Kishore Hari

Guesting with the Schmooze

Submitted by Kishore Hari Mon, 15-07-2024 : 16:09

A Blast from the Past

KISHORE HARI
Jul 15 2024

Human Genome Project Contributors from NHGRI

Herb had some technical challenges this week, so I’ll be your guest editor. It’s only been seven years since my last turn at the wheel - let’s see how this goes!

It’s been over 20 years since the Human Genome Project was “completed” - a monumental scientific achievement marking the successful sequencing of the entire human genetic code. This groundbreaking milestone ushered in a new era of genomic discovery that continues to revolutionize healthcare and scientific research to this day. One story caught my eye about the history and legacy of that work. In an incredible invest

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12 September – SkepTalk
25 September – Virtual Skeptics in the Pub
10 October – SkepTalk

SkepTalk

Gale Sinatra, Ph.D.

WHAT: Skepticism or Denial? The Erosion of Trust in Scientific Expertise

How do individuals decide whether to get vaccinated, consume genetically modified foods, or vote to support climate change mitigation efforts in their neighborhood? Democracies depend on educated citizens who can make informed decisions about scientific issues. In, Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It, Sinatra and co-author Barbara Hofer examine the psychological factors contributing to science denial, doubt, and resistance. The themes from the book including the role of psychological constructs such as misconceptions, cognitive biases, emotions, identity, epistemic cognition, and motivated reasoning in (mis)understanding science. This presentation will focus on how skepticism, a cornerstone scientific value, can lead some to mistrust, doubt, and denial of consensus science and what this means for the health and wellbeing of the people and the planet.

WHO: Dr. Gale M. Sinatra is the Stephen H. Crocker Chair and Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Education at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Sinatra heads the Motivated Change Research Lab at USC, the mission of which is understanding the cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes that lead to attitude change, conceptual change, and successful STEM learning. Her co-authored book with Dr. Barbara Hofer, a psychologist of Middlebury College in Vermont is entitled: Science Denial: Why it Happens and What to Do About It (2021, Oxford University Press).

WHEN: Thursday September 12 at 7:30PM PDT (UTC -7)

HOW: Online. Click HERE

Virtual Skeptics in the Pub

WHAT: Virtual Skeptics in the Pub

This is a casual night of socializing with fellow skeptics who live in various locations around the oblate spherical planet Earth.

Please join us! This is a free event brought to you by Bay Area Skeptics. All are welcome.

WHEN: Wednesday September 25, 7-9pm Pacific (GMT-7)

HOW: Online. Join HERE. Passcode: 1023

SkepTalk

Adam Hartstone-Rose PhD

WHAT: Daytime Darkness: How Total Eclipses Influence Changes in Animals – and Humans

Because a total solar eclipse occurs in any given location only about once every 375 years, experiencing an eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most of us, and even more so for most other animals. There is surprisingly little published about the effects of eclipses on people and other animals. But the US was lucky enough to experience two transcontinental total solar eclipses in relatively rapid succession in 2017 and in April of 2024. In 2017, my team studied animal reactions to this bizarre event, and we expanded that work for the 2024 eclipse during which we had hundreds of participatory scientists along its path making observations not only of how animals responded to the eclipse but how the eclipse itself, and participating in this research, influenced their own feelings of awe and affinity toward science. Thus, we have an amazing opportunity to discuss a phenomenon that we now know to be literally awesome!

WHO: Adam Hartstone-Rose, Professor of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University, studies functional morphology and comparative anatomy, mostly of primates and carnivores: how are animals adapted to do what they do? His lab examines the relationship between anatomical form and behavioral functions – especially the relationship between diet and the masticatory apparatus (jaws, teeth and masticatory muscles). They do this through studies of animal behavior (e.g., feeding experiments), soft-tissue muscle dissections and analysis, and examination of the skulls and teeth of both living and extinct species. Beyond morphological research, lab members conduct research on animal responses to eclipses and the psychological effect of participating in that research on participating scientists. The laboratory’s psychology research is part of a larger emphasis focusing on broadening participation in STEM by people from groups that have been historically underrepresented in science.

WHEN: Thursday October 10 at 6:30PM PDT (UTC -7)

HOW: Online. Click HERE