SciSchmoozing through Categories
Recently your SciSchmooze has come all too often with ‘cosmic’ images: Sunday’s lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse by Phobos, low temperatures of the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble’s image of Earendel, etc., etc. This week i was planning on an image of something closer to home, but along came the image of the supermassive black hole that warps space and time at the center of our galaxy. In spite of my intentions, the first ‘category’ is again, “SPACE.”
SPACE
Sgr A* (pronounced “Sagittarius A-star”) is our galaxy’s supermassive black hole. It has never been observed, only surmised, until now. Krispy Kreme gave away free donuts for the occasion.
The mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope are aligned and the photos are super. Its first research targets are being kept secret, but i expect that HD1 would be on that list.
Patricia M won the SciShow HST pin, but it inspired only 8 contestants to submit an entry. This time we’re offering another laser-cut kit of an 8-inch JWST 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
Here is a visual and analytical summary of the 1,000,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S.
Since cancers start from a single cell going ‘rogue’ you would expect that animals with more cells would have a higher incidence of cancer; but that is not true. This is called Peto’s Paradox.
Because a number of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) can be passed on during oral sex, the Food and Drug Administration investigated, and approved the use of super-thin, stretchy panties (with vanilla flavoring).
I learned a few new things about echidnas from this video.
TECHNOLOGY
Some clever folk designed a very sensitive device to measure the force of gravity - the superconducting gravimeter. It can detect a change in the force of gravity as small as one trillionth G. (One G is what we feel holding us to the planet.) Dang! That’s sensitive! ¿But is it a device in search of a useful function? Perhaps it will be used for an earthquake early warning system since earthquakes generate tiny gravity waves. Seismometers detect S-waves and P-waves generated by earthquakes, but strong earthquakes tend to ‘overwhelm’ seismometers.
Also, the speed that information of an earthquake reaches detectors is critical: S-waves travel at ~1.5 km/s and P-waves travel at ~8 km/s while gravity waves travel at 3,000,000 km/s (speed of light).
¿Is nuclear power green? Sabine Hossenfelder tackles that question.
In the 1990s, “photoshopping” entered the lexicon to describe the altering of photos by the Adobe Photoshop computer program. Very quickly its meaning leaned more to the altering of photos for humorous and malicious purposes. Technology marches on. Today computers are used to alter and manipulate videos, and also to create ‘Deepfakes’. The Washington Post released their analysis of the nefarious side of these practices. They identified three main categories - “Missing Context”, “Deceptive Editing”, and “Malicious Transformation” - and presented examples of subcategories falling under each. They also released advice for detecting ‘fake’ videos.
BIOLOGY
¿What was i about to mention? Oh, yeah. I remember: research on memory and aging.
Videos of leaf-cutter ants are mesmerizing. This deep-diving video into their history and ecology is fascinating.
It is a challenge to get some people to get vaccinations. It is also a challenge to get some people to stop buying ‘cures’ made from pure water. The Center For Inquiry is tackling this second challenge at its source: the major manufacturer.
Denisovans and Neanderthals both contributed to the genomes of many of today’s people. However, we have yet to find enough Denisovan skeletal remains to know what they might have looked like. A group of scientists are working on that.
I watched the movie “My Octopus Teacher” and came away with yet more appreciation for these brainy cephalopods. But since octopuses generally live only one year, it’s difficult to conduct much laboratory research on them. Along comes an effort to create a longer-lived species that could become the octopus equivalent of lab mice.
CLIMATE
Here’s another way for a teenager to piss off their mom (and help the planet).
This month i read the novel The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars, and others. Frankly, i do not recommend his Mars trilogy since so much of the science he invokes is flawed, but i do recommend you read The Ministry for the Future. The novel begins with a heat wave in India that kills vast numbers of people and livestock. Right now in India and Pakistan, a heat wave is doing exactly that, but hopefully not as many will perish as in the novel - this time.
With an eye toward the climate crisis and the fact that it takes years for an oil company to progress from lease to gasoline sales, the Biden administration cancelled plans to lease oil drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico.
Climate change likely led to Vikings abandoning their colonies in Greenland, but what sort of climate change?
For a few minutes on April 30th, renewable energy production in California was 103% of California’s needs. Hit “3-Minute Listen” on the linked page for a summary.
WEIRDNESS
Congress plans to hold a hearing Tuesday on Unexplained Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) that will include Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Of course some folk will insist that (1) space aliens are here, and (2) the government is hiding the proof. OUCH!!
I strongly recommend you watch this video on telephone scams, and then share with friends, relatives, and the Kolkata Police Department!
Politico released Justice Samuel Alito’s document that cites - thirteen times - the legal opinions and rulings of Sir Matthew Hale. ¿Why is this interesting? Because Sir Matthew Hale lived and died in the 1600s; he never set foot in North America; he sentenced two witches to death; he held that people as young as 14 may be sentenced to death, and he held to the theory that, politically, a “person” refers to the husband of the household. That is, women have no independent political rights. (A view also enshrined in the 1787 Constitution of the United States until the 19th Amendment in 1920.) To Hale’s credit, he held that obtaining an abortion was lawful so long as it was conducted prior to “quickening,” i.e. when the fetus could be felt moving around (generally 17 to 20 weeks). Yet Justice Samuel Alito holds that Sir Matthew Hale’s decisions support the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Odd that.
Ecstasy, Tiger Balm, and headaches. Yup. Weird.
A bell has been ringing for over 176 years while powered by the same mysterious battery.
Imagine for a moment that you are digging to prepare the foundation for a new house in Başbük, Turkey. (Admittedly that’s a stretch.) You unearth a descending flight of stairs that takes you 6m underground to an 8m wide chamber with a 5m high ceiling. Ancient deities are etched on one wall. Pretty weird, huh. Experts estimate the etchings are 2,800 years old.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic: Livestream - 11 AM Monday, $
Beyond Flatland: A Star of Many Dimensions: Livestream & In Person - 3:30 Tuesday
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: Neural Engagement & Algorithmic Manipulation - Livestream - 8 PM Tuesday
After Dark: How to Die in Space - 8 PM Thursday, explOratorium, San Francisco, $
Nightlife: Secret Garden - 6 - 10 PM, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, $
Leviathan of Parsonstown: Livestream & In Person - 7:30 PM Friday
Birds & Other Animals of the Garden - UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley, $
Tickets are now available for SkeptiCal 2022, July 16 & 17. Ticket price goes up June 1st.
Alright, let's review your homework for this week: 1)share the video on telephone scams; 2)read The Ministry for the Future; 3)submit an integer in our contest; 4)take advantage of science education offerings; 5)buy a SkeptiCal 2022 ticket; 6)expand your sphere of empathy, perhaps to include octopuses; and 7)deepen your ability to feel compassion. (¿Can you tell that i taught Middle School?)
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“The best science writers learn that science is not a procession of facts and breakthroughs, but an erratic stumble toward gradually diminished uncertainty; that peer-reviewed publications are not gospel and even prestigious journals are polluted by nonsense; and that the scientific endeavor is plagued by all-too-human failings such as hubris.”
- Ed Yong, Malaysian-born British journalist with The Atlantic (1981 - )
Monday, 05/16/2022
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic - Livestream - 05/16/2022 11:00 AM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
Though the COVID-19 pandemic isn't over, it is heading into a new phase, particularly in Western countries such as the United States and throughout Europe. Increasingly, citizens want a return to normal, with fewer restrictions, and are showing willingness to find ways to live with and manage the virus. As government leaders around the world strive to transition their countries to this new normal, they are also starting to talk about what happens next and how we can prevent another pandemic from once again killing millions of people and devastating the global economy. But given the controversies around fighting COVID-19, is this even possible?
Bill Gates believes the answer is yes.
In his new book, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, Gates lays out what he believes the world can learn from COVID-19 and what can be done to ward off another disaster like it. Relying on the knowledge of the world's foremost experts and his own experience combating fatal diseases with the Gates Foundation, his new book shows us how the nations of the world, working in conjunction with one another and with the private sector, can stop future outbreaks and ultimately save lives.
Join us for an in-depth discussion on what the world can and must do to prevent the next pandemic.
Speaker: Bill Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Hunting of the quark - Livestream - 05/16/2022 03:30 PM
SLAC Colloquium
Between 1967 and 1976, experiments at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (and elsewhere) demonstrated the existence of fundamental particles known as quarks inside protons, neutrons, and other hadrons. I describe the key SLAC experiments and the related theoretical advances that led to the quark-parton model becoming the accepted picture of subatomic matter by the late 1970s. Among the experiments were the MIT-SLAC deep-inelastic electron-nucleon scattering experiments in SLAC End Station A and the SLAC-LBL experiments on the SPEAR electron-positron collider, both of which led to Nobel prizes for physicists involved. From the historical perspective of one participant, these experiments proved pivotal in the establishment of the now-dominant Standard Model of elementary particle physics.
Speaker: Dr. Michael Riordan, UC Santa Cruz
Shell Long-Range Research Platform - Livestream - 05/16/2022 04:00 PM
Stanford Energy Seminar
Decarbonization is one of the biggest challenges faced by aviation, and the pathway to net-zero emissions will take innovation, collaboration, and legislation. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has a key role to play but requires bold action from airlines, fuel providers, and policymakers in order to reach the necessary scale. One challenge the industry faces is finding more ways to make SAF at commercial scale using different feedstocks and processes. Shell has collaborated with industry partners in a breakthrough technology from Shell Aviation that shows the feasibility of an innovative, lower-carbon pathway for making SAF. In May 2020 Shell accepted a BHAG challenge (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management to produce an amount of sustainable synthetic kerosene beyond laboratory scale at the Energy Transition Centre Amsterdam. What started with an innovative industry challenge, ended with the world's first flight using certified, synthetic kerosene made from hydrogen and recycled carbon. Thus, it was an important first step and together with our partners we now need to scale up, accelerate and make it commercially viable.
Speaker: Marwa Al-Ansary, Shell Oil Company
Tuesday, 05/17/2022
From There to Here: My Asian American Journey - 05/17/2022 09:00 AM
California Section American Chemical Society
Join us for a special midday broadcast to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Weike Wang, a Chinese American and award-winning author of the novels "Chemistry" and "Joan is Okay," as well as Dianne Xiao, an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, will share their experiences and insights and answer your questions.
Speakers: Weike Wang, Author and Dianne Xiao, University of Washington Moderator: Paula Christopher, American Chemical Society
What You Will Learn:
Reflections on personal career paths and challenges facing Asian Americans in academia and publishingHow to diversify the portrayals of Asian Americans in art and mediaHow to bridge the gaps between science and artRegister at weblink
The uncertain case for anthropogenic extinctions prior to Homo sapiens - 05/17/2022 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Speaker: Tyler Faith, University of Utah
Beyond Flatland: A Star of Many Dimensions - 05/17/2022 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
The more we learn about the Sun, the more we can appreciate its essential complexity. Telescopes have taught us it is not an unblemished sphere. Multi-wavelength observations reveal its structured atmosphere, and ever-higher temporal and spatial resolutions expose its spectacular dynamics. Helioseismology penetrates its depths, and STEREO and Solar Orbiter views from off the Sun-Earth line yield the beginnings of a three-dimensional perspective. Underlying this complexity is solar magnetism - the consequence of a cycling dynamo and the cause of solar eruptions that originate in stressed and twisted magnetic fields. In this talk, I will highlight these two critical areas of solar physics, presenting recent advances and open questions associated with the solar dynamo and the storage and release of magnetic energy, and considering what might be learned from sustained observations from the Sun's poles and from a truly global view on the magnetism of the solar corona.
Speaker: Sarah Gibson, National Corporation and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Attend in person on online. See weblink for online information.
Future of Work: Design Your 100 Year Life - 05/17/2022 05:30 PM
swissnex San Francisco San Francisco
Being born in a developed country today means a life expectancy of roughly 100 years. How does this outlook change how we plan and live our lives? What are the implications for us today? And is there even a way to "design" our lives?
Today, most people in developed countries such as Switzerland and the US spend roughly the first 20 years of their life growing up and getting educated, followed by about 40 years in the workforce and 20 years of retirement - ideally in good health. But what happens when we suddenly spend 60 years in the workforce?
Join us for a discussion on how to design a 100 year life, including reflections on the model of a multi-stage approach, side-preneurship and how to start experimenting with this today.
The discussion is guided by Sebastian Kernbach, Assistant Professor at the University of St.Gallen and visiting scholar at Stanford University and Columbia University and fellow of the World Demographic Forum.
See weblink to request an invite
Two Talks: Popping the Science Bubble - Livestream - 05/17/2022 05:30 PM
Berkeley Public Library
Speciation in Birds: a Time Travel
In the evergreen forest of the Pacific Northwest, two species of wood warbler that hybridize are on the brink of forming a new species. A more northern species, the Townsend's Warbler and a more southern species, the Hermit Warbler, overlap in range and hybridize. This provides a natural laboratory for understanding the process by which new species arise. By leveraging genomic sequencing, field behavior experiments, and climate and color pigment analyses, we have uncovered the evolutionary genetic basis of speciation in these very precious wood warbler species. I will also discuss why we should treasure existing wildlife species, as speciation is a reversible and treacherous process.
Speaker: Silu Wang, UC Davis
A bird's eye view of behavior and physiology: How zebra finches cope with stress
The environment is constantly changing. An animal's response to environmental changes has significant ramifications on its survival and future reproduction. How do animals cope with these various changes or stressors? This talk will look at stress in the wild and will discuss the behavioral and physiological coping mechanisms birds use to deal with environmental challenges.
Speaker: Devon Comito, UC Berkeley
See weblink for Zoom registration and Facebook link
Wine, Kombucha, Vinegar - How to Ferment by the Herbal Oganoleptic Style with Emphasis on Mushrooms - Livestream - 05/17/2022 07:00 PM
Mycological Society of San Francisco
Speaker: Ken Litchfield
See weblink for Zoom information
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:
Stanford neuroeconomist Tara Srirangarajan on Neural Engagement With Nature Imagery - The power of Internet media to capture attention, inspire emotions, and motivate behavior pervades much of modern life. Nature imagery - from pets to wildlife to landscapes - engages the public toward a variety of ends. Understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie the effect of such imagery can drive prosocial action on climate change and other environmental issues.UC Berkeley computer scientist Micah Carroll on Manipulation via Social Media Algorithms - A new class of AI algorithm is working to maximize user engagement across social media - actually trying to change the user in order to make more money for parent Internet companies. When we browse online social content, e.g. on Instagram or TikTok, exactly how will AI play with our minds?
Wednesday, 05/18/2022
Disrupted Energy Markets: Fossil Revival or Renewable Opportunity? - Livestream - 05/18/2022 11:00 AM
Commonwealth Club - Online Event
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other economic pressures disrupt global energy markets, even insiders are scrambling to make sense of this moment. Is this when fossil fuels strike back or when renewables surge to gain market share? Or can both be true in different ways and time frames?
The Biden administration has signaled it wants more oil and gas now to ease pain at the pump ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, while also maintaining its support of cutting carbon emissions. Is that good politics or good policy? What does that mean for leasing on federal lands, offshore drilling, and support of new infrastructure that would be in operation for decades? Windfall profit taxes, electric vehicle subsidies, energy tax incentives and other policies are also being buffeted by turmoil that rivals the 1973 oil shock that remade America's energy landscape in major ways.
Join us for a conversation about U.S. energy markets and policies with views from inside and outside the Biden administration.
Speakers:
Kate Larsen, Rhodium GroupDavid Turk, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of EnergyJustin Guay, Sunrise ProjectGreg Dalton, Climate One, Host
Register at weblink to receive connction information
How to Make a Star - 05/18/2022 06:00 PM
UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus Santa Clara
We come from the stars. What if we could touch them? In this talk on building stars, telescopes, and communities, Dr. Nia Imara will present efforts to create the first 3D-printed stellar nurseries, with the aim of shedding light on the complex structure of star-forming environments; efforts to develop a new radio observatory and an astronomy program in Ghana; and new efforts underway to improve STEM education for youth from historically marginalized communities.
Attend in person or online. See weblink to join the livestream
Student Work: Improving on Traffic Lights & Helping the Visually-Impaired - Livestream - 05/18/2022 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
3D Navigation Method for the Visually Impaired
The visually impaired must currently rely on navigational aids to replace their sense of sight, like a white cane or GPS(Global Positioning System)-based navigation, both of which fail to work well indoors. The white cane cannot be used to determine a user's position within a room, while GPS can often lose connection indoors and does not provide orientation information, making both approaches unsuitable for indoor use.Therefore, this research seeks to develop a 3D-imaging solution that enables contactless navigation through a complex indoor environment. The developed device consists of a simple IMU, radio transceiver, and microcontroller dev board. The localization process uses different types of feature extractors on images, and the extracted features are converted to positions and orientation data through dense layers. The device can pinpoint a user's position and orientation with 31% less error compared to previous approaches while requiring only 53.1% of the memory, and processing 125% faster. The object detection process works with a sparsely 3D convolutional neural network, which functions similar to a 2D convolutional network, but with sparsity to reduce processing and memory requirements. The device can also detect obstacles with 60.2% more accuracy than the previous state of the art models while requiring only 41% of the memory and processing 260% faster. When testing with human participants, the device allows for a 94.5% reduction in collisions with obstacles in the environment and allows for a 48.3% increase in walking speed, showing that my device enables safer and more rapid navigation for the visually imapired. All in all, this research demonstrates a 3D-based navigation system for the visually impaired. The approach can be used by a wide variety of mobile low-power devices, like cell phones, ensuring this research remains accessible to all. In this presentation, I will explain how the developed device functions in greater detail, the process of selecting components, as well as one possible application where my work could be used.
Demonstration Video:
Speaker: Stanley Shen, Los Gatos High School
Smart Traffic Lights
Traffic lights that operate on a set of fixed schedules and do not adapt to traffic conditions in real time result in inefficient traffic flow and increased wait times. With the invention of self-driving cars, there is an opportunity to improve the traffic flow by communication between the car and the intersection.
This talk will describe the design of a smart traffic light controller for intersections and a portable device for cars that will enable wireless car-to-intersection (C2I) and intersection-to-intersection (I2I) communication. Then, I will describe two new traffic light algorithms that adapt to current traffic conditions: a) one that determines light phases based on the number of cars queued at the intersection and b) a second one that also takes into account cars arriving from neighboring intersections using I2I communication. I will present results of a simulation based evaluation of the new algorithms compared to timed traffic intersections. Finally, I will provide a video demonstration showing the traffic light controller and portable car device models implementing both the timed and smart intersections.
Speaker: Aman Chandra, Challenger School Shawnee
Register at weblink for connection information
Imaging Extrasolar Planets - Livestream - 05/18/2022 07:00 PM
San Francisco Amateur Astronomers
In the past two and a half decades, more than 4000 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars beyond our own Solar System. This has sparked a revolution in astronomy as we realize our Solar System is not alone. However, we still don't know if our Solar System is rare or unique €" the powerful techniques that detect extrasolar planets have discovered systems very different than our own. In recent years, advances in technology have allowed a handful of giant planets to be imaged directly.
Find out about the first-ever images of other solar systems €" and the technology that has allowed us to discover them, such as the Gemini Planet Imager €" as well as the future planet-hunting space telescopes. The ultimate goal is detection of a second €˜pale blue dot' €" an Earth twin where we could even see the biosignatures of extrasolar life. Such a discovery will truly complete the evolution of our view of the Universe.
Speaker: Bruce Macintosh, Stanford University
See weblink for Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook information
The TESS Mission: A Search for E.T. - Livestream - 05/18/2022 07:00 PM
SETI Institute
As one of the most advanced photometric survey instruments, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has observed tens of millions of stars since 2018. Many of these stars display variable light output caused by various natural sources, including transits by surrounding exoplanets. With thousands of planet systems now known thanks to TESS and other platforms, is it possible that any of them could harbor life, and even more interestingly, intelligent and technological life?
Theories posit that if intelligent civilizations exist in our galaxy, they might put artificial energy harvesting structures into orbit around their host star. Astronomers believe it's possible to detect this phenomenon by watching stellar brightness dim each time a structure passes in front of the star. One of the best places to find so-called alien megstructures is the uniquely large dataset provided by TESS. This NASA mission offers additional opportunities to search for advanced extraterrestrial life associated with already known exoplanets. As part of the Breakthrough Listen Initiative, SETI scientists observe each TESS transiting planet system using the Green Bank Telescope and the Allen Telescope Array in the hope of detecting a radio transmitter relatively nearby in the Galaxy.
To explore the possibility of finding technosignatures within the TESS dataset, we invited two scientists to discuss their recent work. Ann Marie Cody, Principal Investigator with the SETI Institute's Carl Sagan Center, has received funding from NASA to survey the TESS data set to detect a megastructures, similar to Dyson spheres, in orbit around those star systems. Noah Franz, a researcher at Berkeley SETI and Siena College, led an article reporting on the search for technosignatures in radio using the Green Bank Telescope for several targets of the TESS catalog.
Together with Franck Marchis, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute and Chief Scientific Officer at Unistellar, the team will discuss the advancement of these techniques in light of today's known 5,000 confirmed exoplanets and 4,000 TESS candidate exoplanets. The researchers will examine the impact of their research in the framework of astrobiology and how any discoveries of an odd signal or a weird signature could bring meaningful scientific information, even if it is not (yet) E.T.
Register at weblink to receive Zoom information
Thursday, 05/19/2022
What's Next for Earth + Think Resilience - Livestream - 05/19/2022 10:00 AM
Post Carbon Institute
We live in a time of tremendous political, environmental, and economic upheaval. How can artists better understand and examine these interconnected crises, from pandemics and pollution to biodiversity loss and global warming? This conversation between Michele Guieu and Post Carbon Institute senior fellow, Richard Heinberg, will shed light on both the complex crises of our time and the role of the arts in addressing them. Artists Rosalind Lowry and Eileen Wold, will also share their work in response to the What's Next for Earth exhibitions, organized by Michele Guieu.
What's Next for Earth (WNFE) is a participatory art project founded by Michele Guieu that engages artists in deeper exploration of this "human predicament" we find ourselves in. Through bimonthly open art calls and exhibitions that follow the Post Carbon Institute's online short course, "Think Resilience," WNFE asks artists to make works that respond to these crises and to envision a resilient future. What's Next for Earth is supported by Stanford University's Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere (MAHB). More than 120 artists from around the world are participating in the project, and new participants are always welcome!
Register at weblink
Carbonate Systems in Continental Extreme Environments of South America - 05/19/2022 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Speaker: Leo Cury, Universidade Federal do Parana
NightLife: Secret Garden - 05/19/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Dig into the mysterious side of the plant kingdom and uncover the secrets behind the world's strangest flora.
Science of Cocktails @ After Dark - SOLD OUT - 05/19/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
At Science of Cocktails @ After Dark, you'll enjoy:
Experiments by the glass in the VIP loungeAll-included open bars serving beer and wine, specialty cocktails, and slices by Square Pie Guys*A special pop-up AMA with scientist, educator, and author Paul SutterFull access to After Dark - play with hundreds of interactive exhibits and enjoy thought-provoking programming in Pier 15's spacious galleries
AMA with Paul Sutter 7:00 - 7:15 p.m. Fisher Bay Observatory
Ever wanted to ask a scientist anything - anything at all? Join astrophysicist and on-air host Paul Sutter for an exclusive pop-up AMA. You ask the question, he'll try his best to point to the answer - or to tools that will help you uncover the answer. Then at 8:00 p.m., don't miss Sutter's After Dark talk: "How to Die in Space: A Choose-Your-Own Adventure Show That You Probably Won't Survive."
Paul M. Sutter is a research professor in astrophysics at the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University and a guest researcher at the Flatiron Institute in New York City. He hosts and contributes to science shows, including "How the Universe Works" on Science Channel, "Space Out" on Discovery, and his own "Ask a Spaceman" podcast. He is the author of How to Die in Space and Your Place in the Universe.
After Dark: How to Die in Space - 05/19/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Space: the final frontier? Discover the many wonders - and the myriad dangers - of our universe in an out-of-this-world show from astrophysicist and on-air host Paul M. Sutter. Choose your own adventure, just beware of black holes along the way! And while the universe is vast, capacity for this interactive talk is limited and first come, first served.
Back on Earth, we'll hit the rainbow lights and open our doors, inviting you to take your imagination out to play. Be ready to bring fresh eyes to old favorites and uncover phenomenal new experiences.
Please note: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6 will only be available tonight with a ticket for Science of Cocktails.
How to Die in Space: A Choose-Your-Own Adventure Show That You Probably Won't Survive With Paul M. Sutter 8:00 p.m. Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum Overflow viewing in Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio Please note: Capacity is limited and first come, first served.
So you want to see space for yourself? You want to witness the birth of a star, or visit the black hole at the center of our galaxy? You want to know if there are aliens out there, or how to travel through a wormhole? Well stop, because all that will probably kill you. From mundane comets in our solar backyard to exotic remnants of the Big Bang, from dying stars to young galaxies, the universe may be beautiful, but it's treacherous. In this one-of-a-kind show from Paul M. Sutter, you get to choose your path through the universe - and hopefully make it back home!
Paul M. Sutter is a research professor in astrophysics at the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University and a guest researcher at the Flatiron Institute in New York City. He hosts and contributes to science shows including How the Universe Works on Science Channel, Space Out on Discovery, and his own hit Ask a Spaceman podcast. He is the author of How to Die in Space and Your Place in the Universe.
The Secret Perfume of Birds - Livestream - 05/19/2022 07:00 PM
Golden Gate Audubon Society
The widespread belief that most birds have little sense of smell is a myth. Birds can produce complex scent signals that communicate with other birds. Scents play an essential role in birds' lives, including mate choice. Birds also use smell in foraging and navigation.
Danielle's research has uncovered how birds produce scents. Come learn why cowbirds smell like cookies, and why Crested Auklet colonies have a tangerine scent.
Speaker: Danielle Whittaker, Oregon State University
See weblink for Zoom information
NightSchool: Into the Mangroves - Livestream - 05/19/2022 07:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences
Against all odds, mangrove forests seemingly do it all. Learn how these amazing coastal ecosystems transform hot, muddy, salty swamps into thriving nurseries for marine life and above-ground habitat for other wildlife€"and do more of their fair share of carbon storage.
See weblink for YouTube and Facebook links
Friday, 05/20/2022
A Deep Learning approach for boulder detection - The key to understanding planetary surfaces evolution and their crater statistics-based ages - 05/20/2022 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Nils Prieur, Stanford University
Count your halos - 05/20/2022 03:30 PM
Varian Physics Building Stanford
One of the strongest predictions of the standard cold dark matter paradigm is the hierarchy of structure down to Earth-mass scales. However, individual self-bound clumps of dark matter--"halos"--are difficult to detect directly. Instead, we use galaxies as lampposts for halos. By counting galaxies, we can measure the underlying population of dark matter halos. In this talk, I describe results that seem completely at odds with each other in measuring the population of small halos. I argue that the resolution to the problem is a better mapping between galaxies and halos. I will show what my group is doing so far to address the problem, and what opportunities lie ahead in the wide-field surveys of the 2020's.
See weblink for Zoom information, or attend in person
History of Astronomy - Leviathon of Parsontown - Livestream - 05/20/2022 07:30 PM
Tri-Valley Stargazers
Speaker: Dwight Lanpher
See weblink for Zoom instructions
In Town Star Pary - 05/20/2022 08:30 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
We plan to have a short introduction to night sky of the day followed by an observing session where SJAA volunteers will share views from their personal telescopes. Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes. If you like to be a volunteer with or without a telescope please email at "itsp@sjaa.net".
See weblink for additional details
Saturday, 05/21/2022
Direct Imaging of Exoplanets - Livestream - 05/21/2022 07:00 AM
East Bay Astronomical Society
The exoplanets field has been revolutionizing astronomy over the past 20+ years and shows no signs of stopping. The next big wave of exoplanet science may come from direct imaging of exoplanets. Several non-habitable exoplanets have already been imaged from the ground and NASA's next two flagship missions (Roman Space Telescope and the tentatively called "LuvEx" mission) will directly image many more, as well as take their spectra.
One of the "holy grail" goals of the field is the detection and characterization of "Earth 2.0", i.e. a rocky planet beyond the Solar System with an atmosphere capable of supporting life, and perhaps showing signs of life. The driving goal of the LuvEx mission mentioned above is to detect and characterize 25 such planets. While this mission is being developed (launch is scheduled for the first half of 2040s), several other instruments and projects will be bringing us closer to the goal of directly imaging Earth 2.0. This includes the upcoming Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) on the ground, which are expected to directly image nearby potentially habitable planet late this decade in thermal infrared light, and the Roman Space Telescope, which will directly image large planets. In addition, the Roman Space Telescope will carry an experimental technology we developed called "Multi-Star Wavefront Control" (MSWC) to directly image planets in binary star systems, such as Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun. The Alpha Centauri system is so unusually close to the Sun that Roman may be sensitive to large potentially habitable planets around one of the Sun-like stars in that system (if such planets exist there).
The NASA Exoplanet Technologies lab is among several groups advancing the technology to make this exciting science possible. In particular, we have developed the MSWC method mentioned above to directly image planets in binary star systems, and several other methods to advance the direct imaging capabilities of future direct imaging missions. I will describe the current challenges and opportunities in this exciting field, as well as the work we are doing to enable an exciting future of discovery and finding life beyond the Solar System.
Speaker: Ruslan Belikov, NASA Ames
Family Nature Walks - Baylands Nature Preserve - 05/21/2022 10:00 AM
Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter Palo Alto
Environmental Volunteers' Family Nature Walks program is designed to help students and their families get to know our local open space areas. Small family groups will be guided by a knowledgeable environmental educator during an exploration of a local open space. These small groups will be introduced to fun nature-based activities, and a chance to learn more about the plants and animals all around us. Join us for some fun, outdoor learning!
Each group will have a maximum limit of 12 participants.
Families/groups are welcome to sign up for as many as they like. The nature walks are intended for children aged 6 to 11, and we ask that each group is accompanied by an adult.
Register at weblink
Investigating Space: Back to the Moon - 05/21/2022 01:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
NASA's Artemis mission hopes to return humans to the Moon by 2025. How are they going to get there? Get a sneak peek at the Orion spacecraft, designed to take humans farther than we have ever gone before! In this latest installment of Investigating Space, learn more about the fascinating engineering approaches that NASA uses to send its spacecraft and crew safely to the Moon and back.
Sunday, 05/22/2022
FAMILY PROGRAM: Birds and Other Animals of the Garden - 05/22/2022 09:30 AM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Discover the wonderful creatures of the Garden -- birds, butterflies, newts, frogs, lizards, foxes, snakes and more! Program includes a copy of the "Illustrated Guide to the Common Animals of the East Bay Hills" to take home! (one per family) All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by a paid registered adult.
Includes admission to the Garden
Monday, 05/23/2022
The stress on faults: fundamental physics of earthquakes - Livestream - 05/23/2022 03:30 PM
SLAC Colloquium
Speaker: Emily Brodsky, UC Santa Cruz
Student Work: AI-based computer interface for enhanced accessibility - Livestream - 05/23/2022 07:00 PM
SF Bay Association of Computing Machinery
While volunteering at AbilityPath, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing services to people with disabilities, I realized a major problem some people faced was not access to technology but being able to use it. Specifically, the high levels of fine motor control needed to use the interface (such as mice, trackpads, keyboards, and game controllers) prohibit many people's access. This problem led me toward a project to enhance computer accessibility without increasing cost.
I aimed to simplify and make computer interfaces more natural and accessible by using a much more common and direct form of communication: gestures. Using (I show how to get) signals captured by the webcam, I will show how the data is processed before being fed through two major AI models to first extract hand-landmark positions and then gestures from the landmarks.
Although existing commercial methods using facial expressions captured by a camera to control a game do exist, there is an overwhelming population of people who have troubles with fine motor control and won't benefit from an unintuitive, fairly unnatural form of the game interface. I minimized the required technology to further universalize the access, by using open-source software and free tools, as well as making the entire project open-source and thus free.
Speaker: Henri Sayag, Kehillah High School
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Tuesday, 05/24/2022
May Butterfly Walk - First Session - FULL - 05/24/2022 01:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
May Butterfly Walk - Second Session - 05/24/2022 03:00 PM
UC Botanical Garden Berkeley
Whole Earth Seminar - 05/24/2022 03:30 PM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
The Race to Free Washington's Last Orca in Captivity - Livestream - 05/24/2022 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Wednesday, 05/25/2022
Mercury contamination in mining-impacted watersheds of Appalachia and the Amazon - Livestream - 05/25/2022 11:00 AM
Natural Science Annex Santa Cruz
Kelp! opening reception - 05/25/2022 06:30 PM
836M Gallery San Francisco
Do Humans Have What it Takes to Thrive in this Universe? - Livestream - 05/25/2022 07:00 PM
Silicon Valley Astronomy Series
Nerd Nite SF #125: Explosions, Godzilla, and a 500 Mile Walk! - 05/25/2022 08:00 PM
Rickshaw Stop San Francisco
Deep Sea Mining, Coming Soon to an Ocean Near You? - 05/25/2022 08:00 PM
Museum of Art and History Santa Cruz
Thursday, 05/26/2022
Bird Migration: Opportunity Wants A Map - Livestream - 05/26/2022 12:00 PM
Stanford University
Deceiving the Superorganism: Infiltration of Ant Societies by Stealth Beetles - Livestream - 05/26/2022 05:00 PM
Cafe Scientifique Silicon Valley
NightLife - 05/26/2022 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Using Military Remote Sensing Technology to Support Federal Civil Agency Science: Sunk Cost, Well Spent - Livestream - 05/26/2022 06:00 PM
US Geological Survey Public Lecture Series
After Dark: See for Yourself - 05/26/2022 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Birds of Peninsula Open Space Trust Protected Lands - Livestream - 05/26/2022 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Friday, 05/27/2022
Onset of convection in rotating spherical shells - 05/27/2022 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Calling Bullshit: The Art Of Skepticism In A Data-Driven World - Livestream - 05/27/2022 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
Saturday, 05/28/2022
Science Saturdays - Day of the Dinosaur - 05/28/2022 10:00 AM
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
NASA's Artemis Takeover - 05/28/2022 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Urban Hikes: City College to San Francisco State - 05/28/2022 12:00 PM
Shaping San Francisco
Sunday, 05/29/2022
NASA's Artemis Takeover - 05/29/2022 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Monday, 05/30/2022
Wonderfest: The Science of Psychedelics - 05/30/2022 05:30 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato