Hi Fans of Science and Reason,

I know that you have been wondering all day… Maybe 42 is the answer…

So let’s talk about science and reason a little bit. Next week is the big weekend for Science and Reason for more than just the SF Bay Area. This is because SkeptiCal, the northern California scientific skepticism conference will be on-line on the 23rd and 24th! This means that you can attend for a much reduced price and get to see and hear from some very accomplished scientists and skeptics. I have been following the planning of it and I assure you that it will be a great opportunity to dive in to many topics. It will certainly be more than 42.

Did you know that the now controversial drug Ivermectin…

Greetings Fans of Science and Reason,

I hope that you had a great week. As great as some things can be, sometimes it seems like it’s not that big of a deal since it seems to happen so much around here. Take for instance the Nobel Awards… how many have heard about our California winners? There have been quite a few over the years… Most recently, congratulations to David Julius for his work and award. A far more entertaining science program to watch is the 31st First Annual Ig Nobel Ceremony and dare I say almost as important!

It seems like just a couple of weeks ago but it’s been almost 8 months since Perseverance landed. Here’s an update from some mission scientists.

I continue to be amazed by how readily…

Greetings Science Fans,

Last week, among many topics, I referred to a great article that really cut to the chase about wildland fires in California. I’m sure that you realize it isn’t just about the people who live in the “urban interface”. People all over the world are effected by fires, not just in California. 10 questions for a Stanford researcher on the health hazards of wildfire smoke

It wasn’t that long ago that smoking was publicly accepted. If you went to a restaurant there might have been a “smoking” or “no smoking” section. It was separated from the rest of the place by a sign that said so. Thanks to legislation that was signed by the same president that started the EPA, OSHA was created. We don’t have t…

Hello Fans of Science, Reason, and Critical Thinking,

I have to say that this edition of the SciSchmooze has been tough for me to get done. There are a few things that have really had me stirred up recently.

Let’s start with a topic that has a very limited time to play out but harkens much for the future, and the need to continue doing it. Have you voted in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election? If you have, skip the rest of this paragraph. I firmly believe that voting is an obligation that we all need to take on. If you haven’t voted, you should have received your Vote by Mail ballot. You have options even now. Fill it out and mail it. You can take it to a vote center and deliver it or surrender it and vote there. If…

^{from the desk of Herb Masters}

Hello Evidence Fans,

I’m not sure that I would call this a crossroads in history but I think we are now seeing a convergence of science, reason, “it seems like”, “well they used to”, and “of course it worked, they may have died from it but they don’t have it anymore”. In a bit more than a century we (I say “we” as shorthand for scientists and those that support their incredible accomplishments) have learned that there are more galaxies than the one we live in. (We don’t really know if we can call it ours or are sharing it!) We have learned how to diagnose and treat a disease far more accurately based on more than symp…

^{from the desk of Herb Masters}

Hi Science Supporters,

When I went for my covid-19 jabs I tried to have some fun with the folks that were doing the jabbing. Both times I asked for the dose with the extra chips in it. I said that I was working on a theory that if I wrapped a bunch of neodymium magnets around my arm or head that I could deactivate the chips. I think I kept a pretty straight face when making the requests. The first jabber was a paramedic from San Mateo. He looked at me and just started laughing. Then we both had a good laugh. The second jabber was a nurse who looked at me with a very puzzled face and just stared at me. Finally, after an extended pause, she said that she couldn’t tell if I was serious! I should have realize…

from the desk of Herb Masters

It’s one frontier

Greetings Friends of Science,

It was 60 years ago that Alan B. Shepard, Jr. climbed into a rather tight capsule and was launched in to “space”. (Be sure to read the section on Launch) He traveled 116.5 miles up and 303 miles away from the launch site in 15 minutes, 28 seconds. Less than a month before that Yuri Gagarin was the first to do it. Note that Yuri actually completed a full orbit of earth in 108 minutes. You can still celebrate Yuri’s accomplishment. Today a not so private person got to less than ½ the altitude ~55 miles, didn’t make it to the Kármán line and returned to where he started about 17 minutes after leaving the mother ship. Getting to spac…

Hello Science Fans,

I have to admit that I have been enjoying the longer days. Too bad it all stops tonight at 8:32 PM. Time and experience aren’t always exactly as they appear though. It’s interesting that time seems to pass at different rates as well. Not so long ago there seemed to be little or no problem and only a general awareness of climate change and the problems that might be ahead. Take for instance the number 418.24. It doesn’t seem like a number that we should be concerned with. What about 418.24 ppm? Ask the folks in Foster City what they think about it! You may never of heard of Eunice Foote. In 1856 she presented “Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays” to the AAAS. “If Only 19th-Century America…

from the desk of Herb Masters

Hi Science Fans,

So much to consider yet so little time. How often have you thought of something similar to that? Let’s hold off on a lot of covid topics this week and just say that things are changing all the time and people are probably disagreeing just as much. It isn’t going to happen for a long time but I have to admit that the idea of a traffic jam on Mars is entertaining. Curiosity, Perseverance, and Zhurong are all on the surface checking things out and doing scientific research. I doubt that Ingenuity will require an Extraterrestrial Control Tower any time soon! There’s a lot of equipment around Mars as well. The latest to join the dance is Hope a project from the UAE.

Back to covid for a moment…&nbs…

from the desk of Herb Masters

Hello Science Fans and Practitioners,

I haven’t said it in awhile but I really like to think of science and art as complementing each other.  After all, they are both expressions of how we experience and interpret just about everything.  They both continue to grow, and inform us in new ways to see and experience just about everything.  In the last year we have seen so much change in how we perceive science and art due to changes in social and science based understanding.  Sadly there have been many tragedies that have brought us to understand and fight against many of the inequities that have been prevalent for so long, be they race, gender, circ…