What to Believe with the SciSchmooze
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Hello dear SciSchmooze reader,
In the U.S. 69% of adults believe that angels are real, and 41% believe that extraterrestrial UFOs are regularly seen. Most children in this country are taught to believe in angels as part of their religious upbringing. I was. So that 69% figure seems explainable.
It may be more remarkable that nearly half of adults accept that extraterrestrials are sharing our friendly skies. Wishful thinking? Underlying fears? Groupthink? Popular TV shows? “The truth is out there” … but it’s not likely to be what David Grusch would have us believe. During a House Committee Meeting last Wednesday Mr. Grusch claimed that:
That there are “quite a number” of “nonhuman” space vehicles in the possession of the U.S. government.
That one “partially intact vehicle” was retrieved from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1933 by the United States, acting on a tip from Pope Pius XII.
That the aliens have engaged in “malevolent activity” and “malevolent events” on Earth that have harmed or killed humans.
That the U.S. government is also in possession of “dead pilots” from the spaceships.
That a private defense contractor is storing one of the alien ships, which have been as large as a football field.
That the vehicles might be coming “from a higher dimensional physical space that might be co-located right here.”
That the Roswell, N.M., alien landing was real, and the Air Force’s debunking of it was a “total hack job.”
And that the United States has engaged in a nearly century-long “sophisticated disinformation campaign” (apparently including murders to silence people) to hide the truth.
(Bulleted list from Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank)
The mantra of most scientists and other well-educated folk is: For an extraordinary claim to be acceptable, it requires extraordinary evidence. Nobody, including David Grusch, has provided any clear evidence for any of his claims. Regardless, his claims gave House Committee members the opportunity to suggest there is a conspiracy to hide abundant extraterrestrial evidence. A conspiracy that includes the military, the CIA, the Vatican, the Italian government as well as dozens of other governments and their military branches. Me? I’m just waiting for extraordinary evidence.
Charlie’s guess of 38 won him the Smithsonian Solar System jigsaw puzzle. This week we are raffling off a kit to build a Strandbeest model. Just send an email before noon Friday to david.almandsmith [at] gmail.com with an integer between 0 and 1,000.
BIOLOGY
FROZEN. Frozen?? Researchers from Germany, Switzerland, and Russia thawed out chunks of permafrost and found a living female nematode worm. Evidence suggests the chunks had been frozen solid for 46,000 years! Not only was the nematodes alive, but she promptly began successfully reproducing. Either this was a remarkable example of suspended animation, or the nematode more recently bored into a chunk of permafrost, as critics suggested. Evidence in favor of her being frozen for millennia is that her DNA does not match that of a known nematode species. However, out of an estimated million-plus species, just 30,000 nematodes species have been catalogued, and fewer sequenced.
Organisms that require oxygen acquire it from organisms that split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen via photosynthesis. At least that was the belief. Recently microbes were found in an aquifer 200 meters below ground that produce large amounts of oxygen in complete darkness. Enough of this oxygen seeps into the subsurface environment that oxygen-requiring microbes (aerobes) were thriving there.
CLIMATE
Today the high temperature in Phoenix reached 110°F for 31 days in a row using an official weather station. However, cities create “urban heat islands” where temperatures climb even higher. Researchers in Tel Aviv wanting to document the locations of heat islands in their city came up with a novel tactic. They captured fruit bats on the south side of Tel Aviv, fitted each with a thermometer and GPS monitor, and released them on the north side of the city. Cool!
A city-planning acquaintance of mine took pains explaining to me why economic growth was essential to healthy cities and countries. That economic maxim has long been challenged by ‘degrowth’ adherents who point out that our climate crisis is largely attributable to unchecked economic growth. They make the argument that economics should be focused instead on securing human needs and well-being rather than on numerical growth. Makes sense to me. Continuous growth leads to depletion of raw materials, depletion of natural resources, and overpopulation.
The White House continues to nudge our economy away from relying heavily on fossil fuels, but our political reality requires concessions to the oil industry. This is, of course, a global situation. No wonder Greta Thunberg continues to get herself arrested.
PBS NOVA created a 53-minute special: Weathering the Future. Definitely worth watching.
My Picks of the Week (put reminders on your mobile phone)
– Wonderfest: How to Make A.I. Safe Tuesday 7 - 8:30PM, Novato
– Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right - Livestream Thursday 4PM
– Psychology of Religion: Evolution of Religion - Livestream Saturday 3 - 5PM
– Drop-in at the Charleston Slough Observation Deck Sunday 9 - 11:30AM, Palo Alto
GEOLOGY
There is a well-known (but not by me!) “gravity hole” in the Indian Ocean where Earth’s gravity is less than normal. Because surface gravity is stronger outside of the ‘hole’, ocean water is drawn away from its center making the sea level there 100 meters less than it ‘should’ be. There have been varying ideas about the cause of the Indian Ocean Geoid Low, but some geologists now believe it was caused by a rising plume of low-density magma in the distant past.
There is another kind of ‘hole’ in the oceans. When large limestone sinkholes in Mexico collapse on land and fill with water, we call them cenotes. But sometimes a cenote is found offshore and gains the name, “Blue Hole”. The second-deepest known Blue Hole is off the east coast of Mexico at 274 meters deep.
MEDICINE
It is notoriously difficult to control infections by the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, which is spread by bites from the Anopheles mosquito. There is a new vaccine for preventing malaria but it is only 63% effective and the effectiveness wanes to only 3% after five years. With climate change, larger populations of Anopheles mosquitoes are in the U.S. but they are not themselves infected with Plasmodium falciparum. That could change at any minute if a person, who contracted malaria elsewhere in the world, was bit by an Anopheles mosquito here in the U.S. Such an infection would spread in the mosquito population and then to humans. The easiest way to eradicate malaria may be to cure mosquitoes of the parasite! Biologists have found a ‘gene drive’ method for ‘vaccinating’ entire populations of Anopheles mosquitoes. A modification to a mosquito’s genome prevents infection by Plasmodium falciparum and that protection is passed on to its offspring. In time, every mosquito in a population will carry the anti-parasite gene. It’s not quite ready for prime time, but it is promising.
Fun Nerdy Videos
Mosquito repellant - Cup o’ Joe - Joe Schwarcz - 3 mins
Tired Light Hypothesis - Dr. Becky - Becky Smithurst - 15 mins
Artificial Intelligence & proton structure - PBS Space Time - Matt O’Dowd - 17 mins
Transition to EVs - Science without the gobbledygook - Sabine Hossenfelder - 24 min
Entropy - Veritaseum - Derek Muller - 26 mins
From about 26 centuries ago: “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy, and to the poor,”
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
"It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."
– Stephen Hawking (1942 - 2018) English theoretical physicist
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.
Monday, 07/31/2023
Race, Religion, and the Corporation: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? - Livestream - 07/31/2023 01:00 PM
Stanford University
Two Supreme Court decisions issued on June 29, 2023, promise to fundamentally reshape the relationship between employers and employees. These decisions will make it easier for employees to obtain religious accommodations, and harder for employers to promote diversity. In Groff v. DeJoy, the Court held that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that employers grant religious accommodations unless doing so imposes a “substantial” hardship on the employer. This standard is significantly more burdensome for employers than the pre-existing de minimis burden test, and could lead to a sharp increase in demands for religious accommodations. In cases against Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Court ruled that the universities’ affirmative action admissions programs violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause. The decision effectively ends race-conscious admissions programs, and leaves many businesses concerned about the legality of race-based preferences in hiring, promotions, and contracting. Republican state attorneys general have already sent a letter to CEOs of the 100 largest U.S. companies arguing that the decision also applies to private employers in an effort to force employers to roll back DEI programs and commitments.
Questions abound in the wake of these decisions. Are corporate efforts to promote diversity now vulnerable to legal challenges, thereby making it harder for companies to build diverse workforces? How will Groff’s new religious accommodations rule apply to individual cases? Will Groff cause a meaningful increase in the number of people seeking religious accommodations? And how (if at all) should companies adjust their policies and practices around DEI and religious accommodations to respond?
Join a distinguished panel of experts to explore these decisions’ impact on corporate America, and to consider best practices for responding to these new challenges.
Joseph A. Grundfest (moderator) W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business, Emeritus, Stanford Law School; Senior Faculty, Rock Center for Corporate GovernanceChristina Hall Chief Human Resources Officer, InstacartPam Karlan Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law and Co-Director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, Stanford Law SchoolDavid Sutphen Founder & Co-CEO, Jasper AdvisorsMarina C. Tsatalis Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & RosatiRegister at weblink
SCVAS Learn: Terns - Livestream - 07/31/2023 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Get ready for the summer push of Terns in our county. The lakes and ponds along the bay provide opportunities to see the common and not-so-common Terns in the South Bay. Join Matthew Dodder for one session overview of our resident and migrant Terns with useful tips on how to differentiate confusing species, recommendations on where to focus your search, and reflections on a few rarities that have shown up in nearby counties.
Tuesday, 08/01/2023
Mysteries of the Universe & Time Machines - 08/01/2023 06:30 PM
Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) Building 53 Menlo Park
This week 200 members of the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage-4 (CMB-S4) collaboration are meeting at SLAC to focus on the continuing development of this science research project. CMB-S4 and the next generation telescopes will provide measurements of the cosmic microwave background at unprecedented precision and permit fundamental new insights into a broad range of physics. These measurements will enable the search for signatures of primordial gravitational waves, probe the nature of dark matter and dark energy, map the matter throughout the universe, and capture transient phenomena in the microwave sky.
Join particle physicists Dr. Natalie Roe and cosmologist Dr. Christian Reichardt as they explore the many mysteries of the universe. Dr. Roe will give a brief introduction to the CMB-S4 project experimental design. She will share a high-level overview of the big questions in particle physics and cosmology such as dark energy, inflation, dark matter, and neutrinos. Dr. Reichardt will share why astrophysicists travel to the South Pole to see the beginning of time. He will discuss the expansion of the universe, evidence of the hot Big Bang, and the science of mapping the cosmic microwave background.
Registration is required.
Wonderfest: How to Make A.I. Safe - 08/01/2023 07:00 PM
Hopmonk Tavern Novato
Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, demonstrating success in multiple areas in recent years. But by their very nature, AI problems don't have definitive correct solutions. Programs can give wrong answers, be unfairly biased against some groups, and can be hard to understand. Dr. Peter Norvig literally wrote the book on artificial intelligence. In this informal presentation, Dr. Norvig will discuss the promise and peril of AI, welcoming attendee input.
Speaker: Peter Norvig, Google
Wednesday, 08/02/2023
All Hands on Science: Cranky Critters - 08/02/2023 11:00 AM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Join us for an all-ages hands-on workshop where you can create an artifact to take home with you! We’ll repurpose and reimagine everyday materials to create little mechanical marvels.
Create your own Cranky Critter - a whimsical kinetic sculpture that animates a character’s tail when a crank is turned. You'll use a small wooden block, some wire, craft foam, and other decorative materials to create your critter.
Navigating the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline: A Conversation of the Shoreline Project in North San José and Santa Clara County - 08/02/2023 05:00 PM
SF Planning + Urban Research Assoc. (SPUR) San Jose
South San Francisco Bay has been long known for its multi-colored salt ponds and for Santa Clara County’s Alviso Marina Park. The South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project (Phase I) is a multi-agency partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Valley Water, and the State Coastal Conservancy that will construct approximately four miles of levees to reduce the risk of tidal flooding to the north San José area. The project will also restore and enhance 2,900 acres of tidal marsh and improve recreational opportunities and public access along the bay shoreline. Join us for a conversation on the multi-agency project to restore and enhance the shoreline for communities across Alviso, North San José, and the greater South Bay region.
Register at weblink
Thursday, 08/03/2023
Speaker Series on Malaria Eradication - Livestream - 08/03/2023 09:00 AM
Stanford University
Transmitted through mosquito bites, malaria is a life-threatening disease that endangers nearly half of the world’s population. Despite being preventable and curable, it killed approximately 619,000 people in 2021. Malaria impacts impoverished communities the most, and children are particularly at risk: Children under five accounted for about 80% of all malaria deaths in Africa in 2021.
Our panelists will discuss ongoing efforts and successes in malaria eradication programs, drawing from their research experience around the world. Dr. Jane Achan will discuss the impact of innovative strategies for malaria reduction in special risk populations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Ally Olotu will report on the long-term efficacy of the first pediatric malaria vaccine in Kenya and Tanzania. Dr. Michelle Hsiang will share innovative approaches in low transmission elimination settings including Asia and Latin America. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Jade Benjamin-Chung, Assistant Professor in Epidemiology & Population Health at Stanford University and King Center Faculty Affiliate.
Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right - Livestream - 08/03/2023 04:00 PM
Skeptical Inquirer
Hate crimes. Misinformation and conspiracy theories. Foiled white-supremacist plots. The signs of growing far-Right extremism are all around us, and communities around the globe are struggling to understand how so many people are being radicalized and why they are increasingly attracted to violent movements.
Learn how tomorrow’s far-Right nationalists are being recruited in surprising places, from college campuses and MMA gyms to clothing stores, online gaming chat rooms, and YouTube cooking channels. Dr. Miller-Idriss details the path to radicalization and offers ideas about the role that all of us - from academics to parents to TV presenters - can play in working to halt the march of extremism in the United States, Europe, and around the world.
Speaker: Cynthia Miller-Idriss, American University
Register at weblink
This event was originally scheduled for June 8, 2023
NightLife - 08/03/2023 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 - 08/03/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
The Exploratorium is your playground after dark! Wander the galleries, sip a cocktail, and choose your own adventure from over 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. Don’t miss our summer exhibition, The Great Animal Orchestra, an immersive audiovisual art experience, and then learn how it was made in a special screening of Bernie Krause: A Life with the Great Animal Orchestra (2021, 37 min.).
Diary of a Field Biologist - 08/03/2023 07:00 PM
Ocean View Brew Works Albany
Speaker: Erin Person, UC Berkeley
Friday, 08/04/2023
Free National Parks Day - 08/04/2023 07:00 PM
Various
Admission to most US National Parks is free today, the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
First Friday: Colorful Constellations - 08/04/2023 06:00 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
People have long used stars as tools for navigation and the grouping of stars in constellations to better understand the world. With the advent of modern telescopes, we can understand more about the identity of the stars that make up the constellations. Discover how astronomers classify the stars according to size, age, color, and composition.
As stars grow, age, expand, they change into many different forms such as red giants, white dwarfs, supernovae and black holes and others. Learn more about these celestial phenomena with hands-on activities, films, art installations and presentations. Visit us on the Observation Deck for a collection of constellation stories in a new edition of Native Skies Star Stories and a series of presentations from the Eastbay Astronomical Society.
What's Going On with Autonomous Vehicles? With NYT Tech Reporter Cade Metz - 08/04/2023 06:00 PM
Manny's San Francisco
The Future has arrived!
Cars without drivers in them are all over the place. To some, they are scary. TO others they are a harbinger of safer streets to come.
But no matter what - everyone's got an opinion of them. Recently the CPUC has delayed their vote on whether or not to allow autonomous vehicle companies to deploy more vehicles on the street and to have them charge for use.
Coming to Manny's to discuss the Future of Autonomous vehicles in San Francisco and beyond is New York Times technology reporter Cade Metz who has been covering this issue for the times.
Come ready to discuss the future of autonomous vehicles in person, your opinions on the matter, and to learn from a journalist at the center of it all.
Saturday, 08/05/2023
Summer Science Fundays - Bug Bonanza - 08/05/2023 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.
August 5 - Bug Bonanza: A visitor favorite, our Bug Bonanza is a celebration of bugs! SaveNature will be at the Lawrence from 12-2 with their awesome insects. Learn about the lives of these fascinating creatures and even get to touch them... if you dare! We’ll also be conducting our own bug hunts out in the Outdoor Nature Lab, where we’ll have magnifying glasses out so we can look at our backyard nature up close.
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.
Counter Culture Labs: Lake Temescal Bioblitz - 08/05/2023 01:00 PM
Lake Temescal Regional Recreation Area Oakland
Come join us at Lake Temescal at for a bioblitz! We will blitz to record as much biodiversity as we can in 1 hour, as well as talk about current environmental efforts for the lake, for our lab, and for the community! Come with your friends and family for a fun day of learning about and connecting with your local environment! Please download the iNaturalist app to your smartphone before coming - this is how we will record our data! There will be a recommended donation of $10 to the lab to help cover our expenses. Please also sign up on Meetup and to see directions: https://www.meetup.com/counter-culture-labs/events/295085606/?isFirstPublish=true
Psychology of Religion: Part 1 Evolution of Religion - Livestream - 08/05/2023 03:00 PM
Bay Area Humanists
In The Evolution of Religion, Dr. Sarah Strand will discuss why religion has been present in human society since the dawn of mankind. The theory of natural selection, which was developed by Charles Darwin and is the principle on which genetic evolution is based, will provide a springboard for a description of the evolution of ideas, culture, and religion. Next, Sarah will discuss the psychological origins of religion, showing that human brains are built to believe in the supernatural. Sarah will conclude the presentation with evidence of how religion has “survived” by expanding and adjusting to changes in culture, a.k.a. its “environment.”
Dr. Sarah Strand created her course Psychology of Religion for California State University Sacramento after speaking for 10 years to community groups around Northern California and Nevada.
Part 2: November 4, 2023
Part 3: February 3, 2024
Register at weblink to receive connection information
Nested Dust Shells Around the Wolf-Rayet Binary WR 140 - Livestream - 08/05/2023 08:00 PM
San Jose Astronomical Society
Massive colliding-wind binaries that host a Wolf - Rayet (WR) star present a potentially important source of dust and chemical enrichment in the interstellar medium. However, the chemical composition and survival of dust formed from such systems is not well understood. The carbon-rich Wolf - Rayet binary WR 140 presents an ideal astrophysical laboratory for investigating these questions, given its well-defined orbital period and predictable dust-formation episodes every 7.93 years around periastron passage. In this talk I present exciting observations from an Early Release Science programme (ERS 1349) with the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) Medium-Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) and Imager that reveal the spectral and spatial signatures of nested circumstellar dust shells around WR 140. MIRI medium-resolution spectroscopy of the second dust shell and Imager detections of over 17 shells formed throughout approximately the past 130 years confirm the survival of carbonaceous dust grains from WR 140 that are probably carriers of ‘unidentified infrared’-band features at 6.4 and 7.7 μm. These observations, representing some of the first observations from JWST, indicate that dust-forming carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet binaries can enrich the interstellar medium with organic compounds and carbonaceous dust. 3D prints of tactile versions of the JWST MIRI image will also be presented, designed for individuals with visual impairments.
Speaker: Dr. Thomas Madura is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at San Jose State University
Register at weblink
Sunday, 08/06/2023
Drop-in at the Charleston Slough Observation Deck - 08/06/2023 09:00 AM
Charleston Slough Observation Deck Palo Alto
We’ll be at Shoreline Park (Mountain View) from 9 to 11 am. Visit our birding station at the Charleston Slough observation deck, where our volunteers will help you identify ducks, shorebirds, and more. No need to sign up - come by anytime we’re there! This event is wheelchair accessible.
Monday, 08/07/2023
The Heat Will Kill You First - 08/07/2023 05:30 PM
Commonwealth Club San Francisco
The world is waking up to a new reality: wildfires are now seasonal in California, the Northeast is getting less and less snow each winter, and the ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting fast. Heat is the first-order threat that drives all other impacts of the climate crisis. As the temperature rises, it is revealing fault lines in our governments, our politics, our economy and our values. Journalist Jeff Goodall says the basic science is not complicated: Stop burning fossil fuels tomorrow, and the global temperature will stop rising tomorrow. Stop burning fossil fuels in 50 years, and the temperature will keep rising for 50 years, making parts of our planet virtually uninhabitable. The hotter it gets, the deeper and wider our fault lines will open.
Goodell's book The Heat Will Kill You First is about the extreme ways in which our planet is already changing. It is about why spring is coming a few weeks earlier and fall is coming a few weeks later - and the impact that will have on everything from our food supply to disease outbreaks. It is about what will happen to our lives and our communities when typical summer days in Chicago or Boston go from 90 degrees Fahrenheit to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. A heatwave, Goodell explains, is a predatory event, one that culls the most vulnerable people; but that is changing - as heatwaves become more intense and more common, they will become more democratic.
As an award-winning journalist who has been at the forefront of environmental journalism for decades, Goodell might be his most provocative yet, explaining how extreme heat will dramatically change the world as we know it.
Speaker: Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone; Andrew Dudley, Commonwealth Club, Moderator
SCVAS Learn: Shorebirds 2023 - Livestream - 08/07/2023 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Each summer, millions of Arctic breeding Shorebirds leave their northern nesting grounds and make their way toward southern wintering grounds. In Santa Clara County, we have many locations where dense clouds of these magnificent birds can be seen and admired as they arrive for the season. Others simply pass through on their way further south. Each species is truly unique yet identifying them can often be a challenge especially when they shed their colorful breeding plumage. Join SCVAS Executive Director, Matthew Dodder for an online class focusing on Santa Clara County’s diverse Shorebirds. Learn how to differentiate between the confusing “Peeps” and how to spot juvenile birds within the crowded flocks. We will dive first into the common species found here, and them move on to the rarer visitors and the challenges they present to birders. This class was first offered in 2021 and has been updated.
This is a three session class. See weblink
Thursday, 08/10/2023
After Dark: Conversations About Landscape - 08/10/2023 06:00 PM
ExplOratorium San Francisco
Meteor Magic: Exploring the Perseid Meteor Shower - Livestream - 08/10/2023 07:00 PM
Peninsula Open Space Trust
Is Sports A Breeding Ground For Pseudoscience? - Livestream - 08/10/2023 07:30 PM
Bay Area Skeptics
Friday, 08/11/2023
Exoplanet research, the First Year of Exoplanet Discoveries with the James Webb Space Telescope - SOLD OUT - 08/11/2023 08:00 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Saturday, 08/12/2023
Hike at Windy Hill - 08/12/2023 09:00 AM
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve Portola Valley
Summer Science Fundays - Cal Taiko Band - 08/12/2023 11:00 AM
Lawrence Hall of Science Berkeley
Lick Observatory Music of the Spheres - 08/12/2023 08:00 PM
Lick Observatory Mt. Hamilton
Perseid Meteor Shower in North Coyote Valley - 08/12/2023 08:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
Perseid Meteor Shower - 08/12/2023 11:45 PM
Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland
Sunday, 08/13/2023
Bair Island Walking Tour - 08/13/2023 10:00 AM
Bair Island Trail Parking Lot Redwood City
Monday, 08/14/2023
SCVAS Learn: Shorebirds 2023 - Livestream - 08/14/2023 07:00 PM
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Space Weather and Human Exploration - 08/14/2023 07:30 PM
California Academy of Sciences San Francisco