More Musings with the Schmooze

by Bob Seiderer
 
Hello again Science fans!

How is it that summer is almost over? It seems like it just started. Schools are going back into session, the number of events we list is picking up, and the amount of daylight is getting noticeably shorter. Of course, the upcoming weeks are often the warmest of the year in the Bay Area, as the summer high breaks down, allowing winds from inland to heat us up. Last year, the Friday before Labor Day was the warmest ever on record in San Francisco, with a high of 106.

This week marked the one year anniversary of the Great American Eclipse. How time flies! I was in Las Vegas. Where were you? While the eclipse gave scientists a great opportunity to do research on the sun, work continues to learn more. This year, NASA launched the Parker probe to  touch the sun.

As if we don’t have enough to worry about,  a heart disease-causing parasite is headed our way.

Recent major earthquakes around the “ring of fire” remind us that we live in a seismically active place. But one location not too far away is also subject to significant quakes, and that is Yellowstone National Park. The supervolcano beneath Yellowstone is not the main hazard to concern scientists, it is the  earthquake likely to happen in the not-to-distant future.

There is a multi-billion dollar industry that preys on all of us. With unproven claims of healthful products, we’re bombarded with ads and celebrities speaking out about their latest “find”. This article sheds light  on this industry.

My picks this week include:

1. Nerd Nite: Mapping Radioactivity, Ticks of CA, Making The Bay – Monday 07:00 PM in Oakland
2. Lab and Lunch: Facial Recognition for Plankton – Wednesday Noon at the ExplOratorium, and it does not require paid admission
3. taste of science: Construction in the brain, and parents in our genes – Wednesday 07:00 PM in Redwood City

Bonus picks this week:

• What on Earth is going on at Kilauea Volcano? – Thursday 07:00 PM at the USGS in Menlo Park
• Grounds for Science – Galaxy Clusters and Black Holes – Friday 06:30 PM in Emeryville

Hawk talks return! Every September and October the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory holds Hawk Talks and releases on Hawk Hill . The first one is next Saturday:  Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Hawk Talk – Saturday Noon. Talks are held every Saturday and Sunday except for Fleet Weekend, and they are free.

We recently found out about Odd Salon. Each meeting covers one topic, with various members of the public giving short, TED-like talks about something related to that topic. The next one is here:  Odd Salon: Explore – September 4 06:30 PM. This series looks promising.

Also coming up is the  8th Annual Green Film Festival, starting Sept 6.

Have a great week in Science!
 

Bob Siederer