3.11.24
| Herb Masters |
Hello Supporters of Science and Reason
Some recent news has sent me down a new path of questioning what we think we know, how we think we should react and why we should. Can Intellectual Humility Save Us from Ourselves? There is a good chance that you have heard of Nex Benedict. The ability of humans to treat other humans so badly has always stunned me. It has a long history and happens all the time in war, crime, or even daily life. One group for some reason thinks they have a better understanding of right and wrong than some other group they know of. I hope that you have grappled with some of this and not just taken a side if it doesn’t involve you directly. Science, Skepticism, and Applied Behavior Analysis So let’s dip a toe or maybe a lot more into the subject of gender. (Note: I am not a scientist or qualified to make any significant statement about this. I’m just a straight guy without any expertise in the subject!) Here are some articles that I have recently seen that may help us understand a bit more.
Consider what gender means. Is there a spectrum of gender? Life just doesn’t seem to be binary anymore! How Science is Helping Us Understand Gender
The idea that ‘gender is a spectrum’ is supposed to set us free.
Should we should question a mindset that viciously excludes whole groups of people?
Gender Spectrum: A Scientist Explains Why Gender Isn’t Binary
Humane genomics education can reduce racism
I’d like to hear from you about your thoughts on all or part of that!
There are some not so frequent things coming up tha I hope you are prepared for… First up is Pi Day which was conceived of and brought to life at the explOratorium. Long time explO “Loose Canon” Ron Hipschman has been essential to the celebrations since Pi day started… Full-Spectrum Science – It’s Pi Day 2024 Ron will be giving a talk about Pi Day at the explO on Pi Day, Mar 14
I hope that you have your plans in place for the upcoming April 8 total solar eclipse. The explOratorium is your eclipse go to place for eclipse experience and viewing. They will have two teams “on site” for the upcoming eclipse, in Junction, Texas and Torreon, Mexico and livestreaming it. NASA works with the explO but has more stuff going on as well. Check out NASA-Funded Science Projects Tuning In to ‘Eclipse Radio’ There’s even some citizen science to be done… Help Measure the Shape of the Sun!, here’s more on that… Reveal the True Shape of the Sun Here’s another citizen science way to get involved, Eclipse Soundscapes Project Check out Eclipsophile
There are a lot of presentations that intrigue me in the next couple of weeks. Here are a few that I find inspiring…
1- How Social Media Impacts Collective Understandings of War Tue @ 6:00
2- Lighting the Way: The d.light Journey from Stanford Class Project to Impacting 150 Million Lives Wed @ 11:39
3- Pi (π) Day and Pi (π) Night 3.14 @ 11:00 and 6;00
4- COVID Myths: And the Hits Just Keep on Comin’ – Livestream Thu @ 7:00
5- Space for Her: Celebrating Women in Space Science Sat @ 19:99
And for further contemplation on the marvels of science…
‘Doomsday Glacier’ is rapidly melting. Scientists now have evidence
Big Egg Cracked In My Hands – Just as I was about to drill it
The Lasting Impacts Of Scientific Fraud
SWOT Satellite Catches Coastal Flooding During California Storms
How Americans View Science and Scientists
Why It Was Almost Impossible to Make the Blue LED
the most up-to-date real time images of Earth
Fibonacci’s real mathematical legacy
Is it possible to design a shape to roll along any fixed path?
I think that is plenty to ponder this week! Note: There will not be a test.
Have a great week learning cool new things about our amazing universe!
herb masters
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
ISAAC ASIMOV
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