Hello again Science Fans! It is a 3-day holiday weekend for most of us, so enjoy the unofficial beginning of summer. The astronomical start of summer, the summer solstice, occurs on Thursday, June 20 this year. If you want to know more about the solstice, check out this article from the Farmers’ Almanac.
Archeology
Way back in 1930, the lower portion of a massive statue was discovered in Egypt. The statue was of Ramsesses II and was estimated to have been 23 feet tall. But the upper part remained missing…until now. The missing portion has been discovered and it is in great condition. Having watched “Dune 2” last night, the thought of shifting sands is present on my mind.
Health
I got the latest COVID-19 booster this week. I mention this to people and the most likely reaction is “oh, we’re still doing that?” COVID isn’t in the news as much these days for several reasons. COVID-caused deaths are way down from their peak. In fact, on April 2, no deaths were attributed to COVID-19 in California for the first time since March 18, 2020. But new variants, known as KP.2 and KP.3 are becomming the dominant strains. They are still part of the Omicron family tree, but seem to be better able to get around our defenses. The vaccine will not necessarily prevent you from catching these, but will greatly lessen the symptoms and dangers.
Environment and Weather
These past few weeks have seen large outbreaks of violent tornadoes in parts of the midwest. That in and of itself isn’t unusual at this time of year. May and June are the most active months for tornadoes in the Plains. But there appear to be changes in the “normal” pattern. There are fewer days producing tornadoes, but the ones that form are bigger. And the locations seem to be moving further east, into more populated areas.
Something else rare and strange happened the night of April 30 in Oklahoma when a tornado was spinning in the “wrong” direction, and another changed directions, looping back over the path it had just created.
It isn’t known for sure how or if this increase in stronger tornadoes is caused by climate change. And, of course, there are still people who deny the climate is changing, or that the changes are being caused by humans. They point out that CO2 levels have increased and decreased over time and that these variations are “natural”. New research done by Oregon State University and University of St. Andrews provides some pretty solid proof of just how much things have changed. They dug around 2 miles deep into the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, taking a core sample of the ice, and then examined the air bubbles trapped in that ice for as long as 50,000 years. They found the natural changes increased by an estimated 14 parts per million across 55 years, every 7,000 years or so. Now, that same amount jumps every 5 to 6 years! Our CO2 levels are now increasing at a rate 10 times faster than at any time in the past 50,000 years.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Governor DeSantis has signed a bill that scrubbs most references to climate change from Florida laws, bans offshore wind turbines in state waters, and weakens natural gas pipeline regulations. DeSantis said “we’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots.” The wind power generation industry hasn’t shown much interest in offshore Florida locations because there isn’t enough wind! Florida also passed a law banning lab-grown meat from the state, even though the product isn’t available commercially. Perhaps because residents of Florida are more likely to have been affected by flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes, the number of people living in the state who accept climate change is around 90%, and supporters of state efforts to address climate change is at 69%, well above the national average.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Google is changing what’s behind that ubiquitous search box we all use, funneling results through the Gemini chatbot to generate an “AI Overview” at the top of your search results. Here’s a look at what is changing behind the scenes, and why it may not be a good thing.
To find articles for this newsletter each week, I use news consolidators like Flipboard and Google, and lately the results have been getting a little weird. For example, on Flipboard, I have a tab for Science articles, and some odd things have been appearing there. Each time I refresh, two or three articles about cryptocurrency appear. These aren’t labeled as sponsored, so I have to assume the categorization algorithym is putting these articles in my feed. Several sites with dubious slants also frequently have articles appearing. One, thebrighterside.news, only seems to contain articles of a positive nature. Another, thecooldown.com has mostly articles related to climate change mitigation, but they sound like clickbait.
I also came across an article about a professional male athlete rumored to be dating a sports network commentator who is female, but who was refered to as male several times in the article.
The conclusion I draw from this is that no person is editing or curating this content. I could be wrong, but much of it reads like some AI bot created the stories and got some of the details wrong. Words are often missing, or used incorrectly.
The New York Times just published an article on how easy it was for them to create AI chatbots that skew responses towards the left or right, creating disinformation for either side of the spectrum.
Two voice actors claim an AI start-up, Lovo, from Berkeley, used their voices to create bots voices without the actors’ permission. You can listen to recordings of their real voices and the Lovo bot voices and draw your own conclusions. Scarlett Johansson, who voiced the computer operating system in the film “Her” has demanded OpenAI disclose how it developed an AI personal assistant’s voice that sounds uncannily like hers. Life imitates art? OpenAI has since withdrawn the voice.
One thing is for sure…this technology, promissing as it is in many ways, is way ahead of the government’s ability to understand and regulate it.
Space
The University of Tokyo’s Atacama Observatory, the world’s highest astronomical site, is officially in operation. The higher the altitude of a telescope, the less atmospheric interference, and the clearer the images we get. The site is very difficult to get to, and this created difficulties in construction. The observatory was first discussed 26 years ago and work on the site began in 2006.
Our own local Lick Observatory, sits at a much lower altitude, but was built in 1888, with all materials and equipment carried up the mountain by horse and wagon, a feat on a different scale, but just as ambitious for the time.
Over the weekend on May 10 - 12, Earth was struck by the largest solar storm in many years, resulting in the auroras at latitudes much further south than usual.
The solar and heliospheric observatory (SOHO) spacecraft captured video of the storm on the sun.
We’re near the solar maximum, the peak of activity during the Sun’s 11 year cycle, and NASA is preparing for intense radiation storms reaching Mars. We’ll have to better understand how these storm effects differ between Mars and Earth before we send astronauts there.
I was lucky enough to see the aurora in Quebec in 1969. The green and blue ribbons danced slowly in the sky overhead, tinged with red, for about 45 minutes on a crystal clear night. It was magical.
So far, astronomers have identified over 5,000 planets orbiting various stars in the universe. Because they are easier to detect using the methods available to us so far here on earth, most of them have been gas giants that are very close to their stars and have very short orbital periods. The big goal is to find candidate worlds similar to Earth that could possibly support life. A planet with a very similar radius to Earth that orbits in the “Goldilocks” zone, not too close and not too far from its sun, has been discovered around 40 light years away, orbiting Gliese-12, a red dwarf. Research continues.
The Hubble Space Telescope has produced so many amazing images, and so much data, during its 30 years or so in space. That time is limited, however. The Hubble is expected to return to Earth around 2034 as its orbit decays. Now, Jared Isaacman, who has orbited Earth in a SpaceX capsule, wants to pay to take a private maintenance crew to the Hubble to save its orbit. Of course, things are never that simple.
Nearly 590 million years ago, Earth’s magnetic field collapsed. The assumption is that the loss of protection from the field put life on earth’s surface at risk due to cosmic radiation. Yet, it appears that life flourished during this time.
For the Birds
Her name is Ellia. She’s a Goffin’s cockatoo who is learning to use an interactive speech board to communicate with researches. They are trying to figure out not if they can communicate with the bird, but if using this speech board tool is enriching her life.
We’ve known that crows are among the smartest animials in the world. They use tools to gain access to food, and teach successful methods to other crows. Now research has discovered that they can count out loud, up to 4, in a way similar to human toddlers.
Another use for Bamboo?
Bamboo is an incredibly useful plant. It grows very fast, some types as much as a foot a day. It is strong and has been used to build very sturdy homes, rafts, and other structures. It has been turned into almost indestructable flooring, soft material for clothing, bedding, and towels, kitchen cabinetry, and now, a transparent glass-like replacement that is resistant to fire and water.
Here’s wishing you a happy, safe, Memorial Day weekend. Please be sure to take a moment to remember those who gave their lives over the course of our history in defense of our country.
Have a great week in Science!
Bob
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Tuesday, 05/28/2024
Hunga Tonga eruption as an exemplar for shallow submarine volcanism : Analyzing the plume dynamics & radiative effects - 05/28/2024 12:00 PM
Braun (Geology) Corner Bldg 320 Stanford
The talk will cover the combination of recent observational work analyzing the eruption plume dynamics with satellite imagery, followed by new work on the plume dynamics side and analyzing the joint radiative effect of stratospheric water vapor, aerosols, and ozone (it turns out that the eruption would likely cool the planet once all three species are accounted for).
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Short-lived Radionuclides in Meteorites and the Sun's Birth Environment - 05/28/2024 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Steven Desch, UC Santa Cruz
Learning in a Quantum World - 05/28/2024 03:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
We live in a quantum world, yet we are classical beings, and sometimes our classical nature impedes our ability to interact with, learn from, and understand the underlying quantum reality. I'll describe recently developed methods for improving our ability to learn about the quantum world using both classical machines and quantum machines. With these tools, we can predict and verify properties of exotic many-particle systems, and unlock facets of nature that would otherwise be deeply concealed.
Speaker: John Preskill, Stanford University
The Future of Health Care Is Unfolding - and Nursing and Public Health Are Leading the Way - 05/28/2024 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
Evidence indicates that while health-care spending in the United States is the highest in the world, people in the United States experience the worst health outcomes of any high-income nation overall. Americans are more likely to die younger, and from avoidable causes, than residents of peer countries. The U.S health-care system is characterized by fragmented organization and financing, inadequate access to care, rising health-care costs and inefficient use of resources, high utilization of medical technology, inconsistent quality and pervasive inequity, and limited public health infrastructure. The overall emphasis is on providing care during illness rather than developing and maintaining health.
Nursing and public health are working to change this by educating a workforce dedicated to developing and supporting health for individuals, families, communities, and populations, by concentrating on physical, mental, and spiritual health and the environments where people live, work and play.
And don't miss our post-program reception.
Panel: Eileen Fry-Bowers, University of San Francisco; Dr. Erin Grinshteyn, University of San Francisco; Dr. Megan O'Banion, University of San Francisco; Robert Lee Kilpatrick, Commonwealth Club, moderator
Is Flying Safe? - 05/28/2024 05:30 PM
Manny's San Francisco
Chaos on airplanes and airports across the world has taken over some news cycles this year. Something that often went without question or fear has been thrust to the center of debate leaving many asking, "Is flying safe?"
Joining us for a conversation at Manny's are Henry Harteveldt, airline industry analyst and former airline executive, and Doug Yakel, Public Information Officer at the San Francisco International Airport. We'll get into the individual cases, what airlines are doing to calm fears and make changes, and why you should feel confident getting on board. Come with questions ready!
Panel: Doug Yakel, San Francisco International Airport; Henry Harteveldt, pilot and industry analyst;
Brief History of Everything - Livestream - 05/28/2024 06:00 PM
Night Sky Network
Fourteen billion years ago, the universe was little more than a cloud of hot hydrogen gas. Dr. Patrick Breysse will tell the story of how that cloud of gas evolved into all of the galaxies, stars, and planets we see around us today. In the process, Dr. Breysse will explain how astronomers study the history of the universe, and how telescopes are secretly time machines that let us look directly into the distant past. Dr. Breysse will also talk about some of the great mysteries that remain in this story, and how astronomers are working in Toronto and elsewhere to solve them.
Speaker: Patrick Breysse, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
Wonderfest: Ask a Science Envoy: Life's Code; Gut Feeling - 05/28/2024 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
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:
UC Berkeley plant biologist Enrico Calvanese on The Interpreters of Life's Code - Proteins are molecular machines that enable all cellular life. How proteins are produced infuses our understanding of microbiology. New research proposes a novel understanding of how proteins come to exist, promising to open an entirely new dimension of cellular life.Stanford biophysicist Rachel Porter on The Bacterial Space Age - Like human communities, bacterial communities are shaped by the available food, water, and space. Researchers largely understand the importance of food and water for bacteria in the human digestive system. However, only now are we discovering the importance of spatial organization for bacteria within our gut microbiome.
Elephant Seals - Making a Living in the Open Ocean - Livestream - 05/28/2024 07:00 PM
American Cetacean Society
Please join us for an illuminating evening with Dr. Patrick Robinson as he shares some of the research findings from the UC Santa Cruz elephant seal research program. He will discuss the research methods used to study these animals on their epic migrations and share what he and other researchers have learned about their elusive lives in the deep mesopelagic zone. In addition to highlighting results from behavioral, physiological, ecological, and oceanographic research, he will share some of the remaining mysteries and future areas of research.
Register at weblink to attend.
Wednesday, 05/29/2024
Reimagining Care: Adapting to Shifts in Behavioral Health Policy - 05/29/2024 05:30 PM
Manny's San Francisco
As Mental Health Awareness month ends, join us for a discussion about the changing landscape of behavioral health and substance use treatment in San Francisco and California.
Join changemakers from local service provider, PRC, and the California Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies, to delve into the fundamentals of behavioral health and substance use treatment. Explore the hurdles encountered by service providers and examine how recent city and state legislation has influenced the efficacy of service delivery.
Amid a state budget shortfall and changing voter attitudes on treatment and public safety, learn first-hand about the innovative approaches that organizations like PRC and others aretaking to meet the needs of our state for years to come.
PRC is a San Francisco-based nonprofit social impact organization serving the needs of the City’s most vulnerable people and communities. Their multifaceted programs offer supportive services to those living with HIV/AIDS, substance use disorder, mental illness or other social determinants of health that most often stem from the broader systemic challenges of historic economic, social and racial inequities. PRC, in service since 1987, assists over 5,000 individuals annually.
Speakers: Chuan Teng, PRC; Jessica Winterrowd, PRC; Chad Costello, SASRA
Quantum Computing and the Entanglement Frontier - 05/29/2024 07:30 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center Stanford
The quantum laws governing atoms and other tiny objects seem to defy common sense, and information encoded in quantum systems has weird properties that baffle our feeble human minds. John Preskill will explain why he loves quantum entanglement, the elusive feature making quantum information fundamentally different from information in the macroscopic world. By exploiting quantum entanglement, quantum computers should be able to solve otherwise intractable problems, with far-reaching applications to cryptology, materials, and fundamental physical science. Preskill is less weird than a quantum computer, and easier to understand.
Speaker: John Preskill, California Institute of Technology
Thursday, 05/30/2024
Monofluorinated Ether Electrolyte with Acetal Backbone for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries - Livestream - 05/30/2024 10:00 AM
Stanford University
This student-run monthly series spotlights the latest research from Stanford, presented by PhD candidates and postdocs
Speaker: Elizabeth Zhang, Stanford University
Register at weblink
Berkeley Institute for Data Science Seminar - 05/30/2024 12:00 PM
Sutardja Dai Hall Berkeley
Speaker: Karthik Ram, UC Berkeley
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Convergence Bidding: Leveraging AI and Optimization - 05/30/2024 01:30 PM
Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) Stanford
In the competitive landscape of energy markets, convergence bidding has become an essential strategy for enhancing market efficiency. This presentation explores the principles and benefits of convergence bidding, focusing on its role in aligning prices between Day-Ahead Markets (DAM) and Real-Time Markets (RTM).
Gridmatic, a leader in energy trading, utilizes cutting-edge AI and optimization techniques to implement convergence bidding strategies across all markets. By forecasting future market prices and making data-driven bids and offers, Gridmatic optimizes participation in convergence bidding to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities across markets while reducing risk and maximizing returns. Attendees will gain insights into the convergence bidding concept, AI models, optimization algorithms, and operational strategies that drive our success in energy trading.
Speaker: Amir Mousavi, Gridmatic
Attend in person or online (see weblink)
Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will - 05/30/2024 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
In his best-selling book Behave, Dr. Robert Sapolsky argued that while we may not grasp the precise marriage of nature and nurture that creates the physics and chemistry at the base of human behavior, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Out of this comes a perspective that as biological organisms, we have far less free will than we usually assume.
Join us for a free Skeptical Inquirer Presents livestream with Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky, the acclaimed author, stress expert, biologist, and neuroscientist. His latest book, Determined, plumbs the depths of the science and philosophy of decision-making to mount a devastating case against free will, an argument with profound consequences. Sapolsky applies the new understanding of life beyond free will to some of our most essential questions around punishment, morality, and living well together.
Register at weblink
NightLife - 05/30/2024 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.
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.
After Dark: Feeling Emotional - 05/30/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Unlock the powerful and varied world of emotions tonight. Can you really catch feelings from those around you? And can you judge an emotion from someone’s face alone? Discover how people are motivated by emotions, perception, and memory, and maybe even embrace feelings that you usually shy away from.
What's That Feeling? Reading Emotions Activity - 6:30 - 8:30
Join the Explainers to practice the skill of reading emotions, known as emotion perception. Can you tell how someone is feeling from their facial expression alone? Come discover how our sociocultural context shapes our experience, expression, and perception of how we - and others - feel.
Ages 18+
Tech Talk: Enabling the Future Space Economy - 05/30/2024 06:30 PM
Santa Clara University Santa Clara
Come hear our guest speaker as he discusses how artificial intelligence and microgravity are poised to revolutionize the future space economy in a variety of different ways, from machine vision and navigation, to medical advances and additive manufacturing. Aside from the technical aspects, Mr. Tadros will also touch on some regulatory and policy hurdles ahead of us.
Speaker: Al Tadros, Redwire
Registration required at weblink
Daly Science Building, room 207
India's Digital Revolution - 05/30/2024 07:00 PM
Computer History Museum Mountain View
From launching a digital identity system used by 1.3 billion people, to evolving from a primarily cash-based society to the country with the highest volume of digital payments in the world, India's digital transformation is a remarkable success story. A set of public sector digital technologies known as the "India Stack," that includes layers for proving identity, handling digital payments, and sharing data, has enabled profound societal impacts.
Now street vendors in India can accept instant digital payments even if they don't have WiFi or electricity. Wait times at borders have been cut from days to minutes. Digital identity and e-sign technologies have enabled billions of transactions.
Join CHM to find out from Pramod Varma, former chief architect of the digital identity system Aadhaar and numerous India Stack technologies, how it all works.
What to Expect
Hear about India's transformative new approach to solving societal problems using digital public infrastructure.Learn about key elements of the public civic technologies.Discover lessons for the rest of the world on how civic investments in technology can improve societal welfare.
2024 Eclipse Image Extravaganza - 05/30/2024 07:00 PM
Los Altos Public Library Los Altos
Round robin of noted scientists and amateur astronomers showing photos/videos of the April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse.
Join us to see stunning images and videos of the most recent Total Solar Eclipse last April 8. The eclipse started in the Pacific, touched land in Mazatlán, Mexico, entered through Texas, crossed several states until it exited through Maine, then the province of New Brunswick in Canada, and also covering over part of Montreal. Although weather patterns did not follow long range predictions, many people managed to overcome clouds and take amazing photos.
Our Presenters Various amateur astronomers and professionals will show photos of the event. The presenters covered a span of diverse geographical regions from Mazatlán to Montreal, and even our local Foothill College Observatory where viewers could see part of the Moon covering the Sun.
Attend in person or online. See weblink
Friday, 05/31/2024
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics Seminar - 05/31/2024 12:00 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Speaker: Dusty Schroeder, UC Santa Cruz
Starry Nights Star Party - 05/31/2024 09:30 PM
Rancho Cañada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
The San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA), working with the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA), is glad to co-host a public star party at Rancho Canada del Oro (RCDO) Open Space Preserve. This site, just 30 minutes south of downtown San Jose, features dark skies. It's dark enough to see the band of our Milky Way galaxy in the summer.
Do not bring your own telescope (binoculars are welcome, but please no tripods). SJAA club members will set up their telescopes to help star party guests get the most knowledge and enjoyment out of the dark night sky.
This event was scheduled for June 1.
Saturday, 06/01/2024
Family Day at Martin Griffin Preserve - 06/01/2024 09:00 AM
Martin Griffin Preserve Stinson Beach
Visit Martin Griffin Preserve in Stinson Beach and let your kids be your guide!
Enjoy walking trails, redwood forests, Bolinas Lagoon views, and more. Only a short drive to the beach.
East Bay Green Home Tour - 06/01/2024 10:00 AM
TBA
See what your East Bay neighbors are doing with their homes to combat climate change, improve air quality, generate clean energy, conserve water, and move towards a safer, healthier, greener future.
This year’s Green Home Tour will include a virtual tour of 3 homes in the morning and an in-person tour of 10+ homes in the afternoon. See green home features, systems, and appliances up close. So many good ideas to jumpstart your own home projects!
See various heat pump systems, induction stoves, heat pump water heaters, solar and battery systems, greywater and rainwater catchment systems, and much more! Homes and Program details can be found here.
Virtual tour: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
In-Person tour: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Register to attend either or both tours
Chabot Pride: #SpaceForAll - 06/01/2024 10:00 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Bring the whole family to kickstart your Pride Month with this out-of-this-world Pride party at Chabot! Discover the science of rainbows, dance with family & friends at the DJ dance party, and get fired up to experience how Rocket Fuel is made with local drag superstar VERA! in our very special Pride Live Science show, Science is a Drag! Join us in creating an interactive exhibit on Queering the Future, and gather with community in this starry #SpaceForAll to celebrate.
Nike Missile Site Veteran Open House - 06/01/2024 12:00 PM
Nike Missle Site Mill Valley
Veterans of the Nike program come to the site to share their stories with visitors and give guided tours of SF88 between the hours of 12pm - 3pm
The SF-88 Nike Missile Site is the most fully restored Nike missile site in the country. During the tense years of the Cold War, from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated close to 300 Nike missile sites in the United States. These sites were designed to be the last line of defense against H-Bomb carrying Soviet bombers that had eluded the Air Force’s interceptor jet aircrafts. SF-88 in the Marin Headlands was one such site. Today, Golden Gate National Recreation Area works together with a dedicated group of volunteers to preserve the site as it was during operations to remind visitors of the physical and psychological effects of the Cold War on the American landscape.
On The Bay film program + Bay Cruise - 06/01/2024 02:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Together with Shaping San Francisco, the Kanbar Forum at the Exploratorium presents short films created by artists and scientists, who explore unique cultural aspects of our Bay - its waterways, shorelines, the natural elements, and humans at work and play. The program will be followed by a shoreline history boat tour with a separate ticket.
Films:
Notes on the Port of Saint Francis (1951, 22 min.) by Frank Stauffacher and assisted by filmmaker Hy Hirsh, is a short impressionistic documentary that captures the unique aspects of mid-twentieth century San Francisco with its diverse neighborhoods and a thriving port. The film was co-produced by the SF Maritime Museum and the California Historical Society. In 2013 the Library of Congress selected this film for the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. The narration, written by Robert Lewis Stevenson in 1882, is of its time. We look back with fresh eyes as we re-examine this film and our present day coastline through a new framework and boat tour developed by Shaping San Francisco. Projected on 16mm film.
Crossing the Bar (1992, 8 min., 16mm) by Andrew Black who will be in person. A meditation on the landscapes of the San Francisco Bay as seen from the deck of a tugboat where Mr. Black was employed for several years in the late eighties. The film invites us to experience the bay from multiple perspectives using black and white and color 16mm images, music, and narration. Projected on 16mm film.
Chinese Whispers: Bay Chronicles (2015, 9 min) by Rene Yung This short documentary, created for an installation at the National Maritime Museum in San Francisco, brings to light the forgotten history of Chinese Shrimp fisherman in the Bay Area. Working with a team of artists, historical ecologists, and cultural experts sailing the original bay routes on the replica Chinese fishing boat, the Grace Quan, the artist surfaces lost stories as she revisits their thriving camps once situated along the bay.
See weblink for full schedule and to get tickets for the optional Bay Cruise.
The Neurobiology of Love - Livestream - 06/01/2024 03:00 PM
Bay Area Humanists
Love is a universal experience found in all human cultures. Across the entirety of human culture, our single greatest commonality is the brain. What happens in the brains of people in love? In this talk, I discuss the three basic types of love (Lust, Romantic Attraction, and Attachment) and their unique brain pathways and neurochemistry. I'll also show how love is highly effective at reducing stress and enhancing overall health and survival. Last, I will apply these concepts in a closing discussion about the differences between the brains of men and women in love and how being in love may result in neurogenesis, or the birth of new neurons.
Speaker: Sarah Strand, California State University, Sacramento
Register at weblink to attend
Binocular Stargazing at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve - 06/01/2024 09:15 PM
Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve Morgan Hill
Want to learn the night sky? Want to see the Milky Way and the stars contained in it? Did you know that you don’t need to spend a ton of money on a telescope to do so? All you need is a decent pair of binoculars.
Come out and attend the “Binocular Stargazing” event on Saturday June 1st at 9:15pm at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. (Binoculars are required for this event) You will learn all about how the night sky changes by the hour, month, and year.
Our astronomy docents will lead you through the night sky so you can learn how to use your binoculars to find and view asterisms, open and globular clusters, nebulae, and planets. (You will need to have binoculars to attend this event. This is an interactive program in which you will need binoculars to follow along with the program)
Please bring the following items:
10x42mm binoculars or larger. (Tripod recommended on binoculars larger then 10x50)A chair to view in comfort (very important) (lawn chairs are great for this)A red lens flashlight, and warm clothes (extra layers).
Starry Nights Star Party - Rescheduled - 06/01/2024 09:30 PM
Rancho Cañada Del Oro Open Space Preserve Morgan hill
This event will now be held on May 31.
Monday, 06/03/2024
When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency - 06/03/2024 05:00 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR) San Francisco
One third of people living in the United States do not have a driver license. The majority of involuntary nondrivers are disabled, lower income, unhoused, formerly incarcerated, undocumented immigrants, kids, young people, and the elderly. They are also largely invisible due to a mobility system designed almost exclusively for drivers. When Driving is Not an Option shines a light on the reality for non-drivers and explains how improving our transportation system with nondrivers in mind will create a better quality of life for everyone. This book is written by a low-vision mom, disability advocate, and fellow non-driver Anna Letitia Zivarts.
During this event, Zivarts will explain that when the needs of involuntary nondrivers are viewed as essential to how we design our transportation systems and our communities, not only will we be able to more easily get where we need to go, but the changes will lead to healthier, climate-friendly communities for everyone.
Moderator: Laura Tolkoff / Transportation Policy Director, SPURAnna Zivarts / Author, When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car DependencyJeff Wood / Principal, The Overhead Wire
Clouds and Chemistry of Small Nearby Worlds - 06/03/2024 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
Astronomers are looking for exoplanets - planets beyond our Solar System - with a goal to one day find Earth 2.0. JWST has provided us with unprecedented amounts of information on the atmospheres of exoplanets and their analogs - brown dwarfs. Brown Dwarfs are unique objects, too massive to be a planet but just too small to be a star, and astronomers can characterize their atmospheres in incredible detail. They range widely in temperature, from as cold as a warm day at the south pole to twice as hot as molten lava! With such a diversity in temperature, these objects have atmospheres very different from our own. In this talk, Dr. Gonzales will discuss how we can learn about the atmospheres for a variety of brown dwarfs and what exciting things we have discovered about them.
Speaker: Eileen Gonzales, San Francisco State University
Tuesday, 06/04/2024
Under pressure: Gaining insight into magmatic plumbing systems using Raman Spectroscopy and Open-Source codes - 06/04/2024 03:30 PM
Earth and Marine Sciences Building Santa Cruz
Expert AI personas: democratizing knowledge access and personalization - 06/04/2024 06:45 PM
Perkins Coie LLP Palo Alto
Wednesday, 06/05/2024
Coastal Respiration Quotient and its Limitations - Livestream - 06/05/2024 03:00 PM
Bodega Marine Laboratory
Thursday, 06/06/2024
Bay Lexicon - 06/06/2024 12:30 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR) San Francisco
NightLife: SpiceLife - 06/06/2024 06:00 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco
After Dark: What Grows Back - 06/06/2024 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Friday, 06/07/2024
First Friday Nights - 06/07/2024 05:00 PM
CuriOdyssey San Mateo
In Town Star Party - 06/07/2024 09:30 PM
San Jose Astronomical Association San Jose
Saturday, 06/08/2024
Family Nature Adventures: Birds - 06/08/2024 10:30 AM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Monday, 06/10/2024
Morning Hike at Bear Creek Redwoods - 06/10/2024 09:30 AM
Bear Creek Redwoods Los Gatos
June LASER Event - 06/10/2024 07:00 PM
Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge Stanford