/2021 09:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center
Sunday, 09/12/2021
Evening Tours of Lick Observatory - SOLD OUT - 09/12/2021 05:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Monday, 09/13/2021
UC Berkley Theoretical Astrophysics Center Seminar - 09/13/2021 12:10 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley