SciSchmoozing Perception
Hello again appreciator of science,
Ahoj znova, milovník vedy,
[Over 300 million people speak a slavic language]
BIOLOGY / ETHOLOGY
Let me share what i recently learned about some extremes of human perception. One to two percent of people are ‘super-recognizers’. They easily recognize people years after a brief encounter. [Definitely NOT me.] People with prosopagnosia have difficulty recognizing anyone; even their spouse or their own reflection in a mirror. Also there are people with aphantasia - they cannot bring to mind the appearance of anything. They simply cannot create a ‘mental picture’ of a person, a top hat, a fire extinguisher, a camel, anything.
Imagine what life for these two extremes of people might be.
Some - if not most - birds are super-recognizers. Penguins distinguish which of hundreds of chicks is their own. The International Bird Rescue Center was rehabilitating an injured Brown Pelican who aggressively threatened the executive Director regardless of what she wore, but regarded everyone else with calmness.
What most of us do countless times a day we simply take for granted, but we are constantly relying on a brain that has been honed by evolution for nearly a billion years. Brains are incredibly complex - likely the most complex organ in this sector of our Galaxy. Use it joyfully and use it wisely.
Here’s a relevant video: Your Brain Makes Up Reality
SPACE
Venus is delightfully bright these nights - even in the light-polluted skies where most of us live. It has been adorning our colorful sunsets. [Venus will slowly become less spectacular toward the end of the month.] Step outside at twilight and enjoy.
The moon will get smacked by a 14 meter-long section of a SpaceX rocket Tuesday night at 23:35 [11:35pm] Pacific Time moving 8,800 km/hr [5,500 mph]. It is the second stage of a rocket that propelled two lunar landers in January 2025. It won’t be visible, however, except with a strong telescope.
RAFFLE
This cap is one of dozens of science-themed caps that the winner will choose from for this SciSchmooze Raffle prize. Just send an email before noon Friday to david<dot>almandsmith@gmail<dot>com with your guess of an integer from 1 to 1,000. In our previous Raffle, the eOracle offered up 199. Of the 19 entrants, Taylor was closest with her guess of 222, winning a 450ml borosilicate coffee beaker/mug.
A “Thank You” goes out to our many readers who submitted comments on the OMB’s proposed rule that would give political appointees total discretion over federal funding of scientific research. Nationally, over 300,000 comments were submitted.
CLIMATE
¿Gradually evacuate New Orleans? That is the recommendation of a scientific paper published in Nature. This idea was widely circulated after Hurricane Katrina 21 years ago. Katrina resulted in over 1,300 drownings and $200 billion in damages. Most of New Orleans is already below sea level, it continues to sink, and our oceans continue to rise.
¿Is the world threatened by a ‘suicidal’ model of capitalism? “Yes,” says Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro. At April’s Climate Summit in Colombia - the world’s first international conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels - he identified the fossil fuel industry as a cause of global problems.
Our federal government is required to issue a “National Climate Assessment” every 4 years. The Internet portal to all five previous assessments has been shut down. A climate science denier, Matthew Wielicki, has been selected to oversee production of the sixth National Climate Assessment.
My EVENT PICKS
Wonderfest: Neural Synchrony Tuesday 7pm, Novato [Amazing!]
Chemical Variability in a Changing Estuary Livestream Wednesday 3pm
After Dark: Quantum Leap Thursday 6 - 10pm, Exploratorium, S.F., $
LASERS! Galactic Odyssey Friday 4:45 - 5:20pm, Tech Interactive, San José, $
Twilight Marsh Walk Saturday 6:45 - 8:30pm, Fremont
Marine Mammals of S.F. Bay Sunday 10:30am, Noon, & 2pm, Sausalito, $
ENVIRONMENT
Most of the heat gained by our Earth since the Industrial Revolution resides not in the atmosphere, but in the oceans. The oceans have many circulatory systems going in many directions with considerable differences in temperature and depth. Those systems intimately affect the weather. ¿How best do we study ocean circulations and their temperatures? Answer: with expensive expeditions using ships and undersea scientific submersibles - or with sharks. Researchers capture sharks that naturally move between the surface and the depths, attach electronic modules to their fins, and let them free. When a shark breaks the surface, the module transmits recorded information on depth, temperature, and location to satellites. Cool!
While at the National Center for Science Education, i worked alongside Peter Hess. Since then, one of his sons [with others] developed a smartphone app that tracks fires and floods called “Watch Duty”. Their app just got coverage in the New York Times. Kudos!
Bad Idea of the Week Department: Hey, wouldn’t it be great to have giant mirrors orbiting Earth to reflect sunlight to construction sites at night - or power solar farms at night - or light up agricultural harvesting in the cool of the night? On the negative side: interfering with astronomy (including burning the eyes of astronomers), affecting diurnal rhythms of plants and animals (& humans?), raising the probability of the Kessler Syndrome, diminishing the beauty of the night sky, and likely more ill sequelae. The federal administration has given the go-ahead to test this idea.
GOOD NERDY VIDEOS
The New Madrid Earthquakes - 250 to 250 - Conevery Bolton Valencius - 1 min
7.5 in Missouri !!
Going Extinct - ImprovBroadway - 1.5 mins
Enjoy a laugh!
Climate Denial Goes Global - Katherine Hayhoe - 3.5 mins
Ouch!
¿A Dark Matter Candidate? - NOVA PBS - Elba Alonso-Monsalve - 5 mins
Heaviosity
Everywhere Is Warming Faster Than the Rest of the World - Sabine Hassenfelder - 6 mins
¿Huh?
Primate Portal at Carnegie Mellon - 7 mins
¿Are you as smart as a 5-year-old baboon?
Snowball Earth Evidence in Colorado - Geo Girl - Rachel Phillips - 9 mins
¿Evidence from 700 MYA ?
Shingles Vaccines Protect Against Dementia - SciShow - Deboki Chacravarti - 10.5 mins
Get yours now!
Current Climate Analyses - Just Have a Think - David Borlace - 11 mins
Empirical evidence & climate modeling - Oh My!
Your Brain Makes Up Reality - NOVA PBS - 13 mins
NOVA specialists made this up
Artemis Sexism?; Little Red Dots - Dr. Becky - Becky Smethurst - 15 mins
¿Testosterone in a can?
Renewable Energy Transition - PBS Horizons - William Brangham - 21 mins
A good discussion
Aluminum - Tales from the Periodic Table - Ron Hipschman - 35 mins
The Full Story of Dinosaurs in 4 Chapters - Big Think - Steve Brusatte
The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs - 19 mins
T. Rex: The King of Dinosaurs - 13 mins (from 19:16)
The Rise and Reign of Mammals - 37 mins (from 32:02)
How Birds Became the Last Dinosaurs - 31 mins (from 1:09:21)
Empathy requires highly sophisticated brain functions. [Anterior Insula, Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Amygdala, and the Mirror Neuron System] Not everyone is capable of feeling empathy toward others, but most humans and many other mammals are indeed capable. Humans, however, also have the ability to limit empathy towards other people on the basis of religion, political attitudes, nationality, sexuality, etc.
Enjoy your life this week … and practice including yet more in your bubble of empathy,
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
— Anaïs Nin (1903 - 1977) French-born American writer
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Tuesday, 08/04/2026
Wonderfest: Neural Synchrony - 08/04/2026 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
When minds “connect,” the underlying brains synchronize their activity. The stimuli that most potently evoke this neural synchrony includes, perhaps surprisingly, the sharing of stories. Neuroscience now recognizes that narrativeconstitutes not only the basis of conscious experience, but also the principal mechanism that shapes human selves and societies - for good or for ill.
Our Wonderfest speaker, Dr. Thomas Lewis, M.D., is Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Francisco. Dr. Lewis is co-author of A General Theory of Love.
Editor’s Note: This event was originally scheduled for July 14, 2026
Wednesday, 08/05/2026
Introduction to AI Governance: Principles, Policies, and Practical Implementation - 08/05/2026 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Moss Landing
As organizations increasingly adopt AI technologies, establishing effective governance frameworks is essential to managing risk, maintaining trust, and enabling responsible innovation. In this session, I will provide an introduction to AI governance and the foundational components of a successful governance program. We will explore responsible AI principles and policies, approaches for evaluating and approving AI use cases, third-party AI risk management, governance structures and oversight mechanisms, and practical strategies for operationalizing AI governance across an organization. Drawing on real-world experience, I will discuss common challenges organizations face as they deploy AI and share actionable recommendations for building governance programs that are both effective and scalable.
Speaker: Nandita Sampath, Rivian
Attend in person or via Zoom. Register at weblink
Chemical Variability in a Changing Estuary - Livestream - 08/05/2026 03:00 PM
UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory
Speaker: Emily Bockmon, Associate Professor, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Register for Zoom at weblink
AoTSATX 68 - Sub-Neptunes & The Stars at Night - Livestream - 08/05/2026 05:00 PM
Astronomy on Tap San Antonio
We are excited to hear from the Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Chris Glein: “Sub-Neptunes: The Biggest Weirdos in the Universe” and UTSA/Southwest Research’s newly minted Dr. Aaron Deleon “The Stars at Night”.
Click here to watch, then click on the stream for #68
How Radio Telescopes Reveal the Cosmic Dawn - 08/05/2026 07:00 PM
Madrone Art Bar San Francisco
We spend a lot of time marveling at the visible universe through optical telescopes, but there is an entire hidden sky waiting to be discovered through radio waves. In this lecture, Dr. Akshatha Vydula, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Richmond, explores how faint emissions from neutral hydrogen gas let scientists peer back to the Cosmic Dawn, the earliest era when the first stars and galaxies formed.
Akshatha will explain how an astonishingly small signal, just a fraction of a percent of the static in an ordinary radio, can help constrain the age of the universe itself. She works across some of the most remote radio observatories on Earth, including the EDGES telescope in Western Australia and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, and contributes to LuSEE-Night, a Berkeley-led lunar lander launching soon to observe the sky from the far side of the Moon.
From car radios to lunar missions, this talk traces how radio astronomy is transforming our understanding of cosmic origins.
Thursday, 08/06/2026
After Dark: Quantum Leap - 08/06/2026 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Immerse yourself in music made with a quantum computer.
Ages 18+
Quantum Computer Music: The Soundtrack of Our Future in Space - 08/06/2026 07:30 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
If humanity steps beyond Earth, how will our culture, art, and music reshape themselves?
By harnessing the strange, wave-like physics of the quantum realm, next-generation sensors are already redefining space exploration and off-world navigation. At the same time, quantum computers are opening a radical new frontier for human artistic expression.
Join us to experience quantum superposition and entanglement, translated into otherworldly soundscapes. Presented in partnership with Stochastic Labs and the University of Plymouth, quantum music pioneer Eduardo Reck Miranda will talk about the dawn of quantum computer music. He will also demonstrate music composed with quantum computers, brought to life with reactive visual art projections by creative technologist Tiange Wang and IDEO designer Jason Robinson.
Friday, 08/07/2026
LASERS! Galactic Odyssey at The Tech Interactive - 08/07/2026 04:45 PM
The Tech Interactive San Jose
Step into a full-sensory experience where music becomes light. LASERS! at The Tech transforms The Tech Interactive’s Dome Theater into a stunning canvas of color, motion, and sound, using cutting-edge laser technology to create immersive visual journeys synced perfectly to music.
Lasers! Galactic Odyssey combines animated stories, abstract imagery, and a dynamic soundtrack to create a sensory journey across the cosmos. From pulsing beams to swirling space-inspired visuals, this 34-minute show is designed to dazzle guests of all ages.
Whether you’re bringing the whole family, planning a downtown San Jose outing, or looking for a new way to spark your inner child, this cosmic adventure is packed with wonder, energy, and galactic fun.
What to Expect:
A 34-minute laser show with music from your favorite space films.
Animated stories and abstract imagery
Bright, colorful visuals set to an energetic soundtrack
Family-friendly entertainment with a space-inspired twist
A unique experience at The Tech Interactive, San Jose’s Science Center
First Friday Nights at CuriOdyssey - 08/07/2026 05:00 PM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
Swing into the weekend with science, animals, music, food trucks, and fun! On the first Friday of every month, parents and kids celebrate together at CuriOdyssey.
Dance to some of your favorite hits, while enjoying animal presentations and science activities. Activities and programs are different each time, so make it a monthly tradition!
Lick Observatory After Hours - SOLD OUT - 08/07/2026 06:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Saturday, 08/08/2026
Wetland Plant Tour at the Environmental Education Center - 08/08/2026 09:30 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center Alviso
Calling all plant enthusiasts! Join us on a guided tour through the Refuge’s many habitat types. On our walk, we’ll stop to see, smell, touch, and even taste a variety of native plants that call the Refuge home. We’ll also discuss the importance of native plants in supporting native animals, keeping our watersheds clean, and protecting humans from the effects of climate change.
This will be a leisurely hike, of a distance of around 0.8 miles, on mostly flat terrain.
This program is great for families and adults
Register at weblink
Coastal Walk at Pillar Point Bluff - 08/08/2026 10:00 AM
Pillar Point Bluff Parking Lot Moss Beach
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful walk at Pillar Point Bluff just north of Half Moon Bay! You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about the area’s interesting natural history, from the coastal scrub habitat to the Fitzgerald Marine Preserve which hosts tide pools and breeding grounds for harbor seals.
The walk is moderate at about 2.5 miles round trip with about 300 feet of gradual elevation gain.
In 2004, POST stepped in to fund protection of the Bluff, restore it to ecological health, and construct a 1.6-mile section of the California Coastal Trail that now runs across it. Today all 161 acres of the Bluff are fully protected in perpetuity - a process that took four transactions, 11 years of work, and an array of visionaries, landowners, and donors, both public and private.
Register at weblink
Family Nature Adventures: Reptiles - 08/08/2026 10:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
This Months Theme: Reptile Roundup - Discover the Cold-Blooded Creatures of the Forest!
Slither, crawl, and explore the world of reptiles that inhabit the redwood forest!
Interactive Workshop: Learn about local reptiles, from snakes and lizards to turtles, and discover how they survive in their unique environments.
Guided Nature Walk: Head into the forest for a chance to spot these cold-blooded creatures in action, as expert guides reveal their habitats and behaviors.
LASERS! Galactic Odyssey at The Tech Interactive - 08/08/2026 04:45 PM
The Tech Interactive San Jose
Step into a full-sensory experience where music becomes light. LASERS! at The Tech transforms The Tech Interactive’s Dome Theater into a stunning canvas of color, motion, and sound, using cutting-edge laser technology to create immersive visual journeys synced perfectly to music.
Lasers! Galactic Odyssey combines animated stories, abstract imagery, and a dynamic soundtrack to create a sensory journey across the cosmos. From pulsing beams to swirling space-inspired visuals, this 34-minute show is designed to dazzle guests of all ages.
Whether you’re bringing the whole family, planning a downtown San Jose outing, or looking for a new way to spark your inner child, this cosmic adventure is packed with wonder, energy, and galactic fun.
What to ExpectA 34-minute laser show with music from your favorite space films.Animated stories and abstract imageryBright, colorful visuals set to an energetic soundtrackFamily-friendly entertainment with a space-inspired twistA unique experience at The Tech Interactive, San Jose’s Science Center
Lick Observatory After Hours - SOLD OUT - 08/08/2026 06:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Starry Nights Star Party - 08/08/2026 09:15 PM
Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan Hill
Join the San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) and Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) for an unforgettable night of exploring the night sky. Our knowledgeable docents, members of SJAA, will be your guides to providing valuable insights into the wonders of our universe. The viewing site, Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve, is just 30 minutes south of downtown San Jose, and features darker skies than viewing from the city. It’s dark enough to see the band of our Milky Way galaxy during the Summer months.
Gather with fellow space fans for an evening under the stars as we set up telescopes for an up-close experience viewing interesting objects in the nighttime sky. Connect with amateur astronomers and space enthusiasts to share in the excitement of observing the night sky in all its splendor. You may even see a meteor or satellite passing overhead. Whether you’re a beginner looking to learn more about the heavens above or a seasoned stargazer seeking to deepen your knowledge, this event promises to spark curiosity and awe for the wonders of our cosmic backyard. Come join us for a star party that will leave you inspired by the beauty and science of astronomy.
Registration required (at weblink). See weblink for additional information.
Sunday, 08/09/2026
Marine Mammals of SF Bay - 08/09/2026 10:30 AM
Marine Mammal Center Sausalito
Join us as we explore the marine mammals just under our Golden Gate bridge. We will learn about California sea lions at PIER 39, harbor seals, dolphins and even whales that come into the bay.
30 minute presentations at 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 2:00 pm
The Power of the Tides: How They Shape San Francisco Bay - 08/09/2026 11:00 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont
Tides are one of the most important natural forces shaping San Francisco Bay. This presentation explains how tides work, why they rise and fall each day, and how they create habitats for a remarkable variety of plants and animals. Learn how tidal marshes support native vegetation, mud-dwelling invertebrates, shorebirds, and endangered species such as the Ridgway’s rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse, and discover why healthy tidal ecosystems are essential to the Bay’s biodiversity.
Register at weblink
Monday, 08/10/2026
How to Invent: A 37-Year Journey with OLEDs - 08/10/2026 02:00 PM
Paul G Allen Building Stanford
Inspired by the first report of a two-layer heterojunction OLED by Tang and VanSlyke in 1987, our group began OLED research at Yamagata University in 1989. Our first OLED device was a terbium-complex-based green emitter that exhibited triplet-state emission. We then shifted our focus to polymer OLEDs, leading to the development of the world’s first white OLEDs. Subsequently, we developed vacuum-deposited white OLEDs, marking the beginning of our research on OLED lighting.
OLED performance has advanced steadily over the past three decades. In 2003, our group first reported tandem OLEDs at SID, demonstrating a device architecture capable of achieving both high brightness and long operational lifetime. In 2011, Lumiotec commercialized the world’s first OLED lighting panels. Subsequently, LG adopted tandem white OLEDs with color filters for the mass production of large-size OLED display panels. Today, OLED displays are widely used in consumer electronics and are predominantly manufactured by vacuum deposition.
In this talk, I will describe how these innovations were conceived and developed over the past 37 years, highlighting the key ideas behind each breakthrough and discussing future directions for OLED technology.
Speaker: Junji Kido, Distinguished Research Professor, Frontier Center for Organic Materials, Yamagata University
Attend in person or watch online (see weblink)
Room: Allen Annex Room 101X auditorium
Tuesday, 08/11/2026
The Science of L.A.’s Wild Parrots - 08/11/2026 06:00 PM
Hopkins Marine Station Pacific Grove
Wonderfest: Genetics of Extinction (& Survival) + Next-Gen Meds with Light & Electricity - 08/11/2026 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Skeptics in a Real Pub - 08/11/2026 07:00 PM
Fiddler’s Green Millbrae
Wednesday, 08/12/2026
Total Solar Eclipse Watch Party - 08/12/2026 10:30 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Seminar Series - Livestream - 08/12/2026 03:00 PM
UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory
Matrescence: How Motherhood Rewires the Brain - 08/12/2026 07:00 PM
tiat San Francisco
Thursday, 08/13/2026
Slow Morning Walk at Lower La Honda Creek - 08/13/2026 10:00 AM
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve La Honda
After Dark: Unplug and Play - 08/13/2026 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
UFOs and Life Out There: Some Skepticism, Some Optimism - Livestream - 08/13/2026 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
Saturday, 08/15/2026
Salt Marsh Walk - 08/15/2026 11:00 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont
Lick Observatory After Hours - SOLD OUT - 08/15/2026 06:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Twilight Marsh Walk - 08/15/2026 06:45 PM
Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center Fremont
Sunday, 08/16/2026
Junior Rangers at the Refuge: Wonders of a Watershed - 08/16/2026 10:30 AM
Don Edwards Refuge Environmental Education Center Alviso
Lick Observatory After Hours - SOLD OUT - 08/16/2026 06:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton