Dear science aficionado,
Another journey around the Sun is at its end. It is safe for me to say that each of us experienced delights and suffered hardships in this latest orbit, but unlike rocks and boulders we undoubtedly learned a little during our year. Hopefully during the journey you and i gained a little insight, adjusted to norms that changed a bit for the better, and expanded our spheres of empathy to include more individuals, groups, and living things that shared this journey.
¿Did your year whiz past? The passage of time is relative. The Future Library in Norway locks books away to be checked out and read 100 years in the future. The Long Now Foundation encourages us to think in terms of 10,000 years at a time. Our home planet has experienced over 4 billion years so far. Yet we live in a system where our governmental representatives are forced to prioritize activities that bear fruit before the next election; or they will no longer be in office. Civilization is a work in progress.
2023 IN SCIENCE
Rather than compile a list of the top science stories of 2023, i’ve compiled a list of lists:
Ten Significant Dinosaur Fossils
RIGHT NOW IN SCIENCE
Statistically, most of us will at some time find ourselves with a seriously bleeding person: in the kitchen, on the highway, on a hiking trail, anywhere. I recommend you take the STOP THE BLEED online course. (It took me under 25 minutes to complete.) With the increasing incidence of gun violence, this course ought to be required.
THINGS TO COME IN SCIENCE - PARTIAL LIST
Batteries are constantly in the news as the world transitions - kicking and screaming - away from fossil fuels. Imagine this: a 3 meter diameter, 9 meter long cylindrical battery, Slip it into a facility with electric turbines and it will supply the electrical needs of 7,000 people for 8 years. Additionally it can supply warm air for heating nearby homes and factories.Then haul it away and slip in a new one. That’s the hype around Westinghouse’s atomic eVinci Microreactor. The Saskatchewan Research Council has one on order with a hoped-for delivery date of 2029.
The Artemis 2 mission will send 4 crew members around the Moon in 2024 but they will not orbit the Moon as did the Apollo 8 astronauts (Frank Borman, James Lovel, William Anders) in 1968. Instead, the Artemis Orion spacecraft will swing around the Moon and back to Earth on a free-return trajectory.
The Vera C. Rubin Telescope will likely come online in 2024. The observatory was designed for:
1) Understanding the nature of dark matter and dark energy;
2] Creating an inventory of the Solar System;
3) Mapping the Milky Way; and
4) Exploring objects that change position or brightness over time, called "transients".
Yeah, that last one will greatly improve our chances of detecting an inbound asteroid before it’s too late!
AlphaFold 2 is an artificial intelligence tool that tells biologists with a fair degree of accuracy how amino acid strings fold into proteins. In 2024, the AlphaFold 3 AI will predict how proteins react with other molecules including other proteins. This is HUGE.
The American company AstroForge plans in 2024 to send a spacecraft to an asteroid to survey it for mining operations. The SciFi series “The Expanse” immediately comes to mind with all of the political, social, and economic turmoil that ‘came’ with asteroid mining.
Scheduled for January 8th is the launch of the privately built Peregrine Lunar Lander. It is carrying scientific instruments and three rovers. The smallest is a mere 1.5 kg 4-legged thing. Scientific data will be shared.
RAFFLE
Tracy M won the Solar System Coffee Mug with her guess of 123. The prize this time is a color-change 8-cm diameter crystal sphere featuring a 3D image of your choice: Galaxy, Solar System, Jupiter, Saturn, or the Moon. It’s a desk ornament; it’s a nightlight. Just send an email before noon Friday to david.almandsmith [at] gmail.com with an integer between 0 and 1,000.
BIOLOGY
There’s a group that wants to kill the phrase, “Dead as a Dodo,” by ‘de-extincting’ the iconic bird. Because the biological sciences continue to advance, perhaps they will succeed.
The Mirror Test: When an animal looks in a mirror and then notices and touches a colored spot surreptitiously placed on its forehead, we conclude the animal perceives its reflection as an image of itself. (Humans range between excellent and obsessive in this test.) Research suggests that the ‘reverse’ outcome where the animal fails to explore the colored dot does not necessarily indicate the animal fails to recognize ‘itself’.
Starfish, aka sea stars, begin life as bilaterally symmetric larvae, but they grow into radially symmetric adults. ¿So what does the larval tail become and what does the larval head become? Biologists at Stanford and UC Berkeley have conclusively answered those questions for the first time: starfish ‘arms’ are the animal’s head and no part of the adult is the tail.
CLIMATE / ENVIRONMENT
The latest version of the National Climate Assessment came out last month and the news is not good. It states that climate change is ”harming physical, mental, spiritual, and community health and well-being through the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events, increasing cases of infectious and vector-borne diseases, and declines in food and water quality and security.” For the first time it “unequivocally” blames the burning of coal, oil and gas.
Katharine Hayhoe (one of my favorite climate crisis crusaders) suggests that in order to get more people to accept the seriousness of climate change is to converse about how it locally affects “us.” For example: it has created jobs; fossil fuel air pollution continues to degrade health and shorten life spans; people most affected are generally least responsible.
Nine percent of California’s use of water goes to grow food for livestock. Some companies aim to significantly reduce that by feeding bugs to livestock in place of soybeans and corn. But the consumption of beef in the US may be on the brink of a significant decline according to researchers at Tulane University. They discovered that older Americans consume far more beef than younger Americans and predict that beef consumption will plummet as the elderly release their mortal coil.
Replacing gasoline-powered cars with EVs is the single best stratagem for ameliorating climate change, but fossil fuel proponents keep arguing against EV adoption. ¿What is fact and what is misinformation? Here are 21 false, mostly false, and incomplete arguments against transitioning to EVs.
Some trees are over a hundred meters tall, so let’s build wind turbine towers with wood. Their construction is less polluting and the wood stores away carbon.
In my previous Schmooze, i wrote about a jetliner crossing the Atlantic using 100% SAF - Sustainable Aviation Fuel - made from plants and fat. A British laboratory has figured out how to make jet fuel from an abundant resource - human excrement.
EDUCATION
Here is a fun short read: Five Science "Facts" We Learnt At School That Are Plain Wrong
GEOLOGY
A major contributor to the Permian Mass Extinction may have been volcanism, according to a recent paper published in Chemical Geology. The vast Emeishan Traps of China were created during the time of that most devastating extinction event the living world ever experienced.
MY PICKS OF THE WEEK
First, plan a First Day Hike in one of our local State Parks. On the first day of the new year, there are 25 relatively easy hikes scheduled around the Bay Area for an uplifting communal start to the New Year. Use the map and hiking info to select the hike for you and yours. You will not regret it. (Tell your friends and relatives about the many hundreds of First Day Hikes planned across the country.)
After Dark: See for Yourself 6 - 10PM Thursday, ExplOratorium, S.F., $
Bhutan: The Happiest Kingdom on Earth Livestream 7PM Thursday
Solids, Liquids, & Gases Two shows 11AM & 2PM Friday, Lawrence Hall of Science, $
Mathematics - A Quick Revue 8PM Friday, Alcazar Theatre, S.F., $
The Physics Show Various times Saturday & Sunday, Foothill College, $
FUN NERDY VIDEOS
This particle accelerator is just 10 cm long - Sabine Hossenfelder - 2 mins
Magicians & critical thinking - The Right Chemistry - Dr. Joe Schwarcz - 4 mins
Octopus Garden - Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute - 5 mins
Brennan Monorail of 1909 - Primal Space - 8 minutes
Solar panel recycling - Undecided - Matt Ferrell - 13 mins
Searching for Aliens OUTSIDE our galaxy - Dr. Becky - Becky Smethurst - 14 mins
¿Is there a Black Hole inside the Sun? - PBS Spacetime - Matt O’Dowd - 18 mins
Game theory and life - Veritaseum - Derek Muller - 25 mins
Thank you for joining us SciSchmoozers this week. Feel free to share our Schmoozes with others.
Wishing you goodness during the coming orbit,
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better person. (paraphrased)
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 01/01/2024
First Day Hikes - 01/01/2024 07:00 PM
Various California State Parks
California State Parks are hosting First Day Hikes at several state park locations around the Bay Area. Locations include:
Angel Island
Big Basin Redwoods
Murray Ranch
Castle Rock
Henry Cowell Redwoods
Montara State Beach
Mt. Tamalpais
Natural Bridges State Beach
Pacheco
Pescadero State Beach
Pigeon Point Light Station
San Luis Reservoir
Seacliff State Beach
Forest of Nisene Marks
Wilder Ranch
The hikes are free, but there is a parking fee for many of them
See the weblink for a list of events, including status as most are weather dependent. Zoom on the map to get see details of events within the current map scope.
Starting and ending times vary by hike, and some have multiple start times.
Thursday, 01/04/2024
After Dark: See for Yourself - 01/04/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Reset and refresh your perspective at Exploratorium After Dark! What does your reflection look like in a mechanical mirror lit by only one candle? What’s underneath the Bay, exactly? We have (almost) all the answers, and more. And don’t miss our special exhibition Glow, which will reveal the art and science behind light like you’ve never seen before - from now until Jan 28.
Bhutan: The Happiest Kingdom on Earth - Livestream - 01/04/2024 07:00 PM
Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Our presenter will be Chubzang Tangbi, owner and head guide for Langur Eco Travels. Bhutan is the only country to enshrine “Gross National Happiness” into its constitution. It’s roughly the size of Maryland but it boasts nearly 600 species of birds. Join us for Chubzang’s presentation in which he’ll discuss the Bhutan’s natural and cultural riches.After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, we were able last spring to offer our first two tours to Bhutan with Langur Eco Travels, which were highly praised by our participants. We have two more scheduled this year; one is full, but the second trip still has spaces available.
Friday, 01/05/2024
Solids, Liquids, and Gases Science Show - First Session - 01/05/2024 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Celebrate the end of our Winter Weeks season with a live, interactive experience! Explore the properties of the three states of matter - solids, liquids, and gasses - in this phase-changing, mind-bending science show. You’ll hear lots of ”oohs” and ”ahhs” as you witness dazzling experiments with liquid nitrogen, dry ice, and more!
Solids, Liquids, and Gases Science Show - Second Session - 01/05/2024 02:00 PM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Celebrate the end of our Winter Weeks season with a live, interactive experience! Explore the properties of the three states of matter - solids, liquids, and gasses - in this phase-changing, mind-bending science show. You’ll hear lots of ”oohs” and ”ahhs” as you witness dazzling experiments with liquid nitrogen, dry ice, and more!
First Friday: Close Encounters - 01/05/2024 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Are we alone in the universe? Or could there be other forms of life out there, waiting far away in the vast expanse of space? Hear from researchers, astrobiologists and astronomers on the possibility of extraterrestrial life and distant exoplanets that could sustain it. Show off your best out-of-this-world attire by wearing your best alien-themed costume at the costume parade, engage in hands-on alien crafts then take a trip across the universe in our Planetarium - who knows what could be lurking among the stars?
This First Friday, we’re happy to be joined by our high school student volunteers from our Galaxy Explorer program for their end-of-term showcase! Stop by Studio 1, 2, and 3 to see presentations and demonstrations of the innovative work they’ve been exploring in their Engineering, Astronomy, Environmental Biology, and Science Communications teams.
Mathematics: A Quick Revue - 01/05/2024 08:00 PM
Alcazar Theater San Fransisco
The show is a celebration of mathematics and the performing arts intended for the general public. The show will feature some of today’s greatest mathematical performers including the music of The Klein Four, the poetry of Harry Baker, the theatrics of Colin Adams, the magic of Art Benjamin, the rope tricks of Louis Kauffman and Allison Henrich, the magic of Tori Noquez, the mime of Tim and Tanya Chartier, the juggling of the Stanford Juggling Research Institute, the comedy of Lew Lefton, the classical Indian dance of Sahana Balasubramanya, and the dance of Karl Schaffer.
Saturday, 01/06/2024
The Physics Show (three performances) - 01/06/2024 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
The Physics Show is a fun science show for kids and their families. These will be the exact same shows that were presented in September, 2023
Links to purchase tickets:
Saturday January6, 2024 at 10:00 am
Saturday January 6, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Saturday January 6, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Sunday January 7, 2024 at 10:00 am
Sunday January 7, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Sunday January 7, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Saturday January 20, 2024 at 10:00 am
Saturday January 20, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Saturday January 20, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Sunday January 21, 2024 at 10:00 am
Sunday January 21, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Sunday January 21, 2024 at 3:30 pm
He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters - 01/06/2024 12:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
One of the most controversial topics today is the issue of gender and the related matters of identity, language and law.
Schuyler Bailar's story of becoming the first openly transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 team in any sport appeared everywhere from "60 Minutes" to "The Ellen Show" to The Washington Post. In an effort to explain the issues surrounding gender identity and how it's discussed, Bailar has written He/She/They. His approach is to use storytelling and the art of conversation to give us the fundamental language and context of gender so that we can meet people where they are and pave the way to understanding, acceptance, and inclusion.
Join us for an in-depth talk about the issues driving laws in dozens of states and being discussed across the country.
Speaker: Schuyler Bailar, Author; Michelle Meow, KBCW TV, Co-host; John Zipperer, Commonwealth Club, Co-host
Attend in person or online. Register at weblink
Nike Missile Site Veteran Open House - 01/06/2024 12:00 PM
Nike Missle Site Mill Valley
Veterans of the Nike program come to the site to share their stories with visitors and give guided tours of SF88 between the hours of 12pm - 3pm
The SF-88 Nike Missile Site is the most fully restored Nike missile site in the country. During the tense years of the Cold War, from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated close to 300 Nike missile sites in the United States. These sites were designed to be the last line of defense against H-Bomb carrying Soviet bombers that had eluded the Air Force’s interceptor jet aircrafts. SF-88 in the Marin Headlands was one such site. Today, Golden Gate National Recreation Area works together with a dedicated group of volunteers to preserve the site as it was during operations to remind visitors of the physical and psychological effects of the Cold War on the American landscape.
Saturday Cinema: The Art + Science of Luminous Animations - 01/06/2024 01:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Celebrate the Exploratorium’s winter exhibition Glow: Discover the Art of Light with radiant animations, both meditative and kinetic. Five short films capture the holiday spirit, the translucent elements of nature, the radiance of winter’s starry skies and ancestral stories, and the science of salt crystals shaped like jeweled snowflakes.These films shine light on the creative and diverse ways that individuals draw gleaming inspiration from nature, chemistry, manufactured materials, and mathematical forms. Running time: 30 minutes
Wâhkôhtowin (All My Relations) by Barry Bilinsky (2022, 6 min.)The filmmaker, of Cree Metis and Ukrainian descent, explores the power of stories as they are shaped over many nights and many years, through all languages across the world. This beautifully animated story unfolds in an intimate tipi setting between a grandmother and her children’s children on a clear winter night. Through an Indigenous worldview we learn of our relation to the stars and the spirit world and of our connection to our ancestors. Co-presented with the American Indian Film Institute.
The Arctic by Wenting Zhu (2018, 3 min.)This film captures crystallization, revealing radiant growth patterns of different salts. It serves as a reminder of the “stunning beauty of the ice worlds.” Produced by Yan Liang, founder of Beauty of Science. Co-presented with Beauty of Science.
White Out by Jeffrey Scher (2007, 3 min.)More than two thousand individual watercolor paintings animate a celebratory world of winter play. Colorful images shimmer against the brightness of snow while capturing the frivolity of humans slipping and sliding in frosty cold. Jeffrey Scher is an Emmy Award winning animator who has made music videos for Bob Dylan, Graham Nash, Joan Baez, Paul Simon, and others.
Attraction by Emily Scaife (2017, 4 min.)Take a peek into an alluring world of insect and plant life animated in a field of translucent colors, giving view to the dust and desires of an alternative tiny universe. Painting directly on film, the artist conjures an imagined landscape that shimmers with pulsating, lustrous forms such as erupting fungal fantasies and bursting botanicals.
Let Your Light Shine by Jodie Mack (2014, 4 min.)In this exuberant handmade animation, optical polyrhythms and a thousand rainbows explode off the screen. The artist Jodie Mack’s playful nature is captured in this prismatic celluloid experience.
Screenings at 1:00 and 3:00
Starry Nights Star Party - 01/06/2024 06:30 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.
In addition to traditional telescopes, the SJAA has incorporated Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) into the Starry Nights Program. We will be using an automated telescope with a camera-like sensor to show live images on an iPad.
Ages 5+
Register at weblink
Sunday, 01/07/2024
Point Reyes National Seashore Fungus Fair - 01/07/2024 10:00 AM
Bear Valley Visitor Center Point Reyes Station
Join us for the 17th annual Point Reyes National Seashore Fungus Fair. Attend free lectures in the Bear Valley Visitor Center Auditorium. Learn about fungi and their role in the many Point Reyes habitats, from grasslands to redwoods. See the remarkable colors and shapes of wild mushrooms collected in the park. Be sure to see the mushroom display tables in back of the Visitor Center.
Speakers:
11:00 AM - David Rust, Underground Fungal Connections12:30 PM - Debbie Viess, Amanitarita's Freaky and Fabulous Fungi2:00 PM - Monika Fischer, Pyrophilous Pioneers: How Fungi Survive and Thrive after Fire
The Physics Show (three performaces) - 01/07/2024 10:00 AM
Foothill College Los Altos Hills
See 1/6/24 entry
Solar Observing - 01/07/2024 01:30 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
It’s there for us year round, lighting our days and providing energy for our lives, so maybe it’s time to give it a closer look. Join SJAA for amazing and detailed views of the Sun, and be assured that we’ll be using special telescopes that will keep your eyeballs perfectly safe.
We’ll have white-light telescopes with dense solar filters that reveal sunspots. Further, we’ll show you hydrogen-alpha telescopes that isolate a very specific color of red that reveals prominences (often thought of as solar flares) and intricate texture within the Sun’s chromosphere (its atmosphere).
We can also share with you a little about how the Sun works and how complex magnetic fields drive the number of sunspots and prominences that we’ll see on a given day.
Around 1:45, we'll have a short, informal introductory talk, and at other times, you can enjoy the views and ask questions about the Sun, telescopes, or astronomy in general.
We're also planning station for your get a better feel for a huge scale of our solar system! And you'll get a solar system you can fold up and carry in your pocket.
You may bring your own telescope. If you have a properly filtered white light or H-alpha telescope and want to share views with others, please arrive at 1:30 or earlier, so you have time to set up before the event officially starts.
Weather dependent. Sign up at weblink
Monday, 01/08/2024
FDA Guidance on Real-World Evidence - 01/08/2024 11:00 AM
Mission Hall San Francisco
Dr. John Concato, from the Office of Medical Policy in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, will discuss “FDA Guidance on Real-World Evidence.” His presentation will describe the main components of FDA’s Real-World Evidence Program, focusing on guidance development. Dr. Concato will also summarize the historical context leading to the current focus on real-world evidence, and he will identify challenges when using real-world data and real-world evidence in drug development. A question-and-answer period will follow.
Please RSVP for details. Attend in person or online.
Speaker: John Cancato, Associate Director for Real-World Evidence Analytics, Office of Medical Policy, CDER, FDA
Venture Capital and Demand-side Decarbonization: How to get rich while saving the planet - 01/08/2024 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Venture Capital investor Mike Lin shares his entrepreneurial journey from Stanford (BS '03, MS '06), to Apple, to startup founder, to venture investing. He'll dive into his venture capital investment thesis centered on demand-side decarbonization, integrative design, and anti-fragility.
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Tuesday, 01/09/2024
Fiber Optic Distributed Sensing as a Window on Subsurface Flow - 01/09/2024 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Wonderfest: Anesthesia and Hibernation: Enduring Deep-Space Travel - 01/09/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Wednesday, 01/10/2024
The physiological ecology of copepods: molecular approaches - Livestream - 01/10/2024 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Science Uncorked: Understanding the Pathways to Rampant Invasion in a Newly Introduced Sea Anemone in Tomales Bay - 01/10/2024 06:00 PM
Gourmet au Bay Bodega Bay
Thursday, 01/11/2024
Coastal Walk at Pillar Point Bluff - 01/11/2024 10:00 AM
Pillar Point Bluff Parking Lot Moss Beach
After Dark: King Tides - 01/11/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Measuring Our Chances: Risk Prediction in This World and its Betters - 01/11/2024 06:30 PM
Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center Stanford
Fungi Fundamentals - Mushrooms of the Bay Area - 01/11/2024 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
You Can’t Beat an Extinct Horse - Livestream - 01/11/2024 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
Friday, 01/12/2024
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 01/12/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair - 01/12/2024 02:00 PM
London Nelson Community Center Santa Cruz
The Apes & Us: A Century of Representations of Our Closest Relatives Opening Event - 01/12/2024 06:00 PM
Hohbach Hall, Room 122 Stanford
Saturday, 01/13/2024
Morning Hike at Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve - 01/13/2024 09:00 AM
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve Los Altos
50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair - 01/13/2024 10:00 AM
London Nelson Community Center Santa Cruz
Family Nature Adventures: Weather - 01/13/2024 10:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Saturday Cinema: The Art + Science of Luminous Animations - 01/13/2024 01:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Sunday, 01/14/2024
50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair - 01/14/2024 10:00 AM
London Nelson Community Center Santa Cruz
King Tides Walk - 01/14/2024 12:00 PM
Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter Palo Alto
Monday, 01/15/2024
Tomales Bay winter shorebird count - 01/15/2024 11:00 AM
Tomales Bay