Hello again, you who like me enjoys learning, enjoys fireworks, and enjoys sharing the 4th of July with friends and family.
SPACE
In 2003, Burt Rutan announced that Scaled Composites was building a sub-orbital spacecraft, SpaceShipOne. Pilots twice flew the craft to an altitude over 100 kilometers (the Karmen Line) in 2004 (i was there!) winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize. Last Thursday, SpaceShipTwo “Unity” carried six people and research equipment up to 85 kilometers. It was Virgin Galactic’s first “commercial” flight.
A scientific paper released last week supports the notion that we live in a wiggly 4-dimensional spacetime that is ‘bent’ by mass, jiggled by stellar mergers, and is continuously propagating gargantuan gravity waves. Some of these waves are light-years from crest to crest. Albert Einstein suggested we can think of spacetime as the body of a wriggling oyster or snail.
[T]here are no such things as rigid bodies with Euclidean properties. … For this reason non-rigid reference-bodies are used. [They] might appropriately be termed a "reference mollusc.”
― Albert Einstein, Relativity: The Special and General Theory
To measure the gravitational waves, scientists - get this - used the position of Jupiter.
The remarkable Euclid Space Telescope was launched on Saturday. Here is a video of the launch. Euclid is now on its way to join JWST at L2 well beyond the Moon, which will be a Super Moon on Tuesday.
We’ve learned that people living in free fall (microgravity or weightlessness) lose muscle and bone mass, develop vision problems, and suffer from low blood pressure when returning to Earth. Add another problem: brain ventricles become enlarged. To avoid such problems, NASA is considering a tethered rotating habitat for upcoming crewed Mars missions.
In our last raffle, Roz H. won a kit to create a model of the JWST. This time the prize is a 51 x 69 cm (20 x 27 in) 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle “Our Solar System” from the Smithsonian. Just send an email before noon Friday to david.almandsmith [at] gmail.com with an integer between 0 and 1,000.
SCIENCE SKEPTICISM
In 2018, 48% of American adults had “a great deal of confidence” in the scientific community. That dropped to 39% in 2022. Much of that decline is attributable to Republicans. Their numbers dropped from 45% in 2018 to 22% in 2022. A similar decline is seen in Republicans having high confidence in medicine: from 42% down to 26%. The numbers for Democrats have remained unchanged.
Although it was announced in February, Google has yet to release its videos in Europe designed to vaccinate people against “fake news”. Maybe soon?
My Picks of the Week (put reminders on your mobile phone)
– BayCon2023: Science Fiction Convention Monday & Tuesday, Santa Clara, $
– The Ideological Subversion of Biology Livestream - Wednesday 4pm
– After Dark: See for Yourself Thursday 6-10pm, ExplOratorium, S.F., $
– Night Life Thursday 6-10pm, Cal Academy of Sciences, S.F., $
– Lifecycle of the Stars Friday 6-10pm, Chabot Space & Science Ctr, Oakland, $
– Fun with Physics Saturday 10-3pm, Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, $
– Solar Observing Sunday 2-4pm, Tilton Ranch, Morgan Hill
BIOLOGY
¿How did that tick get on me? It probably took advantage of static electricity.
¿Why do mosquitoes ignore me for other people? Well, for one thing, i’m not pregnant.
As every cell ages, the chance increases of it suffering a cancerous mutation that will be fatal to the entire animal. Mice and rats have far fewer cells than humans yet cancer usually limits their lifespan to under 4 years. At the other end, the great whales have far more cells yet some live over 200 years. This is called Peto’s Paradox, named after English statistician and epidemiologist Richard Peto who in 1977 published this lack of correlation between cell number and cancer. A recent study supports the explanation that Peto’s Paradox is due to some animals being better at DNA repair. The SENS Research Foundation in Mountain View is studying numerous factors that contribute to aging with the goal of developing technology to end human mortality due to aging. ¿Impossible? The jury is out.
Researchers at University College London are studying our primate predecessors in their quest to learn about the origins of masturbation. (I must admit it’s noteworthy sexual self-pleasuring can be mentioned at all - anywhere. Seventy years ago, using the word “pregnant” in conversation was impolite.)
Do androids dream of electric sheep? Do octopuses have nightmares? By the way, Cephalopod Week just ended.
CLIMATE
The number of people commuting to San Francisco via BART remains less than half of pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, commuting by (gas-burning) cars across the Bay Bridge remains high regardless of its snail pace. Temporarily raising the bridge toll would encourage a return to public transportation and a decrease in CO2 emissions, but some legislators want to protect their constituents from a fare increase.
My partner just traded in her leased 2020 plug-in hybrid Niro for a 2023 all-electric Niro with no increase in her monthly payment! Part of the reason is a substantial price break for leased EVs. Check it out. If you would rather purchase, driveway.com lists new and used EVs. (I do not know how “good” this company might be.)
By some estimates, “safe boundaries” have already been breached in our climate crisis.
Ads and commercials by Chevron and other oil companies stress their advances toward clean energy. Don’t believe them.
Let me recommend the hourlong PBS Nova program, Chasing Carbon Zero.
ENVIRONMENT
With Jair Bolsonaro no longer leading Brasil, it was expected that the loss of Amazonian forests would abate. Sadly, that is not the case. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is finding it difficult to rescind the forest-destroying policies and sales of his predecessor.
I was recently fortunate to view a night sky full of stars horizon to horizon. We were visiting relatives in Joshua Tree where the park has been designated an International Dark Sky Park. Recent data shows that skies in populated areas are getting brighter at a fast pace.
Fun Nerdy Videos
Cleo the mysterious mathematician - Up and Atom – Jade Tam-Holmes – 1 min
(answer shown in the video should end with “square root of ϕ”)
¿How do we define a second? - Dr. Becky – Becky Smithurst PhD – 1 min
Monster Black Holes - NASA - 2 mins
Joseph Swan: Lightbulb Inventor - The Right Chemistry - Joe Schwarcz PHD - 5 mins
¿Is gravity a force? - Fermilab - Don Lincoln PhD - 10 mins
Why Nautiloids survived and Ammonoids did not - Geo Girl - Rachael Phillips - 12 mins
¿How close a supernova is too close? - PBS Space Time - Matt O’Dowd PhD - 17 mins
StarTalk Cosmic Queries - Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, Matt O’Dowd - 53 mins
Have a safe (if not necessarily sane) 4th of July,
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
"Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people."
– John Adams (1735-1826) 2nd U.S. President
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 07/03/2023
BayCon2023: Science Fiction Convention - 07/03/2023 10:00 AM
Santa Clara Marriott Santa Clara
BayCon is a convention about science fiction, science, writing, and more. It will take place July 1-4.
Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi will be speaking on the first images and results from the James Webb Space Telescope, Fermi's Paradox (Where are the Alien Visitors?) and the Upcoming Eclipses of the Sun (Oct. 2023 and Apr. 2024) that will be visible in the U.S. He will also be signing copies of his children's book "When the Sun Goes Dark" in the exhibit area.
For more information and the program, see weblink.
Tuesday, 07/04/2023
BayCon2023: Science Fiction Convention - 07/04/2023 10:00 AM
Santa Clara Marriott Santa Clara
BayCon is a convention about science fiction, science, writing, and more. It will take place July 1-4.
Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi will be speaking on the first images and results from the James Webb Space Telescope, Fermi's Paradox (Where are the Alien Visitors?) and the Upcoming Eclipses of the Sun (Oct. 2023 and Apr. 2024) that will be visible in the U.S. He will also be signing copies of his children's book "When the Sun Goes Dark" in the exhibit area.
For more information and the program, see weblink.
Thursday, 07/06/2023
The Ideological Subversion of Biology - Livestream - 07/06/2023 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
In “The Ideological Subversion of Biology,” the cover feature of the July/August 2023 issue of Skeptical Inquirer, Jerry A. Coyne and Luana S. Maroja deliver a powerful and provocative warning about the dangers of trying to make scientific reality conform to the political winds. It’s an absolute must-read for anyone who agrees that science must be objective and empirical - not ideological.
Join us for a special Skeptical Inquirer Presents livestream with Jerry A. Coyne and Luana S. Maroja, hosted by Robyn E. Blumner, CEO and president of the Center for Inquiry. They’ll discuss how the field of evolutionary and organismal biology has been “impeded or misrepresented by ideology,” how the erosion of free inquiry in science due to progressive ideology is damaging both intellectually and materially, and, most importantly, what can be done about it. If things don’t change, they warn, “in a few decades science will be very different from what it is now. Indeed, it’s doubtful that we’d recognize it as science at all.”
Free registration is required to take part in this live Zoom event, so sign up right now.
NightLife - 07/06/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Calling all creatures of the night: explore the nocturnal side of the Academy at NightLife and see what's revealed. With live DJs, outdoor bars, ambiance lighting, and nearly 60,000 live animals (including familiar faces like Claude, our alligator with albinism), the night is sure to be wild.
Step inside the iconic Shake House and our four-story Osher Rainforest, where you can explore the Amazon’s treetops surrounded by free-flying birds and butterflies. Reservations for these exhibits are no longer required. However, please note that the last entry into the rainforest is 7:30 pm - our animals need their sleep.
Venture into our latest aquarium exhibit Venom to encounter live venomous animals and learn the power of venom to both harm and heal.
Bask in the glow of one of the largest living indoor coral reef displays in the world: our 212,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef habitat.
Take in the interstellar views from the Living Roof, then grab a bite from the Academy Café and head to the West Garden outdoor bar to drink and dine under the stars. For adults 21+.
After Dark: See for Yourself - 07/06/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
The Exploratorium is your playground after dark! Wander the galleries, sip a cocktail, and choose your own adventure with 600+ interactive exhibits. Curious about how we make those exhibits? From Gallery 2, you can take a peek into our workshop, which is always open to public view. You’ll see woodworking tools, drills, lathes, and more - plus some of our exhibits in development. And don't miss our summer exhibition, The Great Animal Orchestra, an immersive audiovisual experience.
Bernie Krause: A Life with The Great Animal Orchestra7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Kanbar Forum
With Bernie Krause, Directed by Vincent Tricon and produced by Fondation Cartier
This documentary tells the story of Bernie Krause, a soundscape ecologist who for more than fifty years has traveled the world recording the sounds of animals in their natural habitats. Composed of unpublished archival footage and interviews filmed in California in 2021, A Life shows Krause as a brilliant figure who contemplates the natural world as a musician, a poet, and a recording legend. A Life with The Great Animal Orchestra is at once an ode and an elegy - a celebration of sonic splendor and a solemn plea for change. In English with French subtitles.
Friday, 07/07/2023
The Winged Sentinels of Monterey Bay - 07/07/2023 04:00 PM
Seymour Marine Discovery Center Santa Cruz
Step into a world where art and science intertwine, as Oikonos and the Seymour Marine Discovery Center proudly present “The Winged Sentinels of Monterey Bay,” a free-to-attend art exhibition.
This art show will unveil the work of talented local artists who have immersed themselves in the ecologic wonders of Año Nuevo Island. Through their creations, they have captured the essence of the iconic local seabirds, presenting them through their unique artistic lenses.
Seabirds are top marine predators that stand as sentinels of our environment by being important environmental indicator species, providing valuable insights into the health of our marine ecosystems. We will delve into the depths of seabird ecology and their vital role in shaping the web of life at Año Nuevo Island, exploring the intricate connections between these majestic creatures and the delicate balance of lower food chain species that sustain them.
RSVP at weblink
First Friday: Lifecycle of the Stars - 07/07/2023 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Join us for an evening of learning about the stellar processes that have shaped the evolution of galaxies and planetary systems as we explore the birth of stars.
Stars are born within the clouds of dust scattered throughout galaxies. From nebulas to supernovas and all the stages in between, you’ll learn about the stars of the summer sky, how they are formed and evolve over their lifecycle.
Spend an evening that the whole family will enjoy with programs that include conversations with our expert astronomers, demonstrations on ultra-violet light and star formation, and hands-on activities like solar system bracelets, star life cycle crafts and more!
NEW! Native Skies Star Stories
Make sure to be on the Observatory Deck to see the debut of our new Native Skies Star Stories program, to hear Indigenous East Bay stories of the night sky spoken by a native storyteller. See a live planetarium show as astronomers lead you through the formation of constellations and galaxies.
Lick Observatory Evening with the Stars - SOLD OUT - 07/07/2023 08:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Saturday, 07/08/2023
Summer Science Fundays - Fun with Physics - 07/08/2023 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
As part of its season of summer programs and exhibits, The Lawrence Hall of Science will host ten Summer Science Fundays, each offering family-friendly shows, hands-on science activities, and more. Summer Science Fundays include events that will be familiar to Lawrence members and repeat visitors, and exciting new opportunities to explore science.
The Lawrence Hall of Science is UC Berkeley’s public science center, with a mission to inspire and engage through science discovery and learning in ways that advance equity and opportunity. In addition to exhibits and programs for kids and families, The Lawrence develops curricula and learning materials for educators and researches how kids learn science.
July 8 - Fun with Physics: Investigate and experiment with the forces that govern our world, with activities from our hands-on Phenomenal Physics festival and GSK Science in the Summer ™.
Summer is a bustling time at The Lawrence Hall of Science because our most important visitors are out of school, yet still brimming with curiosity. Our Summer Science Fundays provide a gigaton of fun and educational activities for families. Summer Science Fundays showcase local community organizations, including SaveNature, Cal Taiko Band, Les Aerielles, and more, to bring a variety of unique experiences to our visitors.
Lick Observatory Music of the Spheres: New Science and Technology at Lick Observatory - SOLD OUT - 07/08/2023 08:30 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Sunday, 07/09/2023
Solar Observing - 07/09/2023 02:00 PM
Tilton Ranch Morgan Hill
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, informal introductory talk, and at other times, you can enjoy the views and ask questions about the Sun, telescopes, or astronomy in general.
RSVP at weblink
Wednesday, 07/12/2023
Western Flyer: Literary History Heads Back to Sea - Livestream - 07/12/2023 11:00 AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
July LASER Event - Livestream - 07/12/2023 12:00 PM
LASER Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous
Chasing Arrows: The Truth About Recycling - Virtual Watch Party & Panel Discussion - Livestream - 07/12/2023 06:00 PM
Ecology Center
Thursday, 07/13/2023
NightLife LIVE - 07/13/2023 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: Biophony - 07/13/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Saturday, 07/15/2023
Bioblitz at Coyote Creek Visitor Center with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and Bioblitz.club - 07/15/2023 09:00 AM
Coyote Creek Visitor's Center Morgan Hill
Investigating Space: Revealing Star Formations with the James Webb Space Telescope - 07/15/2023 11:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Summer Science Fundays - Ice Cream Shake-Up - 07/15/2023 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Family Nature Walks - Foothills Nature Preserve - 07/15/2023 11:00 AM
Foothills Nature Preserve Los Altos
Potrero Hill STEM Festival 2023 - 07/15/2023 11:00 AM
Potrero Hill San Francisco
Tech Topple: Watch The Dominos Fall - 07/15/2023 01:00 PM
The Tech Museum of Innovation San Jose
Sunday, 07/16/2023
Presidio: Changes Through Time - 07/16/2023 11:00 AM
The Presidio San Francisco
Raptor Encounter in Coyote Valley - 07/16/2023 05:30 PM
Laguna Seca San Jose
Monday, 07/17/2023
Tesla, Redwood Materials and Building a Better Battery Supply Chain - 07/17/2023 06:00 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
How the James Webb Space Telescope is Transforming Astronomy - 07/17/2023 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco