Hello again, science fans. Glad to have you along with us today.
Знову вітаю, шанувальники науки. Раді, що ви сьогодні з нами.
[Ukrainian]
May is here and the hills and fields are abloom in Scotch Broom, California Poppies, Lupines, Mustard, Wild Peas, Fiddlenecks, Tidy Tips, and more. When i suggest you “take a hike,” i mean it in the best possible way.
SPACE
A space probe launched 72 years ago is expected to crash to Earth this week. Kosmos 482 was launched by the Soviet Union in 1972. It is speculated that the probe was intended to land on Venus but a glitch kept it in Earth orbit. If it is a landing module, it likely has a heat shield and might not burn up on its way through our atmosphere. Instead it would slow to about 70 m/s (160 mph) by the time it hits Earth’s surface. Since we humans occupy less than 5% of the Earth’s land area, and land occupies about 30% of the Earth’s surface, there is less than a 1.5% probability it will land in an occupied area; not high odds but worrisome.
Watch the International Space Station for 7 minutes starting at 21:39 (9:39 PM) on Thursday as it passes over the Bay Area from SW to NE. Actually, it passes over frequently but it is only naked-eye-visible during pre-dawn and post twilight while the ISS is overhead in sunlight.
CLIMATE
A knowledge of climate change is required for new undergraduate students at UC San Diego as an additional requirement for a Bachelor’s degree. This is the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement.
Last week the U.S. House voted to block California from enforcing its plans to:
reduce heavy truck nitrogen oxide emissions by 90% over 2016 standards by 2027
phase out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035
The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, claims that the already-disbursed $20 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants are “vulnerable to fraud” and has used his claim to order the funds be returned to the federal government. Those funds have been ‘frozen’ while the controversy plays out in court.
The President has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement; the international framework to fight climate change signed by almost every nation. When the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization met to finalize details of a levy on the shipping industry’s carbon emissions, the President threatened reciprocal measures if levies were placed on American shipping companies.
All of the nearly 400 scientists working on the Sixth National Climate Assessment (NCA) - mandated by Congress and due in 2027 - have been dismissed.
Union of Concerned Scientists, 2018: The NCA provides sector-specific information targeted to, for example, the transportation, agricultural, and energy sectors, as well as regional information.
The NCA can assist companies with their assessment of vulnerabilities to climate change. Defense agencies also use the NCA to assess risks and plan for different scenarios. For example, the Department of Defense has recognized the NCA as an important source of information for sea level rise projections and regional projections.
The Fifth National Climate Assessment remains available online, as of this writing.
RAFFLE
We are offering a 15cm high desktop barometer - an essential instrument for your zeppelin travels. 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, Andrew won a 1,000 piece “Tree of Life” jigsaw puzzle. Of the 25 contestants, his guess of 451 was closest to the randomly-generated 456.
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK – My Picks
A Decade of Observing Gravitational Waves Mon Noon, U.C. Berkeley
Reflections on nearly 40 years of SSU Physics & Astronomy Mon 4pm, Sonoma State University
Nature’s Toxins from Spices to Vices Livestream Tues 2pm
Ocean Ecosystems: The Role of Marine Predators Livestream Wed 11am
How Intelligent Design Nearly Won Livestream Thurs 7:30pm
Laboratory to Marketplace: The Development of a New Drug Livestream Saturday 10:30am
World Migratory Bird Day: The Role of Community Science Sun 11:30am, Alviso
BIOLOGY / ETHOLOGY
Sierra Mixe corn roots
(If you are already familiar with biological nitrogen uptake, skip ahead to the next paragraph.) Although our bodies are 3% nitrogen and the atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, we must ingest food to get the nitrogen necessary for DNA, RNA, and proteins. Animals and plants have never ‘learned’ to “fix” atmospheric nitrogen into biologically useful chemicals - usually ammonia. Instead, plants rely on bacteria and fungi to fix nitrogen. Nitrogen enters the animal world through the eating of plants (and mushrooms). Plants get their nitrogen from fungal mycorrhizae in the soil or from symbiotic relationships with bacteria - as with peanuts. In agriculture, nitrogen-rich fertilizers boost plant growth.
Sierra Mixe corn evolved an interesting method of supporting bacteria to supply its needed nitrogen. The plants have several roots above the ground that drip a mucus that nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil feed on. The maize’s sub-surface roots then transport the nitrogen up from the soil. In a sense, Sierra Mixe corn fertilizes itself.
¿What 5 insects have benefitted people the most? Author and entomologist Barrett Klein picked these:
Domestic silk moth (Bombyx mori) The source of the fiber used to make silk cloth was a secret kept in the Far East. The Silk Road trade network affected economies throughout the Old World and spread innovations, knowledge, and religions.
Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) Apiculture gives us honey, agricultural pollinating, and beeswax with its many uses in candles, cosmetics, lost-wax jewelry, and more.
Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) The cochineal bug was used in Mesoamerica for millennia as a red dye. Transported to Europe, it was used for dying the capes of Cardinals and the coats of British soldiers. Today it is also found in foods, drinks, and cosmetics.
Lac insect (Kerria lacca) Shellac is made from the hard cases that lac insects create to protect themselves. Floors, furniture, artwork, candies, and apples are often covered in shiny shellac for protection and appearance.
Common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) Fruit flies were the first animals to be sent into space. Over half of our DNA is shared with these easily-raised insects, so we use them in laboratories to better understand life itself.
FUN (?) NERDY VIDEOS
Pacemaker for Newborns - Northwestern University - John A. Rogers - 1.5 mins
Importance of Clinical Trials - Cup o’ Joe - Joe Schwarcz - 5 mins
¿Two Big Bangs? - Sabine Hossenfelder - 5.5 mins
Creating & Using an AI Scientist - Quanta - Mario Krenn - 9 mins
Space Roar: A 20 Year Mystery - Dr. Becky - Becky Smethurst - 10 mins
¿Why Do River Dolphins Look Like That? - Bizarre Beasts - Sarah Suta - 12 mins
¿Did We Just De-Extinct Dire Wolves? - SciShow - Savannah Geary - 13 mins
ESA Gaia’s Map of Our Galaxy - Secrets of the Universe - Rishabh Nakra - 18 mins
Quantum Energy Teleportation - PBS SpaceTime - Matt O’Dowd - 18.5 mins
Climate Week Keynote Address - explOratorium - Al Gore - 21 mins
Audio: Reimagining Plastics - Podcast - A Day in the Half-Life - 52 mins
Uranium - Tales from the Periodic Table - Ron Hipschman - 62 mins
Searching for Alien Earths - Skeptical Inquirer Presents - Lisa Kaltenegger - 72 mins (Editor: The first 16 minutes cover elementary concepts.)
The UFO Movie They Don’t Want You to See - Brian Dunning - 91 mins (Editor: The “WOW Signal” referenced in the video now has a likely natural explanation.)
Enjoy your week. Take time for yourself. Take time for democracy.
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“You can fool some people sometimes
But you can't fool all the people all the time
***
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight”
—Bob Marley (1945 - 1981)
Your friends and loved ones can sign up for the weekly SciSchmooze at https://www.bayareascience.org
Upcoming Events:
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Monday, 05/05/2025
SynBioBeta 2025: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference - 05/05/2025 07:00 AM
San Jose McEnery Convention Center San Jose
Reunite with 2,500+ Innovators and Recreate the Magic!
Save the date for SynBioBeta 2025: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference, taking place from May 5-8, 2025, in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, San Jose. This event promises to be a transformative experience with over 180 content-rich sessions, 20+ diverse networking opportunities, 200+ sponsors and exhibitors, and an anticipated gathering of 2,500+ attendees.
Explore the forefront of synthetic biology through our four overarching conference themes and delve into specific topics with our 18 designated tracks. SynBioBeta 2025 is not just a conference; it's a catalyst for expanding conversations and driving innovation in synthetic biology.
Using Single Cell RNA-seq to Identify Genes that Regulate Zebrafish Ovary Development and Function - 05/05/2025 12:00 PM
Sonoma State University - Biology Colloquium Rohnert Park
Speaker: Bruce Draper, UC Davis
Does Automation Replace Experts or Augment Expertise? The Answer is Yes. - Livestream - 05/05/2025 12:00 PM
Stanford University
Does job task automation augment or diminish the value of labor in the tasks that remain? We argue that the answer depends on whether removing tasks raises or reduces the expertise required to perform the bundle of tasks that remain. Because the tasks that are expert in one occupation may serve primarily as supporting tasks in another, automating any given task may simultaneously replace experts in some occupations and augment expertise in others. We offer a model highlighting that, opposite to conventional demand forces, changing expertise requirements have countervailing effects on wages and employment: falling expertise requirements reduce wages but permit entry of inexpert workers; rising requirements increase wages but reduce the set of qualified workers. We operationalize these ideas by constructing a content-agnostic measure of task expertise grounded in the efficient (linguistic) coding hypothesis, which is used in conjunction with a method for identifying tasks removed from and added to occupations over four decades.
Our analysis confirms the predicted countervailing effects of changing expertise requirements on occupational wages and employment; documents that changes in task content are empirically distinct from changes in task quantities and, moreover, have countervailing effects on employment; and shows that routine task automation has bifurcated occupational expertise demands by lowering wages in occupations where routine tasks were relatively expert and raising wages in occupations where routine tasks were relatively inexpert. Our framework provides a general tool for analyzing how the removal and addition of specific job tasks may reshape the scarcity value of human expertise within and across occupations.
Speaker: David Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Register at weblink
What have we actually learned after a decade of observing gravitational waves? - 05/05/2025 12:10 PM
Campbell Hall, Rm 131 Berkeley
Observationsl gravitational-wave astronomy initiated in 2015 when the LIGO detectors heard sounds of spacetime from two colliding black holes. A decade later, over 100 gravitational-wave signals have been observed, originating from all of the combinatorics of merging black holes and neutron stars. Ten years ago, most astronomers expected that by this point in time gravitational-wave observations would have provided novel and robust insights into the evolution of massive stars in our universe. But today, many of the questions that were expected to be answered still loom in uncertainty. What have we really learned so far from gravitational-wave observations?
Speaker: Michael Zevin, Adler Planetarium, Chicago
Scaling the Impact of AI Applications in the Energy Industry - 05/05/2025 12:30 PM
Green Earth Sciences Building Stanford
This presentation explores the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the energy sector, detailing how leading global energy companies are harnessing AI in their operations. We will delve into practical strategies for identifying high-value AI use cases specific to the oil and gas industry, outline the essential components and processes required to build robust AI applications, and discuss effective methods for scaling these solutions throughout an organization. Furthermore, the talk will highlight new trends in data-driven problem-solving and showcase examples of high-impact AI applications across the energy industry.
