Hola, fans de la ciencia,

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Hurricanes and tornadoes and floods, oh my! ¿Tornadoes in California? Yes. Nine tornadoes were documented in California during 2023 with Los Angeles County getting three of those. A friend’s house in SoCal had part of her roof torn off during a storm in early January leaving a 5 meter strip of metal flashing grotesquely twisted. Several of her close neighbors had metal panels ripped off their carports at the same time. ¿Was that a tornado? There’s not enough evidence to know but if so, it only qualified for an EF0 rating on the 

Hello again Science Fans!

In the era of planned obsolence and less than robust construction, it is refreshing to see that some things are still over-engineered and over-built. The Mars helecopter, Ingenuity, certainly counts as one of the later. Ingenuity was designed to make 5 flights. It was intended as a test to see if it could fly through the thin atmosphere of Mars.

Ingenuity was dropped from the belly of Perseverance, the Mars rover, shortly after landing. It not only flew the planned 5 missions, but continued on in a new role, helping scout clear paths for Perseverance to take towards new exploration targets.

Hello Science Fans,

I hope that you have thought about whether anti-science is worth considering or worrying about. From battles over the efficacy and safety of vaccinations, to dangerous or useless medical practices, to regulations not based on science, that can lead to injury or death there are a lot of challenges to getting through the day, week, month, or year. May I suggest... The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning. Here's a more specific take on it... 

Hello and a belated Happy Trip Around the Sun,

I was thinking how much I was looking forward to the end of '23 and having a fresh start on a new year. Well that didn't bring a noticeable change in how things look around the world. Many innocent people are dying at the hands of nature or at the hands of other people. The horror of the capacity of humans to do so much harm and inflict so much suffering on others will never do anything but bring sorrow to me.

I've been away from the keyboard and the SciSchmooze for for longer than usual and there is so much to share. The coming year will be full of new discoveries, challenges, and achievements. One thing about science is it is never really done. It seems that science and technology (applied science) never rest and constantly offer new insights and solutions to questions and problems. They often bring new qu

Hello again science fans!

I hope your new year is off to a pleasant start and i trust the new year will bring joy along with a few minor unavoidable travails and challenges. And if learning new things brings you joy - read on!

¿If an advanced species of vertebrate arose hundreds of millions of years ago and invented - all in the space of only 10,000 years - agriculture, mathematics, automobiles, jet airplanes, atomic power, and spaceflight before self-destructing, how would we know about it? That’s the crux of the thought experiment called the “

Dear science aficionado,

Another journey around the Sun is at its end. It is safe for me to say that each of us experienced delights and suffered hardships in this latest orbit, but unlike rocks and boulders we undoubtedl

Hello again Science Fans!

Since it is Christmas Eve, many of you have plans for today or tonight, so we’re publishing earlier than usual today.

The holiday season is a joyous time for many. Please remember that for some, it is a source of stress. Check in on friends or relatives who might be alone at this time of year.

If you’re looking for something to do New Years Day, we’ve listed some First Day Hikes on our calendar. These are led at various California State Pa

Hello again Science fans!

We’re into the meat of the holiday season and the number of events on our calendar is quite reduced through the end of the year. But don’t let that stop you from finding interesting science things to educate you, or your family.

On December 26 - 28, the San Mateo County public library system is hosting several telescope viewing nights at various library locations around the county. See our listings for the locations and times.

Still looking for a science gift? Plenty of tickets remain for “The Physics Show” (January 6 and 7, 20 and 21) as we go to press tonight. But the January 20 shows are selling the

Greetings Science Fans, Acceptors, and Supporters!

As we are nearing the winter solstice there are a lot of really fun and inspirational things going on. I think an interesting social challenge we are facing in so many areas in and out of science is reflected in the Audubon's 124th Christmas Bird Count that starts this coming week. Earlier this year there was a bit of a flurry in the news about the Audubon Society changing it's name. It decided not to, but they are going to 

Dear reader,
Welcome aboard for a flight on this week’s SciSchmooze. {Snacks optional.}

CLIMATE

¿Why is the climate conference taking place called “COP28”? Because it’s easier than calling it the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference Of the Parties #28. ¿And why is it being held in Dubai, a country where fossil fuels account for over 4% of its revenue?  [The United States is the world’s largest producer of fossil fuels - Ed.]; a country that denies entry to travelers who ‘might’ protest government policies?; a country that does not confer upon its own citizens the right to protest? However, things change - at least temporarily.