SciSchmoozing the 4th
Dear science fan, thank you for joining me.
The Declaration of Independence extolls “safety” and “happiness” so please enjoy a safe and happy Fourth of July.
The privileged white male Declaration signers accepted this passage: “... merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”. Six of the Declaration signers were also among the privileged white men who signed the U.S. Constitution. But even after the Bill of Rights was appended, the law of the land condoned slavery and failed to give voting rights to women and Native Americans. Attitudes have changed over the intervening 246 years largely due to a free press and to public education. I suspect that forming “a more perfect Union” will forever be a work in progress.
SPACE
Space Invaders! In the days before affordable personal computers, 25¢ at an arcade would get you the chance to play Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and other challenging games. Today you can buy those crude games for your phone or laptop, or you can play knock-offs for free. Even NASA offers an old-fashioned space game named for the future Nancy Grace Roman Telescope.
What with planets, moons, asteroids, and comets all whizzing about, the Solar System is akin to a giant pin-ball machine, but thankfully it is ginormous and serious collisions are rare. But sometimes things get tossed at us from outside the Solar System.
According to Holger Krag of the European Space Agency (ESA), “Even if you stop launching, modelling shows that the number of space objects will still grow because collisions are happening and producing fragments at a higher rate than those that decay. We have gone past the point of the Kessler syndrome.” ¿How dire is this? Well, it ain’t good and it will likely get worse for a while. Unless nations mitigate the creation of debris in orbit, it could result in Low Earth Orbit (below an altitude of 2,000 km) being too treacherous for humans and unsafe for scientific instruments. (The ISS orbits at about 420 km; the Hubble Space Telescope orbits at about 520 km.) Because of the Kessler Syndrome, Starlink sends its communications satellites into orbits around 560 km high and will send thousands more into orbits around 340 km high. At those altitudes, the satellites will deorbit and burn up in under 5 years, and so lessen their contribution to the Kessler Syndrome. However, China complained last December that its Tiangong space station twice had to maneuver to avoid colliding with Starlink satellites.
The James Webb Space Telescope has been calibrating its instruments and snapping pictures as it pirouettes around L2. NASA will release those pictures on July 12 and some of the photos will be of exoplanets. Can’t wait.
Gloria M. won the model Hubble Space Telescope kit, but its difficulty dissuaded all but 9 contestants from submitting an entry. This time we’re offering an easier laser-cut kit of an 8-inch James Webb Space Telescope model. Just send an email to david.almandsmith@gmail.com (only one) before noon Friday with an integer between zero and 1,000. We will then use a random number generator to select the target number and mail the kit to the person who chose the closest number.
BIOLOGY
My OB-GYN partner verified this: At the time of fertilization, a woman is already officially two weeks pregnant. This obviously has implications for laws restricting abortions. ”In colonial America and the early days of the republic, there were no abortion laws at all. Church officials frowned on the practice, …but they treated the practice as evidence of illicit or premarital sex—not as murder.” Taken together, this history and the Ninth Amendment: "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people," suggests that, as a rule of law, the current Supreme Court ruled in error. But my training is in biology, not in law. Last week, the Everyday Health Group published this article.
Here’s the book i’m reading this week: “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.” The author, Ed Yong, is a science journalist for The Atlantic.
For just plain fun, watch this video of dragonflies.
COVID
It’s been known for a while that cats can catch COVID-19 from people, but it’s extremely rare for people to catch COVID from cats.
Research has shown us that Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, and colloidal silver do nothing to prevent or ameliorate COVID-19 infections. ¿But vitamin D? Maybe a slight effect; maybe not. There’s not yet enough data to know.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Walk on the Cowell-Purisima Trail – 11am to 1pm Thursday, Half Moon Bay
Wonderfest: SETI Innovation - Livestream, 8pm Thursday
Tern up for California Least Tern Conservation! - 8 to 11am Saturday, Hayward, registration required, limited to 20 people
Ticket prices for SkeptiCal 2022, July 16 & 17, go up again on July 5th.
CLIMATE
There’s flooding in Sydney, Australia. The droughts in the U.S. are serious. Cattle are dying of heat in Kansas. Many Pacific salmon don’t come back. The Interior Secretary says as many as 11 oil and gas drilling leases might be for sale.
Justice Roberts: “Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible ‘solution to the crisis of the day, but it is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme.”
Pointing to a portion of the law allowing the EPA to regulate pollutants that “may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissenting opinion: “Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases fit that description.”
The good news?? Um, the cacti in our garden are doing OK.
MISCELLANY
¿How far can you go on $40 of gasoline?
Plastics may have started with a flaming apron.
¿Why does science news suck so much?
Thank you for joining me this 4th of July week; and rather than just expanding your sphere of empathy, do some reps to make it stronger,
Dave Almandsmith
Bay Area Skeptics
“Fear and anger can make us vindictive and abusive, unjust and unfair, until we all suffer from the absence of mercy and we condemn ourselves as much as we victimize others.”
- Bryan Stevenson (1950 - ) Law professor, Exec. Dir. of the Equal Justice Initiative, author
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 07/04/2022
Tuesday, 07/05/2022
Simulating the Universe on a Supercomputer - Livestream - 07/05/2022 07:00 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
Astronomers run some of the largest simulations on the world's most powerful supercomputers. These simulations trace the formation of galaxies and cosmic structures on scales of billions of light years from shortly after the Big Bang to the present day. In this talk, Dr. Lange will discuss why astronomers are running these large-scale simulations that consume petabytes of data and require millions of CPU hours. He will also speak about what these simulations have revealed about our Universe and how they have become an invaluable tool for helping us understand dark matter and dark energy.
Speaker: Dr. Johannes Lange, KIPAC/Stanford University
Attend in person or online. Register at weblink.
Thursday, 07/07/2022
Walk on the Cowell-Purisima Trail - 07/07/2022 11:00 AM
Cowell Purisima Coastal Trailhead Half Moon Bay
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful walk along the Cowell-Purisima trail that POST helped create by protecting adjacent farmland. While it may be foggy, we hope to catch gorgeous views of the ocean, nearby farmland, and glimpses of harbor seals, pelicans, hawks, rabbits, and whales during the winter season.
You will be guided by POST ambassadors who will share details about POST's work with farmers on the coast, and to create recreational opportunities along one of the most scenic stretches of our state's coastline!
The walk is moderate at about 5 miles round trip with about 400 feet of gradual elevation gain. It is mostly flat throughout, however, it is quite a long walk.
Register at weblink
Hardcore Natural History - Collection Curiosities - 07/07/2022 06:00 PM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Community Museums have consistently shown themselves to be cornerstones of natural and cultural histories. These small but mighty spaces have spent centuries at the heart of communities all over the world, and on July 7, you'll get the opportunity to learn a number of behind-the-scenes secrets. Have you ever wondered what wacky things have been collected over the years? How on earth one person could catalog thousands upon thousands of specimens? What exactly happens when you freeze-dry a dead animal? How are these museums working to be a partner and ally of all cultures and peoples? All of these questions and more are going to be answered by our incredible panel of museum professionals. We invite you to come listen to fun stories, join in important conversations, explore the curiosities of collections, and reflect on the role these museums have on local histories. Register above to come to this incredible talk!
NightLife: Islas - 07/07/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Calling all kaibigan: tropic like it's hot for a night dedicated to Filipino arts, culture, and science. Join us as we celebrate 30 years of ongoing research collaborations with our partners in the Philippines. See weblink for more information.
Ages 21+
After Dark: See for Yourself - 07/07/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
The Exploratorium is your playground after dark! Wander the galleries, sip a cocktail, and let a DJ from Hip Hop for Change set the vibe. For breathtaking views of the water and city skyline, head to Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6. Peer through a telescope, pore over a historic map, or explore an interactive data visualization that sends fog sweeping over the landscape. You'll uncover the history, geography, and ecology of the Bay Area!
Cell Phone Miniscope 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Crossroads
We invite you to open your eyes to the amazing world of the ultra-tiny! Be sure to grab a miniscope kit and directions - then convert your cell phone into a portable, picture-taking miniscope using a simple plastic lens from a laser pointer. Use it to see the Exploratorium at its smallest scale, then take it home to continue exploring new environments!
NightSchool: Nature in Focus - Livestream - 07/07/2022 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Hear from photographers whose incredible images reveal stories about the natural world - both close-to-home and in the farthest reaches of our planet.
Local stories, when documented and shared, can make big impacts on humans and nature alike. Jaymi Heimbuch, nature photographer and founder of Conservation Visual Storytellers Academy, covers what it means to look locally, how to amplify stories far and wide, and the intrinsic value in following interests and passions.
The Arctic is one of the world's most rapidly changing regions of the planet. Lianna Nixon, photographer and filmmaker, shares her experience documenting people and places during the MOSAiC Expedition, and about how conservation photography can foster connections with science for the sake of both planet and people.
Intended for ages 21+
See weblink for YouTube and Facebook Live links
Wonderfest: SETI Innovation - Livestream - 07/07/2022 08:00 PM
Wonderfest
Humans have sought "signs from above" for millennia. The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) began circa 1960, and, today, grows ever deeper and more technologically diverse. The scope of modern research is breathtaking. Methods include continuous scans over the entire sky for electromagnetic (EM) signals, targeted EM searches near known Earth-like exoplanets, the hunt for exotic forms of communication, and the careful search for ET artifacts on/near Earth.
Our Zoom speaker, Dan Werthimer, is Chief Technologist at the Berkeley SETI Research Center. Since 1979, Dan has helped to design and build numerous sensitive tools for the detection of ET. In 2019, Dan earned Wonderfest's Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization.
See weblink for Zoom information
Friday, 07/08/2022
Hike and Sip - 07/08/2022 06:30 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
This event is for adults 21+. A perfect evening for a date night or fun with friends!
The journey begins at sunset from the Center into the beautiful surrounding redwood forest. We'll moderately hike 3-4.25 miles (90-120 minutes) along some of the most popular trails as you learn about the history of Oakland, local plants, and the majestic Redwood trees.
We'll stop to watch the first few planets and stars appear and constellation storytelling before heading back to Chabot.
Upon return, hikers will enjoy a charcuterie board and two complimentary glasses of wine, beer, or non-alcoholic beverages. The night will end with stargazing and telescope viewing (weather permitting). Advanced tickets required.
Evening with the Stars at Lick Observatory - Sold Out - 07/08/2022 07:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Astronomy Speaker: Brad Hansen, UC Los Angeles
Saturday, 07/09/2022
Tern up for California Least Tern Conservation! - 07/09/2022 08:00 AM
Eden Landing Ecological Reserve Hayward
Join SFBBO biologists at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve to view one of only six California Least Tern breeding colonies in the San Francisco Bay! California Least Terns are endangered ground-nesting seabirds, and SFBBO biologists and volunteers actively monitor the colony breeding on enhanced former salt production ponds at Eden Landing. We will look for adults incubating nests, young downy chicks being fed by their parents, older feathered chicks running around the colony, and fledglings learning to fly!
We will provide some spotting scopes for attendees to use, but please bring spotting scopes if you have your own. Families are welcome, but please note that all attendees will need to stay together throughout the duration of the event and that a restroom will only be available at the beginning and end of the event.
This event is limited to 20 participants and registration is required. In accordance with SFBBO's COVID-19 safety protocols, we ask participants to wear a well-fitting mask at the event and fill out an online health self-assessment form the day before the event.
Register: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTUzNjg4
STEM Saturday Summer Science Series - 07/09/2022 10:00 AM
NexGeneGirls San Francisco
The mission of the STEM Summer Science Series is to provide a safe atmosphere for scholars (Girls & Boys) to learn and explore the scientific process through fun hands on experiments.
All participants will develop foundational skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math using scientific processes through fun, hands-on science activities, lab experiments, and workshops that convey scientific principles while building self-confidence and developing the skills needed to problem-solve using Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
Science at Cal - Uncovering the Past: Using Genetic Data to Understand Human History and Evolution - 07/09/2022 11:00 AM
Valley Life Sciences Building Berkeley
Recent advances in sequencing DNA have opened up new opportunities to use genetic data to improve our understanding of human history and evolution. For example, genetic data can be used to reconstruct migration patterns, understand how genomes change across different species or lineages, and understand how our evolutionary history impacts disease and adaptation. To illustrate this work, Dr. Priya Moorjani, Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology and Center of Computational Biology, will discuss two ongoing projects within her lab: 1) Reconstructing the history of human-Neanderthal mixture using ancient genomes, and 2) Characterizing the patterns of major mixture events occurring in ancient Europe; both critical movements in human history. These analyses highlight the power of genomic data to elucidate the legacy of human migrations, providing insights that complement research done in archaeology and linguistics.
Speaker: Priya Moorjani, UC Berkeley
Hike and Sip - 07/09/2022 06:30 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
This event is for adults 21+. A perfect evening for a date night or fun with friends!
The journey begins at sunset from the Center into the beautiful surrounding redwood forest. We'll moderately hike 3-4.25 miles (90-120 minutes) along some of the most popular trails as you learn about the history of Oakland, local plants, and the majestic Redwood trees.
We'll stop to watch the first few planets and stars appear and constellation storytelling before heading back to Chabot.
Upon return, hikers will enjoy a charcuterie board and two complimentary glasses of wine, beer, or non-alcoholic beverages. The night will end with stargazing and telescope viewing (weather permitting). Advanced tickets required.
Music of the Spheres at Lick Observatory - 07/09/2022 07:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Artist: Tod Dickow with Charged Particles
Astronomy Speaker: Dr. Steph Sallum is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UC Irvine. She studies planet formation directly with high resolution imaging and interferometry. She develops and applies interferometric techniques on adaptive-optics corrected telescopes, and uses them to image young stars and protoplanetary disks. This approach allows her to probe smaller angular separations than €œtraditional" imaging techniques, expanding the parameter space for exoplanet and disk detections. She is also involved in exoplanet imaging instrument development as the Project Scientist for the Keck/SCALES integral field spectrograph, and as a member of the TMT/Planetary Systems Imager team.
See weblink.
Exploring Caves on the Moon - Livestream - 07/09/2022 07:30 PM
Mt. Tam Astronomy
Caves have been discovered on the Moon and Mars. Caves on the Moon might contain ice, while caves on Mars might also harbor life. This talk will discuss how robots and humans could soon explore these mysterious underground alien worlds.
Our speaker, Pascal Lee is a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute, the Mars Institute, and NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. He recently led the Northwest Passage Drive Expedition, the subject of the award-winning documentary film Passage To Mars (2016). Dr Lee's first book, Mission: Mars, won the 2015 Prize for Excellence in children's science books from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Speaker: Pascal Lee, Mars Institute
See weblink for Zoom information
Sunday, 07/10/2022
Morning Hike at La Honda Open Space Preserve - 07/10/2022 10:00 AM
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve La Honda
Join Peninsula Open Space Trust for a beautiful hike at Lower La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve where you'll experience the area's sweeping views and gorgeous rolling grasslands! The preserve is over 6,100 acres, of which POST has contributed 5,200 acres. You will be guided by a POST Ambassador on the meandering trails of Lower La Honda Creek, featuring a still-active cattle operation and views of the surrounding ridgelines! You will hear all about the human and natural history of this beautiful preserve!
The hike is moderate to strenuous at about 6 miles round trip with about 1100 feet of gradual elevation gain. There are some steep portions of this hike so hiking poles, closed-toed shoes with tread, and plenty of water/snacks for yourself is recommended.
Register at weblink
Solar Observing - 07/10/2022 02:00 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 2:15, we'll have a short introductory talk, and at other times, you can enjoy the views and ask questions about the Sun, telescopes or astronomy in general.
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.
Monday, 07/11/2022
Science, Exploration and the Human Experience - 07/11/2022 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
The Search for Evidence of Life Beyond Earth - 07/11/2022 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Tuesday, 07/12/2022
Alice Waters: We Are What We Eat - 07/12/2022 12:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Wednesday, 07/13/2022
July LASER Event - Livestream - 07/13/2022 06:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
Thursday, 07/14/2022
NightLife - 07/14/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: See for Yourself - 07/14/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Friday, 07/15/2022
Jones Trail Nature Tour - 07/15/2022 08:30 AM
Jones Trail Los Gatos
Berkeley Lab Virtual Public Tour - 07/15/2022 11:00 AM
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Comet Hunting - 07/15/2022 07:30 PM
Tri-Valley Stargazers Livermore
Saturday, 07/16/2022
SkeptiCal 2022 - Livestream - 07/16/2022 09:00 AM
SkeptiCal
Family Nature Walks - Baylands Nature Preserve - 07/16/2022 10:00 AM
Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter Palo Alto
Climate Resiliency Walks: Leona Canyon - 07/16/2022 10:00 AM
Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve Oakland
Apollo 11 Throwback - 07/16/2022 01:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Sunday, 07/17/2022