Speaker: Amir H. Delgoshaie, C3 AI
Is Dark Energy Evolving? What We’re Learning from DES and DESI - 05/05/2025 03:30 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Colloquium Series Menlo Park
Over the last 25 years, the Lambda-Cold Dark Matter model (LCDM) - with 70% of the universe in the form of vacuum energy or equivalently Einstein’s cosmological constant, Lambda---has become the standard paradigm for cosmology. Until recently, it has proven consistent with an array of increasingly precise measurements of cosmic structure and expansion history. However, the latest results from large supernova surveys and baryon acoustic oscillation measurements suggest that evolving or dynamical dark energy models may provide a better fit to the data than LCDM. In this talk, I will discuss these results, focusing on the latest measurements from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), describe their interpretation in terms of physically motivated dark energy models, and show how near-future experiments such as the Vera Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) should provide definitive judgment on the current hints for evolving dark energy.
Speaker: Joshua Frieman, SLAC
Attend in person or online (See weblink)
Reflections on nearly 40 years of SSU Physics & Astronomy - 05/05/2025 04:00 PM
Sonoma State University - What Physicists Do Rohnert Park
Join us for the last What Physicists Do’ (WPD) lecture of the semester! And if things don't change, I am sorry but this will be the last ever WPD talk, as the series will end after 109 semesters.
I will reflect on almost four decades at SSU, where I have served as Department Chair (2004 - 2019), and Director of EdEon STEM Learning (1999 - 2025). I will comment on personal aspects of teaching, research and service to both SSU and the community. Please come join me for what may be the last ever What Physicists Do lecture.
Speaker: Lynn Cominsky, Sonoma State University
This event was originally scheduled for April 28, 2025
Matrix Factorizations and their applications in Genomics - 05/05/2025 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Speaker: Matthew Stephens, University of Chicago
Room: Auditorium
Stanford Energy Seminar - Four Speakers - 05/05/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Membrane-based lithium recovery: Composition and driving force effects in ion-selective separations
The rapid growth of the electric vehicle market is driving a substantial increase in lithium demand, and with it, efforts to selectively recover lithium from unconventional sources such as lithium-ion battery waste and oilfield brines. Ion-selective membranes are of particular interest in these lithium recovery applications due to the benefits of scalability, low energy consumption, and low chemical input. Unfortunately, current polymeric membranes are incapable of selective lithium recovery from these complex wastewaters. While investigations have been performed to relate membrane structural properties like water content and ion-coordinating ligand chemistries to ion-ion separation performance, few systematic studies investigate the effects of membrane composition beyond monomer chemical identity and the effects of driving force beyond diffusion. In this work, we synthesized a library of polymeric membranes with varying percentages of ion-coordinating ligand to investigate the influence of ligand content on separation performance. Given the recent interest in process electrification, we also compare trends in membrane performance under electrodialysis conditions to assess driving force effects on separation performance. We demonstrate that both ligand content and electric potential driving force can be used to enhance ion-specific membrane separations, exemplified with lithium/nickel separation in pyridine-functionalized membranes.
Speaker: Kristen Abels, Stanford University
Techno-economics of Enhanced Geothermal Systems across the Continental United States
Conventional geothermal systems are geographically limited because they require the natural co-occurrence of high temperatures, in-situ fluid for heat transport, and permeable or fractured rock for fluid flow. Recent technological advancements and field implementations have successfully demonstrated Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), where heat transport and fluid flow are supplemented artificially by water injection and rock stimulation. EGS are applicable across diverse geographies, as naturally and sufficiently elevated subsurface temperatures are always present at certain depths. We conducted a comprehensive techno-economic analysis to evaluate EGS potential across the contiguous United States. Our approach involved developing a nationwide temperature-at-depth model for depths of 0-7 km with a spatial resolution of 18 km². We integrated accurate techno-economic data and models, including geothermal resource characteristics, capital and operational costs, weather patterns, and proximity to transmission lines, among other factors. The majority of EGS supply potential was found in the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States, with Texas, California, Oregon, and Nevada showing the greatest EGS capacity potential. We identified various EGS targets with a competitive levelized cost of electricity of less than $50/MWh.
Speaker: Mohammad Aljubran, Stanford University
Unveiling the stability of encapsulated Pt catalysts
Platinum exhibits desirable catalytic properties, but it is scarce and expensive. Optimizing its use in key applications like emission control catalysis is important to reduce our reliance on such a rare element. Supported Pt nanoparticles used in emission control systems deactivate over time because of particle growth in sintering processes. In this work, we shed light on the stability against sintering of Pt nanoparticles supported on and encapsulated in Al2O3 using a combination of nanocrystal catalysts and atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. We find that small amounts of alumina overlayers created by ALD on pre-formed Pt nanoparticles can stabilize supported Pt catalysts, significantly reducing deactivation caused by sintering, as previously observed by others. We correlate this behavior to the decreased propensity of oxidized Pt species to undergo Ostwald ripening phenomena because of the physical barrier imposed by the alumina overlayers. The enhanced stability significantly improves the Pt utilization efficiency after accelerated aging treatments, with encapsulated Pt catalysts reaching reaction rates more than two times greater than a control supported Pt catalyst.
Speaker: Gennaro Liccardo, Stanford University
Dual-function materials for integrated carbon capture and utilization
Carbon capture, utilization and sequestration consists of multiple challenging steps. From CO2 capture to compression and transportation, each step is energy and cost intensive. Dual function materials (DFMs) can reduce energy and cost demands by coupling CO2 adsorption and conversion processes into a single material with multiple functionalities, most commonly an adsorbent phase and a metal for CO2 conversion. For optimal DFMs, the interaction between the capturing and converting component is crucial and has relevance in engineering DFMs for better performance and stability. In this talk, I will share the results of our recent work on using colloidal catalysts to understand these adsorbent-catalytic phase interactions. By controlling these interactions at the molecular level, we demonstrate the critical role of each component, shedding light on the possible mechanism and paving the way to design DFMs with maximum CO2 capture and conversion efficiency.
Speaker: Shradha Sabru, Stanford University
Attend in person or watch online (see weblink)
Finding and Understanding Exoplanets - 05/05/2025 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
In the past 30 years the study of exoplanets, or planets orbiting stars other than the Sun, has grown from an obscure area of science to one that now has engages thousands of astronomers, planetary scientists, geologists, chemists, and biologists and holds top billing in national and international conferences. Exoplanet research now commands a significant fraction of time on US and international ground-based and space-based observatories and is driving the design plans for NASA’s and Europe’s next multi-billion dollar missions. In this talk, we will discuss the tremendous growth in exoplanet research as witnessed by Dr. Caldwell through his work on missions that discovered more than two-thirds of the currently known planets. We will learn about the techniques used to find exoplanets, what scientists are learning about them as we move from an era of discovery to one of understanding, and about future plans to search for life on these small worlds.
Speaker: Douglas Caldwell, SETI Institute
Tuesday, 05/06/2025
SynBioBeta 2025: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference - 05/06/2025 07:00 AM
San Jose McEnery Convention Center San Jose
See 5/5/25 listing
Back-End-of-Line Nanoelectromechanical Switches - 05/06/2025 12:00 PM
Cory Hall Berkeley
Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches offer an energy-efficient, scalable alternative to traditional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors for both logic and memory applications. NEM switches are made using the copper interconnects of a standard CMOS back-end-of-line (BEOL) process, allowing for dense hybrid CMOS-NEM circuits. To date, standalone cantilevers oriented vertically or horizontally have been experimentally demonstrated, as well as 4x2 CMOS-NEM hybrid look-up tables. This presentation discusses future augmentations and applications for NEM switches. First, the benefits of NEMS/MEMS computing and the need for CMOS integration will be introduced, followed by an overview of the device fabrication flow. Then, future device applications will be introduced, including NEMS-based non-volatile crosspoint memory arrays having energy consumption nearly three orders of magnitude smaller than existing embedded memories. Finally, the negative capacitance effect found in ferroelectric will be introduced, and its usage to lower the actuation voltage of NEM switches will be analyzed.
Speaker: Colin Finnan, UC Berkeley
Register at weblink
Rediscovering and Restoring Lost River-Wetland Corridors along Heavily Dammed Waterways - 05/06/2025 12:00 PM
Stanford University
After two decades of studying impaired waterways and the impact of Pleistocene-Holocene climates and conditions on landscapes in the mid-Atlantic region, our research group at Franklin and Marshall College established the Chesapeake Watershed Initiative in 2020 to deepen understanding of 1) the Quaternary geologic history of modern landscapes, 2) the legacies of human impacts on riparian-aquatic ecosystems, and 3) the effectiveness of transformative restoration efforts to improve water quality and ecosystem health. Our approach connects landscape history and trajectories to current place-based restoration and applies to many human-impacted geographies worldwide. We investigate Earth’s past to envision restoration potential and guide restoration approaches. We use several types of long-term monitoring to evaluate landscape response to restoration. These include repeat RTK GPS and aerial lidar surveys, multiple USGS gage stations to monitor water and sediment fluxes, and in situ thermal sensors and UAVs (drones) with thermal cameras to assess the mixing of surface and groundwater (i.e., hyporheic exchange).
Speaker: Dorothy Merrits, geomorphologist
Editor's Note: At time of listing, this event is shown as in person and online. However, the Stanford location is not provided.
Scratch beneath the surface of a coffee bean, a red pepper flake, a poppy seed, a mold spore, a foxglove leaf, a magic-mushroom cap, a marijuana bud, or an apple seed, and we find a bevy of strange chemicals. We use these to greet our days (caffeine), titillate our tongues (capsaicin), recover from surgery (opioids), cure infections (penicillin), mend our hearts (digoxin), bend our minds (psilocybin), calm our nerves (CBD), and even kill our enemies (cyanide). But why do plants and fungi produce such chemicals? And how did we come to use and abuse some of them?
Speaker: Noah Whiteman, UC Berkeley
Register at weblink
Nonlinear and Quantum Optical Effects in Organic Materials - 05/06/2025 04:00 PM
Latimer Hall Berkeley
William Lester, Jr. lecture
Speaker: Theodore Goodson, III, University of Michigan
Wednesday, 05/07/2025
SynBioBeta 2025: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference - 05/07/2025 07:00 AM
San Jose McEnery Convention Center San Jose
See 5/5/25 listing
Diverse Voices in Fisheries Science - 05/07/2025 10:30 AM
Ocean Health Building Santa Cruz
UCSC's Fisheries Collaborative Program and the Santa Cruz-Monterey Bay Area Subunit of the American Fisheries Society invite you to the fifth annual Diverse Voices in Fisheries Science Seminar. This will be a five-part series. We are excited to present Dr. Joe Klein as the third seminar in this year's series.
Register at weblink to attend in person or via Zoom
Talk starts at 11:00 AM
Understanding changing ocean ecosystems through the lens of marine predators - Livestream - 05/07/2025 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
We are living in a time of unprecedented global environmental change, with marine ecosystems undergoing rapid transformations due to climate variability, oceanographic shifts, and human activities. Marine predators such as cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and seabirds play a crucial role in these ecosystems, integrating ocean processes across space, time, and trophic levels. As such, studying their distribution, behavior, and habitat use provides valuable insights into ecosystem health and change. In this seminar, I will share case studies from research in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Northern California Current. I will discuss how interdisciplinary approaches - including at-sea surveys, oceanographic sampling, passive acoustic monitoring, and distribution modeling - can be integrated to enhance our understanding of marine predator ecology while also assessing the impacts of environmental change on marine ecosystems.
Speaker: Dawn Barlow, Oregon State University
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Moving Away from Large Clusters: Grid-Aware AI Data Center Planning - Livestream - 05/07/2025 11:00 AM
Stanford University
The rapid growth of AI is straining the existing power grid. In response to the challenges presented by AI, the Bits & Watts Initiative is launching a new flagship program on Sustainably Powering AI and recently selected six research projects to support with seed grants. In this webinar, Prof. Ram Rajagopal will introduce his seed grant project.
This project seeks to reduce large swings in data center electricity use by rethinking their integration with existing electricity infrastructure. The team will model the effects of AI workloads at the substation and distribution network level. The researchers will then develop tools for data center developers to build infrastructure based on the local grid, and for operators to manage workload by distributing it across multiple sites in coordination.
Speaker: Ram Rajagopal, Stanford University
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Whole Earth Seminar - 05/07/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Erica Tanaka, Kochi University
Lagrangian observations of the biological carbon pump - Livestream - 05/07/2025 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Join us for the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Seminar Series, featuring speakers from within the marine sciences community and beyond.
Speaker: Melisa Omand, University of Rhode Island
Register at weblink to receive connection information
From Mountains to Molecules: Tackling Toxics To Protect People/Our Planet - 05/07/2025 07:00 PM
Berkeley City Club Berkeley
Does it seem like a new, potentially dangerous substance turns up almost every week in what we eat, wear, or use? Is it hard to keep track of what might harm our health and how to avoid it? What sources should we trust for information about the health hazards around us?
The Green Science Policy Institute is trying to make these challenges easier. Rather than addressing each of the tens of thousands of chemicals found in everyday products, the Institute focuses on reducing the use of six classes of chemicals that contain many of the hazardous substances found in consumer goods.
Arlene Blum, scientist, author, and world-class mountaineer, is the founder and executive director of the Institute. At Arts & Culture on Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m., she will discuss how the so-called Six Classes approach can lead to safer products and protect the health of people and the environment.
She’ll begin her presentation with some dramatic images and stories from her mountain climbing days. She’ll share how leading successful expeditions on some of the world’s highest, most dangerous peaks gave her the vision and determination to try to improve government policy and manufacturing practices.
Thursday, 05/08/2025
SynBioBeta 2025: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference - 05/08/2025 07:00 AM
San Jose McEnery Convention Center San Jose
See 5/5/25 listing
Energy Sustainability Policies - 05/08/2025 01:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
Professor Yihsu Chen's main research focuses on studying the impact of public policies on energy, water resources and transportation sectors. His research takes interdisciplinary approaches: quantitative models built upon economic principles and solved with operations research techniques. His work on emission trading policies has received considerable attention and also directly contributed to policy debates.
SETI Live: How Rain Shaped the Martian Landscape - Livestream - 05/08/2025 02:30 PM
SETI Live
A groundbreaking study from the University of Colorado Boulder suggests that ancient Mars was far from the cold, arid planet we know today. Led by Amanda Steckel, the research team utilized computer simulations to reveal that billions of years ago, Mars experienced significant precipitation - either rain or snow - that carved out extensive networks of valleys and channels across its surface. These findings challenge previous theories that Mars was predominantly cold and dry, instead supporting the idea of a warmer, wetter climate during the Noachian epoch, approximately 4.1 to 3.7 billion years ago. The study provides compelling evidence that precipitation played a crucial role in shaping the Martian landscape, offering new insights into the planet's climatic history and its potential to have supported life. Join planetary scientist Beth Johnson and Dr. Steckel as they discuss the results of this study and its implications for finding life, especially past life, on Mars.
The Fundamental Universe, Looking for Zebras, and the World’s Largest Demolition Derby - 05/08/2025 05:00 PM
The Dutch Goose Menlo Park
At CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), protons collide at nearly the speed of light, unleashing a particle party that might reveal secrets beyond our wildest theories. But sifting through that data is like looking for a needle in a haystack - a needle unlike anything we’ve seen before. Join us at the Dutch Goose on May 1 at 5 p.m., when SLAC Panofsky Fellow Julia Gonski will dive into the mind-blowing world of particle physics and spill the beams on how scientists at the LHC are using artificial intelligence to hunt for new physics that could shake up our understanding of the universe. Grab a pint, discover what’s new in the particle zoo, and stick around after the talk for trivia, giveaways, and hands-on fun that’ll bring the subatomic world to life. It’s going to be a smashing time!
Speaker: Julia Gonski, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Professor of Insects and Worms: Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and his Life-Made World - 05/08/2025 05:00 PM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center Santa Cruz
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) was the Professor of Insects and Worms at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Living through the storms of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period, he founded biology, coining the term to name a new science devoted to all and only living things, and authored the first theory of evolution. Lamarck's science was foundational to modern biology, yet its radicalism - he usurped God's monopoly on Creation and re-assigned it to mortal, living beings - brought him and his ideas plenty of trouble. During Lamarck’s lifetime, Napoleon and his scientific inner circle hated him and did what they could to undermine him. Charles Darwin then adopted central elements of Lamarck's theory, but after Darwin's death, his most influential followers re-interpreted his theory to eradicate all traces of Lamarckism, rendering organisms once again the passive objects of outside forces, allowing room for an omnipotent God working behind the scenes. This conception of living organisms as passive in the evolutionary process has remained dominant since the turn of the twentieth century. In contrast, in Lamarck's theory, living beings were active, creative, self-making and world-making. Elements of this very different conception of living organisms have recently, gradually been returning to mainstream biology in fields such as niche construction and epigenetic inheritance. The lecture will present Lamarck’s radical, embattled, and perhaps re-emerging approach to living things, their evolutionary and ecological agency, and the science that studies them.
Speaker: Jessica Riskin, Stanford University
Register to attend at weblink.
Our Wild Watershed: Herons and Egrets - 05/08/2025 05:30 PM
Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation Heron Hall Santa Rosa
Join Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation for a presentation about these iconic and elegant wading birds, often spotted at the stunning Laguna de Santa Rosa. Discover the fascinating natural history of species tracked by the Heron and Egret Project, from the majestic Great Blue Heron to the striking Snowy Egret. We’ll dive into their anatomy, behavior, and unique adaptations, all while uncovering the secrets of their courtship and nesting habits. As the Laguna is home to the largest heronry in the North Bay, we’ll also talk about local nesting population trends and what makes this area a birdwatcher’s paradise. Don’t miss this chance to get up close with nature’s most graceful creatures!
Speaker: Emiko Condeso, Cypress Grove Research Center
The Abysmal State of Mental Health Care in This Country: How and Why We Got Here and What We Can Do - 05/08/2025 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Mental health care in America has become nothing short of atrocious. Supposed developments in treatment methods and medication remain inaccessible to those who need them most. Countless people seeking treatment are routinely funneled into homelessness and prison while a mental-health epidemic ravages younger generations.
It seems obvious that the system is broken, but critics say the tragic truth is that it is actually functioning exactly as intended, providing reliably enormous profits for the entities who now manage mental health care. By taking a step back and examining how and why we developed our health-care system, with mental health care as the worst-case example of a dysfunctional model that has been abandoned by all other developed countries, we can understand our motives and actions, and chart a way out of our mess.
Speaker: Nicholas Rosenlicht, UC San Francisco, with Patrick O'Reilly, Commonwealth Club, moderator
After Dark: Kinematic/Kinesthetic - 05/08/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Admire the artistry of movement with a performance by the acclaimed AXIS Dance Company, and learn all about motion and physics with our 700+ exhibits.
Journey to the intersection of art, disability, and access technology. (at 7:00 pm)
A groundbreaking work that integrates emerging and existing technologies, Kinematic/Kinesthetic expands movement potential for both disabled and non-disabled dancers. Using assistive mobility devices, including telescoping crutches and robotic hexapod legs, the performers push the boundaries of both dance and technology.
The performance will be followed by a panel discussion at 8:00 p.m.
NightLife x Carnaval SF - 05/08/2025 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Carnaval SF is back to take over NightLife! Join our colorful celebration of music, dance, and artistry from Latin American, Caribbean, and Afrodiasporic cultures. Experience the joy of Carnaval throughout the museum with live performances, a pop-up mercado (marketplace), and more!
The Future of Food and the Buzz of Science (18+) - 05/08/2025 06:00 PM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
The Lawrence is abuzz with insect science! You’re invited for an evening of exploration of science both big and small! Witness a flaming firefly in Serenity, a striking fusion of art and engineering by Oakland’s own Flaming Lotus Girls. Meet and learn from expert scientists about insect biology and evolution. Discover how insects and other future foods will innovate what’s on your plate.
Don’t forget your wings: visitors who come dressed up like a bug get $5 off admission!
Heat Pump Water Heater Workshop - Livestream - 05/08/2025 06:00 PM
Acterra
Join us for an engaging Green@Home workshop where you’ll discover how a heat pump water heater can make your home more energy-efficient and help you save money. Our electrification expert, Wei-Tai Kwok, will share his personal experience, answer your questions, and walk you through the benefits of upgrading. Plus, learn about available rebates and incentives that can significantly lower your installation costs.
Speaker: Wei-Tai Kwok
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Flycatchers - Identification Demystified - Livestream - 05/08/2025 07:00 PM
Marin Audubon Society
Flycatchers are a difficult group of birds to identify. Cin-Ty Lee and Andrew Birch will guide you through the basics of flycatcher identification using a holistic approach. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use relative field marks, such as proportional lengths of tail and primaries, plumage contrasts, bill shape and size, and more. We will also discuss the importance of migration timing and vocalizations in identification.
Speakers: Cin-Ty (biologist) & Andy Birch (illustrator), Rice University
Register at weblink for Zoom information
Grid planning, resilience and reliability: modeling transmission investments and understanding outage occurrences - Livestream - 05/08/2025 07:00 PM
Stanford University
The EARNEST university consortium is an effort sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that studies solutions for the future of the U.S. electricity system. EARNEST's first webinar series will focus on "U.S. Grid Reliability and Resilience".
For this inaugural session, we will feature ongoing work by the EARNEST team at Stanford University.
Register at weblink to attend
How Intelligent Design Nearly Won - Livestream - 05/08/2025 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
Intelligent Design Theory (ID) is scorned by nearly all professional life scientists. Nevertheless, local and state boards of education throughout the United States have tried to mandate instruction in this “alternative” theory of evolution. Professor Nelson will discuss how ID succeeds politically even as it continues to fail scientifically. The secret to ID’s success draws from its advocates’ “recruitment” of consensus values like freedom and fairness, overshadowing the theory’s scientific shortcomings. Professor Nelson will focus on the communication strategies of ID advocates and opponents and will draw parallels between the ID battle and current controversies over climate change and vaccine resistance.
Speaker: Thomas Nelson, The Ohio State University
Scratching the surface of North American truffle diversity - 05/08/2025 07:30 PM
Bay Area Mycological Society Berkeley
This talk will explore truffle biology and biodiversity and present some recent taxonomic updates to North American truffles, including several newly described edible species.
Ben Lemmond is a postdoctoral scholar in the Lofgren Lab at UC Berkeley, where his work explores the interaction between secondary metabolites and ectomycorrhizal symbioses using pine-associated Suillus as a model system.
Friday, 05/09/2025
Geophysical and Planetary Physics Lecture - 05/09/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Mike Oskin, UC Davis
Saturday, 05/10/2025
Family Nature Adventures: Let’s Chat About Scat - Tracking Animals of the Redwood Forest! - 05/10/2025 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Get the scoop on poop and uncover the wild secrets of our local fauna! Learn how to identify animals by their tracks, eating habits, and yes - scat! Dive into the fascinating clues these creatures leave behind. Take your new skills into the forest on a guided walk to uncover signs of wildlife and their habitats. Discover the secrets of the forest’s inhabitants in this fun and educational adventure. Adventure awaits - don’t miss out!
Robo Lab at CuriOdyssey - 05/10/2025 10:00 AM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
Do you have an interest in building and design? Come check out our Robo Lab! Over four hours, participants will get to tour our exhibits workshop and see how the engineering process plays out. You will design your own circuits as an introduction to electricity, then build and test your own robot creations.
Tinker, Code & Create! - 05/10/2025 10:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Meet us in the Tinkering Studio for a hands-on, interactive experience where art, science, and technology collide. We’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the innovative Exploratorium projects it helps sustain.
Try out creative coding activities - developed by our Computational Tinkering team with NSF support - which blend digital tools and physical materials in unexpected and delightful ways.
Experiment with playful coding projects
Bring computation to life through hands-on tinkering
Explore innovations in informal science learning
Receive educator resources and tips straight from the Tinkering team
STEM Day (Five Dollar Day) - 05/10/2025 10:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Join The Lawrence for one of our signature Five Dollar Days as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the National Science Foundation (NSF)! STEM Day is a celebration of the innovative work The Lawrence and UC Berkeley has done to shape science education in schools and other learning spaces like museums and science centers. Visitors are invited to peek behind the curtain to explore research and development on exciting new programs, exhibits, and experiences at The Lawrence and beyond. Discover AI learning research, learn about the impact of citizen science programs for teens, and more.
A shuttle to The Lawrence will be available from the Downtown Berkeley BART station.
Family Nature Adventures: Mother’s Day Tea Party & Flower Workshop - 05/10/2025 10:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Make Mother’s Day unforgettable with a perfect mix of creativity, nature, and cherished family moments! Enjoy a charming tea party experience perfect for honoring the special moms and caregivers in your life. Dive into the beauty of local flowers with a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to identify blooms and explore their unique characteristics. Put your new skills to the test as Chabot educators lead you to discover the most vibrant blooms in the redwood forest. Additional activities include flower dissections and making seed bombs to take home, extending the joy of nature to your garden. Don’t miss this celebration of moms, love, and the wonders of nature!
From the Laboratory to the Marketplace: The Development of a New Drug - Livestream - 05/10/2025 10:30 AM
American Chemical Society California Section
Drug development requires a delicate balance between innovation, efficacy, safety, and regulatory compliance. This talk will explore the multifaceted process of bringing a new drug from the laboratory to the market, focusing on the critical role of regulatory affairs in ensuring patient safety and product quality. We will examine the key stages of drug development, including pre-clinical studies, clinical trials, and risk-benefit analysis. We will also discuss how to interpret the package insert. We will discuss how drug developers can work with the FDA to bring the new drug to the market.
Speaker: Natalie McClure, St. Mary's University
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Kinematic/Kinesthetic - 05/10/2025 12:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Journey to the intersection of art, disability, and access technology.
A groundbreaking work that integrates emerging and existing technologies, Kinematic/Kinesthetic expands movement potential for both disabled and non-disabled dancers. Using assistive mobility devices, including telescoping crutches and robotic hexapod legs, the performers challenge the boundaries of both dance and technology.
Performances at 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm.
These performances require a special ticket. The performance appears to be included in general admission price however.
Birding New Zealand - Rescheduled - 05/10/2025 07:30 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
New Zealand is home to a unique and fascinating avifauna, with many species found nowhere else on Earth. Its isolation has led to the evolution of an extraordinary array of endemic birds, from the iconic Kiwi to the rare Kakapo. John will share highlights from his birding journey through New Zealand’s diverse landscapes, from coastal shores to ancient forests, and discuss the conservation efforts protecting these remarkable species. He’ll also offer insights on planning a birding trip to this spectacular destination.
John is an avid birder and amazing photographer.
This event has been rescheduled to May 13, 2025
Sunday, 05/11/2025
World Migratory Bird Day: The Role of Community Science - 05/11/2025 11:30 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center Alviso
Join us to learn about how community science impacts our understanding of bird migration. This presentation about online tools including eBird and iNaturalist will emphasize the strength in the data we can all contribute to. Participants will have a chance to investigate different bird species migration patterns via these community science websites and we will then go for a short bird walk to highlight some of the species we learn about.
This event is recommended for adults and teenagers but if you have a younger member of the family that is curious about birds, feel free to bring them along as well!
Monday, 05/12/2025
Symbolic Systems Forum - 05/12/2025 12:30 PM
Stanford Symbolic Systems Forum Stanford
Speaker: Brian Knutson, Stanford University
See weblink for instructions for entering the building.
AI (R)evolutions in Observational Astronomy - 05/12/2025 03:30 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Colloquium Series Menlo Park
AI and machine learning have found applications in many fields, and astronomy is no exception. But while some see AI as an overhyped toy and others as an existential threat, astronomers have been using it for a while, out of necessity. With an overwhelming influx of data, these tools provide essential automation to facilitate discovery in observational astronomy. I will argue that multiple evolutions are underway, and at least one true Revolution.
In this talk I will walk through a few of these evolutions: from early, rudimentary classifiers to the AI-driven brokers that now manage the firehose of transient alerts. I will show how anomaly detection algorithms and self-supervised methods - capable of extracting patterns without labeled training data - are enabling meaningful discoveries in imaging, spectroscopic samples, and time series. I will also discuss what I see as a true Revolution: how the reasoning models that power chatbots are bound to affect society while reshaping how we do science.
Speaker: Dovi Pozananski, Tel Aviv University
Attend in person or watch online (See weblink)
Chromatin-Mediated Regulation of Metabolic and Genomic Stability - 05/12/2025 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Speaker: Ashby Morrison, Stanford University
Clark Auditorium
Measuring the most important figure of merit in a lithium metal battery - 05/12/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Work on solid electrolytes for rechargeable lithium-based batteries is motivated by the potential benefits of lithium-metal anodes for a variety of applications, including electric vehicles. Dendrite formation has been the key challenge preventing commercialization of rechargeable lithium-metal batteries, so establishing, validating, and improving the dendrite resistance of electrolytes is a key enabler of progress in the field. Typical symmetric cycling tests of Li-Li cells introduce operational and theoretical limitations which compromise the data produced and the conclusions which can be drawn from such testing. A high-throughput technique for unidirectional critical current density testing is presented which has allowed the development of a solid electrolyte capable of withstanding current densities of at least 300 mA cm - 2. The theoretical and empirical basis for this testing methodology is outlined, results are presented and analyzed, and best practices for critical current density testing of solid electrolyte materials are proposed.
Speaker: Tim Holne, QuantumScape
Tuesday, 05/13/2025
Exploring the Nature of Habitable Sub-Neptunes: From Lab to Theory - 05/13/2025 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
From Photons to Ions: The Electric Heart of the Artemis Lunar Space Station - 05/13/2025 06:00 PM
Hacker Dojo Mountain View
Character Building - Bridging Code and Culture through Unicode - 05/13/2025 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
Skeptics in the Pub - 05/13/2025 07:00 PM
Fiddler's Green Millbrae
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: AI Memorization; Frog Secrets - 05/13/2025 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Birding New Zealand - 05/13/2025 07:30 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Pacific Grove
Wednesday, 05/14/2025
The Fundamental Physics of the Onset of Frictional Motion: How does friction (or an Earthquake) start? - 05/14/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
What Ecology can teach you about keeping a moral compass - CANCELED - 05/14/2025 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Energy and Resources Group Colloquium - 05/14/2025 04:00 PM
Giannini Hall Berkeley
Thursday, 05/15/2025
Lunch Break Science - Livestream - 05/15/2025 11:00 AM
The Leakey Foundation
Passport to Kingdom Fungi (+ Morels on the Mind) - 05/15/2025 06:00 PM
Sebastopol Grange Sebastopol
After Dark: Ride On - 05/15/2025 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
NightLife: Jewish American Heritage Celebration - 05/15/2025 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Placing Worlds and Suns in Context - Livestream - 05/15/2025 06:00 PM
Night Sky Network
Nest Building: Creating Lasting (Birding) Community - Livestream - 05/15/2025 07:00 PM
Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Friday, 05/16/2025
Sleep in the wild: cyberinfrastructure, visualization, and biosensors to assess physiology and behavior - 05/16/2025 12:00 PM
ChEM-H/Neuroscience Building, James Lin and Nisa Leung Seminar Room (E153) Stanford
Geophysical and Planetary Physics Lecture - 05/16/2025 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Sequence to Solutions: Creating a Healthier World - 05/16/2025 02:00 PM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center Santa Cruz
Saturday, 05/17/2025
Stanford Health Matters - 05/17/2025 09:00 AM
Stanford School of Medicine Campus Stanford
Tinkerfest - 05/17/2025 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Super Scaly Critters - 05/17/2025 11:00 AM
Youth Science Institute Los Gatos
CuriOdyssey Weekend Workshop: Marine Marvels - 05/17/2025 01:00 PM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
Starry Nights Star Party - 05/17/2025 09:15 PM
Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
Sunday, 05/18/2025
Tinkerfest - 05/18/2025 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Exploring Venezuela: A Journey Through History, Politics, Culture, and Exodus - 05/18/2025 10:00 AM
College Nine, Lewis Multipurpose Room Santa Cruz
EV Ride and Drive - 05/18/2025 11:00 AM
Baylands Park Sunnyvale
Monday, 05/19/2025
Seeing in the cold: biology of the ground squirrel hibernation and its potential applications - 05/19/2025 04:00 PM
James H. Clark Center (Bldg 340) Stanford
Low-conflict strategies for getting to gigawatt-scale renewable deployment - 05/19/2025 04:30 PM
Stanford University Energy Seminar Stanford
Fusion Energy: Why, How and When - 05/19/2025 07:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford