The SciSchmooze

Herb Masters
15 December 2025

Greetings Fans and Supporters of Science, Reason, and Critical Thinking,

Before we go any farther, are you reading this on Sunday, 12.14.25? The weather hasn’t been friendly lately but, if you can see the sky tonight... “The 2025 Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night between December 13 and December 14. The Geminids are expected to produce about 120 meteo

Hello there, friend of science
こんにちは、科学の友よ
[It is estimated that 30,000 Bay Area residents speak Japanese.]

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The federal government’s ‘war on meritocracy’ sidelines those who achieved their merits via formal education. They are being replaced by those who have instead achieved wealth and renown: the eleme

Hello again, friends of science,
ສະບາຍດີອີກຄັ້ງ ເພື່ອນໆວິທະຍາສາດ
Over 3 million people speak Lao in Laos.

The damage to science continues unabated.  Dr. Katelyn Jetelina - Your Local Epidemiologist - recommends people avoid the CDC website due to the misinformation residing there. 

Yesterday, Fareed Zakaria mentioned that Pakistan’s Army Head was given immunity from prosecution. He summed up with: “Welcome to America’s new democratic export: The Unchecked Executive.” He continues on to describe how the Supreme Court’s majority has approved Presidential power well b

Bob Siederer
24 November 2025

Hello again Science fans!

How is it Thanksgiving already? Where has this year gone? When I was growing up in the northeast US, Thanksgiving seemed like a logical progression of the weather into winter. Later, when I moved to south Florida, it appeared as a surprise every year, as it was still summery there. It couldn’t possibly be the start of the Christmas season, what with 80 degree temperatures still common!

Here in northern California, we’re somewhere between the two extremes of heat and cold, but we really haven’t had cold days until this week, at least not what constitutes cold for us!

The solstice is weeks away.

Herb Masters
17 November 2025

Greetings Friends and Fans of Science, Reason, and Doubt!

You will notice that our calendar is a little less full than normal. The holidays do offer some nice diversions to the rigor that scientists practice and share with us. Don’t worry though, there is plenty of science to learn about and share.

The Science Schmooze would like to know.

Greetings Fans of Science, Reason, and Critical Thinking!

The old phrase, “May you live in interesting times” seems particularly resonant these days. I have been trying to keep up with a lot of things going on in the news that seem to really be based in, or the denial of, science. I’m stunned by the proliferation of sources of information and how you really need to pay attention to the point of view they look f

Hello again, friend of science,

Ndewo ọzọ, enyi sayensị,
[Over 40 million people of Nigeria speak Igbo]

Let’s start with a bit of science fun. The above Quantum Steampunk Power Generator was designed by quantum thermodynamics physicist Dr. Nicole Yunger Halpern. Built in collaboration with artist Bruce Rosenbaum, the “Generator” above is a facsimile of an engine that could extract energy by breaking quantum entanglement. The Steampunk Generator helps Dr. Halpern explain how a 'real' quantum generator would work. The Steampunk motif ties in nicely with Halpern’s book,

Bob Siederer
27 October 2025

Hello again Science fans!

Up until 10 years ago, ripples in space-time, predicted by Albert Einstein, remained theoretical. On September 14, 2015, at 4:00 AM, the two LIGO observatories, one in eastern Washington State, the other in Louisiana, detected the signatures of two black holes colliding and merging, and cosmology changed forever. What had been Einstein’s prediction had now been proven. LIGO, and similar installations around the globe, have since detected gravitational waves over 300 times. That discovery, which only lasted 1/5 of a second, was the first, and justified the investment in the observatory in the first place.

Dave Almandsmith
20 October 2025

Hello again, friend of science,
Yá’át’ééh dóó t’áá íiyisí nihíjí’ígíí naaltsoosí, shí k’ehjí éí.
[Navajo is the most widely spoken Native American language in the U.S.]

The Orionids Meteor Shower peaks Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Find a nice dark location miles from a city, bundle up warmly, and expect to enjoy the show peaking for several hours beginning around 11 PM, brought to you courtesy of Halley’s Comet.

SCIENCE in the CROSSHAIRS

Herb Masters
13 October 2025

Greetings Friends of Science, Reason, and Critical Thinking,

It certainly has been a weird week in news. Including science news. I want to highlight one science topic that has been mostly missed in the news. Most people heard about the Nobel Peace Prize… Sadly it overshadowed nine other people who received it for their work in science and one who received in in literature. (Side note: the Peace Prize winner actually