Event Archives

Dr. Stephen Palumbi, Stanford professor of marine science, shares insights — and unforgettable stories — about some of the most marvelous lifeforms on Earth.

Wonderfest “Science Envoys” Deepthi Gorthi and Robert McGehee, both from UC Berkeley, explore deep mysteries of the cosmos: how the universe “boiled,” and the nature of dark matter.

UC Berkeley biophysicist Kevin Doxzen unravels the groundbreaking technology of CRISPR and outlines pressing questions that now confront society.

UC Berkeley anthropologist Julie Hui looks at examples of animal intelligence, explores language studies in animals, and attempts to place human intelligence within our own environmental context.

UC Berkeley physics professor Holger Müller discusses how precision physics helps us to explore the enormous “dark sector” of the universe: dark matter and dark energy.

NASA computer scientist Jay Trimble describes how the previously “closed world of mission control” is opening to allow anyone — citizen scientists and engineers — to participate in upcoming orbital and interplanetary exploration.

UC Berkeley astrophysicist Dr. Dan Kasen describes the “ripples in the fabric of spacetime” that accompanied the merger of two neutron stars — resulting in the creation of otherwise hard-to-explain heavy metals such as gold.

Many systems (e.g., ant colonies, brains, and some data networks) operate without central control. Stanford entomologist Deborah Gordon explains how collective behavior evolves — particularly within ants — to deal with environmental challenges.

UC Berkeley psychologist Mariel Goddu shows how young children’s cognitive flexibility can help them — and us — to become citizens who seek evidence and can appropriately change their beliefs.

As human populations have been spreading during the past 50 thousand years, over half of Earth’s large animals have become extinct, and at an accelerating rate. What’s happening? And what does it mean for saving the last big animals left today?

Lawrence Berkeley Lab’s Dr. Michael Wehner explains how changes in the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events are likely the most serious consequence of human-induced global warming.

Legendary SETI researcher, Dr. Jill Tarter, describes how we come to “find ourselves” in the process of searching for aliens.

PhD scientist and comedian Tim Lee dramatizes (and humanizes) climate change.

UC Berkeley astrophysicist Eliot Quataert describes the evolution of complexity in the universe — where gravity is the key to marvelous cosmic structure: galaxies, stars, and planets.

Andy Weir, author of “hard” sci-fi novel The Martian, discusses this latest work: the lunar adventure/thriller called “Artemis.”

UC Berkeley physicist Norman Yao presents the present and future state of quantum computer development.

UC Berkeley robot/AI expert Ken Goldberg explains how we can prepare for upcoming advances in AI and robotics.

Wonderfest’s “Science Envoys,” PhD students who have honed their science communication skills, will describe their research and the origin of their science passion.

Planetary scientist Dr. Alphonso Davila describes NASA’s search for a second, independent, origin of life in the Solar System.

Following a special screening of 2012’s Robot and Frank, UC Berkeley computer scientist answers audience questions, and explores the general fields of robotics and artificial intelligence.

Marine biologist Dr. Helen Scales explores the surprisingly complex lives of ocean fishes.

Marine biologist Dr. Helen Scales explores the surprisingly complex lives of ocean fishes.

Celebrated science journalist Carl Zimmer helps unravel some of the deepest mysteries surrounding heritable traits, our genetic blueprint, and how we became who we are.

Dr. Vernard Lewis, UC Berkeley entomologist, describes the creepy crawlers that invade our living space.

Stanford physicist Miriam Diamond answers questions about the realm of the VERY small, especially exploring common misapplications of the word “quantum.”

Physicist and outreach specialist Dr. Laura Peticolas describes the origin, nature, and majesty of the Northern Lights.

UC Berkeley Seismologist William Hawley reveals how much we know — and how much we don’t — about California’s coming earthquake(s).

UCSF’s Dr. Thomas Lewis examines where, in the brain, we find the roots of our multiple connections to each other, and how those connections reverberate within and between us.

Zoologist Lucy Cooke explores the wild side of wildlife. She takes us on a global journey, exposing myths and misconceptions about the animal world.

UC Berkeley psychologist Mariel Goddu describes the origin of abstract cognition, and Stanford neuroscientist Ryan York plumbs the fishy depths of romance.

David Romps, UC Berkeley Earth Scientist, presents the big picture of global warming, its impacts, our failure to act, and what needs to be done.

Renowned astronomer Alex Filippenko explores the lines of reasoning behind modern arguments for the existence of multiple universes.

NASA astrobiologist Dr. Lynn Rothschild asks “Is there only one way to construct a living organism, or are we Earthlings but one possibility out of a multitude?”

Peter Norvig, Director of Research at Google, explains how modern software can/must incorporate machine learning.

Alongside a special screening of the acclaimed documentary JANE, anthropologist Kelly Harcourt explains our need — both scientific and emotional — to understand apes.

SETI pioneer Dan Werthimer describes the rationale for past and future ET searches, and will show how new technologies are revolutionizing SETI.

Wonderfest presents two scientists with deep insights into the brain-body connection.

Dr. Robert Lustig explores the scientific, cultural, historic, economic, and social causes of our modern problem with pleasure.

The first human mission to Mars will be our greatest adventure in the 21st-century. As with all expeditions, its success will depend on planning. The first steps are already under way: achieving longer spaceflight missions, planning for deep space journeys beyond the Moon, and exploring extreme terrestrial environments as Mars “analogs.” Dr. Lee will discuss ...

Dr. Pascal Lee explores the what, why, how, when, and who of our first journey to the Red Planet.

Stanford microbiologist Dr. Robert Siegel shines light on the basic structure and function of viruses. He also explores those features that distinguish viruses from the living organisms they commandeer.

Cognitive psychologist Tania Lombrozo suggests that our “drive to explain” itself explains some of the most remarkable human achievements, but also some of our failings.

Dr. Jennifer Doudna receives Wonderfest’s 2017 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization.

Astronomer Eliot Quataert describes the remarkable new results coming out of our first steps into the gravitational wave era of cosmic exploration.

FOUR Wonderfest “Science Envoys” share insights — and answer questions — about observing the night sky, about the origin of innovation, about the omnipresence of evolution, and about the politics of ecology.

Three Wonderfest “Science Envoys” share insights — and answer questions — about the psycho-social costs of heavy media use, about dark matter, and about predicting earthquakes.

Three Wonderfest “Science Envoys” share insights — and answer questions — about the psycho-social costs of heavy media use, about dark matter, and about predicting earthquakes.

Stanford’s Dr. Anthony Wagner shows how quantifying “neural time travel” reveals the correspondence between brain states and states of mind.

Entomologist Dr. Vernard Lewis presents the latest research on the biology, detection, and control of three particularly villainous house guests: ants, termites, and bedbugs.

UCSF’s Dr. Robert Lustig explores the scientific, cultural, historic, economic, and social causes of our modern problem with pleasure.

We’ve all been fooled. Understanding how and why we’re fooled is the beginning of wisdom. A physicist, neuroscientist, and master magician help provide that understanding.

Astronomer Adrian Liu describes current efforts to use radio telescopes to make pictures of the teenage Universe, in a “sneak preview” of breakthrough results to look forward to in the next few years.

Yale psychologist John Bargh presents remarkable findings about the power and scope of unconscious motivators.

According to planetary scientist Dr. Pascal Lee, the famous “Drake Equation” shows us that Earth is — most probably — home to the only “advanced” civilization in the Milky Way galaxy.

Astrobiologist Dr. Carol Stoker describes why and how NASA plans to search for life on Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

In August 1997, Wonderfest presented its first science event: a public conversation between SETI pioneers Jill Tarter and Dan Werthimer. In August 2017, Wonderfest celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Dawkins, the legendary biologist and provocateur, challenges faulty logic, bad science, and climate change deniers.

NASA Einstein Fellow Dr. Blake Sherwin shows how studying the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation allows us to learn about the origin, composition, and ultimate fate of the universe.

Astronomer Alan Agrawal shows us how Galileo’s celestial observations dramatically changed our understanding of the universe and of our place in it.

Caltech’s Dr. Erik Petigura surveys our current understanding of exoplanet demographics.

In this Wonderfest dialogue, Dr. Lauren Weiss, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Montreal, talks about the sizes and compositions of the Kepler exoplanets. She reveals the essentials of planetary discovery by helping her audience members to build a model exoplanet system and observatory. Dr. Marc Pinsonneault, Professor of Astronomy at Ohio State University, discusses ...

Since 2009, the NASA Kepler space telescope has found thousands of planets orbiting other stars, revolutionizing our understanding of planets and our own Earth. NASA physicist Steve Bryson explains how Kepler has sparked the exciting effort to find Other Earths, and measure their atmospheres to find signs of life.

UC Berkeley astrophysicist Eliot Quataert summarizes our modern understanding of cosmic origins — from the Big Bang to exoplanets (and even to humans).

Prof. Thomas Targett takes on a tour through the worlds of Star Trek and Star Wars (and much more) to sort fact from fiction in popular astronomy.

If mind is “what the brain does,” how does the brain do it? And how are other parts of the body involved in creating mind? Wonderfest presents two neuroscientists with deep insights into the mind-body connection.

Astronomer Alex Filippenko discusses the magnificence of the “All-American” total solar eclipse (2017) AND of the many others he’s observed.

Dan Werthimer, chief scientist at UC Berkeley SETI, discusses the rationale for past and future searches, and shows how new technologies are revolutionizing SETI.

A dozen dedicated Wonderfest fans joined the March for Science in San Francisco — alongside ~ 50,000 other lovers of science and reason.

MARS BECKONS. The SETI Insititute’s Pascal Lee presents “Mission to Mars: The First Human Journeys to the Red Planet.” And NASA Planetary Scientist Chris McKay looks even further with “The Long View of Mars: Biology, Humans, and Terraforming.”

Entanglement phenomena are the closest thing we have to reproducible magic, and even physicists can’t agree as to what’s really going on.

The more closely animated characters’ actions obey the laws of physics, the more believable they become and, ironically, the better audiences can escape reality.

Caltech’s Dr. Carrie Nugget hunts asteroids. In doing so, she will ultimately help to protect Earth from cataclysmic impacts. Learn about the nature, origin, and global lethality of our solar system’s numerous (and mostly unidentified) mini-worlds.

Radical ideas and discoveries are transforming our understanding of the universe. Yale astrophysicist Priya Natarajan leads us on a tour of the “greatest hits” of recent cosmological detective work.

Caring deeply about our children is part of what makes us human. Yet the thing we call “parenting” is a surprisingly new invention. Drawing on the study of human evolution and her own cutting-edge research, developmental psychologist and philosopher Alison Gopnik shatters key myths of “good parenting.”

Time may be — simultaneously! — both the most mundane and the most mysterious feature of our universe.

Legenedary geophysicist Walter Alvarez discusses the insights in his latest book, “A Most Improbably Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves.”

Why do some 60-year-olds look/feel 40, and some 40-year-olds look/feel 60? Telomeres and telomerase have much to do with it, and they’re under our control — at least partly!

Humans are living longer but are not necessarily healthier. The latest research on human health and longevity has identified factors that control the aging process. By increasing our understanding of the biology of aging, we are beginning to identify interventions that will significantly extend the years of health, happiness, and productivity.

Is time travel science fiction, or a plausible reality? The idea of time travel has intrigued writers and scientists for over a century, with fictional storylines and scientific paradoxes that somehow still resist our full understanding. Physics professor and award-winning science fiction author Ken Wharton will use popular movies as a framework to outline several ...

Cosmologist and award-winning author Sean Carroll is professor of physics at Caltech. Among his highly praised books are From Eternity to Here and The Particle at the End of the Universe. He is especially well known online for his physics blog Cosmic Variance. Prof. Carroll now joins Wonderfest and the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley to ...

For the first time in Earth’s history, our planet is experiencing rapidly accelerating changes prompted by one species: humans. Climate change is the most visible, and our current behavior threatens not only our own future but that of countless other creatures.

Entanglement phenomena are the closest thing we have to reproducible magic, and even physicists can’t agree as to what’s really going on. Is it spooky action at a distance, or retrocausality, or choice-governing conspiracies?

From Aristotle to Einstein, fine minds have failed to grasp key ideas in basic physics. Join the Sonoma JCC for lunch AND for an exploration of the juiciest misconceptions that plague our “common-sense” understanding of how the world works: • The Earth moves through space. • “Now” has universal meaning. • The “Old One” does not play dice ...

We’ve all been fooled. Understanding how and why we’re fooled is the beginning of wisdom. Wonderfest, the Bay Area Beacon of Science, presents experts in physics, psychology, and magic to help us avoid getting fooled, again.

Sooner or later, humans will walk on the Red Planet. NASA scientist Pascal Lee and The Martian author Andy Weir want it to be “sooner,” and they have deep insights—both technical and psychological—about how to make it happen.

Visionary physician and spiritual seeker Larry Brilliant helped to eradicate smallpox in South Asia and to restore sight to 3.5 million blind people in 20 countries. Brilliant has worked with global leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, the Dalai Lama, and Barack Obama.

Wonderfest visits St. Helena’s beautiful Cameo Cinema for a special screening of The Man Who Knew Infinity, with expert commentary by NPR “Math Guy” Keith Devlin. The Man Who Knew Infinity is the true story of Indian savant Srinivasa Ramanujan, arguably the greatest mathematical genius of the 20th century.

The key environmental factors that gave rise to life on Earth are now suspected of being present throughout the universe. Long-lived stars, planets, water, and complex organic molecules are ubiquitous. Armed with the confidence that life could have developed elsewhere, scientists are racing to determine if indeed it did, and if so, whether some of ...

CRISPR is a new gene-editing tool that may revolutionize the way we think about—and ultimately treat—genetic disorders. However, some worry that CRISPR has a darker side, affecting genes that influence a child’s eye color, skin color, or (possibly) intelligence. This has led some to call for a halt in using CRISPR for some kinds of ...

Multiple lines of astronomical evidence show the existence of dark matter and dark energy — mysterious stuff whose gravity holds galaxies together and drives the accelerated expansion of the universe, respectively. Physicists have long assumed that this “dark sector” would at least partially consist of new, relatively massive particles, but have not been able to ...

Black holes can blow bubbles?! Join Stanford astrophysicist Norbert Werner on a fascinating journey through the universe to grasp the intimate connection between intergalactic gas, the birth and death of stars and galaxies, and the growth of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxy clusters.

To measure distances to far-away galaxies, astronomers make use of what are called “standard candles,” objects whose true brightness can be calibrated accurately. Our speaker, USF astrophysicist Xiaosheng Huang, will discuss Type Ia supernovae, the most powerful of all standard candles, including how to make them an even more useful tool for understanding the evolution ...

Please join us in Marin’s “Mountain Theater” for a special under-the-stars screening of 2010: The Year We Make Contact, the thrilling sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Directed by Peter Hyams, 2010 stars Roy Scheider as an American astronaut sent on a joint U.S.-Soviet mission to learn the fate of ...

The last decade has seen a revolution in astrobiology — the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Insights returned by Solar System planetary missions, the Kepler mission, and multi-disciplinary research in terrestrial extreme environments have resulted in a new inclusive vision of habitability in the universe. In her ...

If two black holes collide unobserved, do they make a sound? A black hole collision is more powerful than any event since the Big Bang. But when black holes collide, they do so unilluminated — emanating only gravitational waves; the only evidence would be the sound of spacetime ringing. Janna Levin, Barnard College Professor of ...

Millions of people serve in our armed forces. What does it take to get them prepared and to keep them alive? Mary Roach — author of Bonk, Stiff, and Packing for Mars — tackles the science behind some of a soldier’s most challenging adversaries: panic, exhaustion, heat, and noise.

Humans are living longer but are not necessarily healthier. The latest research on human health and longevity has identified factors that control the aging process. By increasing our understanding of the biology of aging, we are beginning to identify interventions that will significantly extend the years of health, happiness, and productivity.

NASA has started a new program called “Ocean Worlds” that will focus on the many oceans in the moons of the outer Solar System. Enceladus, Europa, and Titan are of particular interest. Come with us as planetary scientist Dr. Chris McKay explores where and how we will search for evidence of life in these alien ...

Whether you’re a NightLife regular or rookie, Wonderfest’s ORIGINS NightLife is not to be missed. It features three great speakers who will offer insights into fundamental beginnings: the origin of the cosmos, the origin of life, and the origin of civilization.

Viruses are ubiquitous — and weird — little critters. Biologists can’t even agree if they are truly “living” entities. But if viruses aren’t alive, then how did they evolve and where did they come from? Stanford microbiologist Lauren Popov will lead us on an exploration of the mainstream hypotheses about the origins of viruses, and ...

From Aristotle to Einstein, great minds have failed to grasp basic ideas in physics. Join award-winning physics teacher Tucker Hiatt in exploring five of the juiciest misconceptions that plague our “common-sense” understanding of how the world works: • The Earth moves through space. • “Now” has universal ...

The natural world is regulated at the microscopic and macroscopic levels: rules regulate every molecule in our bodies, and rules regulate every creature in the wild. But how is mankind using — and even altering — these rules? Award-winning biologist Sean Carroll will explain the remarkable similarity of the rules that regulate life at such ...

The first human mission to Mars will be our greatest 21st-century adventure. As with all expeditions, its success will depend on planning. The first steps are already under way: achieving longer spaceflight missions, planning for deep space journeys to Near-Earth Asteroids, and exploring extreme terrestrial environments as Mars “analogs.” Dr. Lee will discuss progress made ...

Ten years have passed since a conservative District Court judge ruled that teaching intelligent design in public schools violates the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The National Center for Science Education, led by Eugenie Scott, was a principal consultant in this crucial decision for separation of church and state. Please join Dr. Scott as ...

Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild. On the other hand, humans have produced innovative technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions. Joseph Heinrich — co-director of Harvard’s Human Evolution, Cognition…

Not one microbe has been found anywhere in the universe, except on Earth. Intelligent civilizations seem hard-to-come-by, too! Is our Galaxy teeming with life, as suggested by science fiction, or might intelligent life be rare in the Milky Way Galaxy? New telescopes and techniques can answer these questions.

How did the human race evolve from solitary predators into the intensely social creatures that we are now? Where in the brain can we find the roots of our multiple connections to each other, and how do those connections reverberate within and between us?

From Aristotle to Einstein, great minds have failed to grasp basic ideas in physics. Aristotle thought that all objects naturally prefer to be at rest; Einstein believed that, “God does not play dice.” Both these geniuses were mistaken, and, today, plenty of everyday geniuses continue to misunderstand key ideas in the most basic of the ...

The world’s bees can improve economic and ecological sustainability, if only we let them. We know the vital importance of bees, yet we also know that they are dying off. What does the future human condition look like in a world that incorporates bees into our architecture, healthcare, and everyday lives? Join Noah Wilson-Rich for ...

Dr. Richard Carrier is an expert in ancient science. Since earning his PhD at Columbia University, he has written numerous books on modern philosophy and ancient history. In this lively, illustrated talk, Dr. Carrier will compare modern science (from the Scientific Revolution to today) with science in the ancient Greco-Roman world…

Can 21st-century molecular biology answer age-old questions about the human experience? Can studying proteins and DNA help us understand how we make our choices in sex and love? How we communicate? Where our emotions come from? Or why we age and die?

Author and physicist Leonard Mlodinow (PhD, UC Berkeley) will explore how humans have won such a grand grasp of nature’s workings — and what deeper understandings may lie ahead. He is the author of five bestsellers including two co-written with Stephen Hawking: A Briefer History of Time and The Grand Design. Dr. Mlodinow’s The Drunkard’s ...

“Not too hot, not too cold” reads the prescription for a world that’s just right for life as we know it. Finding evidence of life beyond Earth is one of the primary goals of science agencies in the United States and abroad. The goal looms closer as a result of discoveries made by NASA’s Kepler ...

It’s a great pleasure of modern life to watch a wonderful movie, and then to discuss it with a smart friend. Even better when the movie is Her, Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi-rom-com about a man who falls in love with a female-voiced operating system (think Siri) — and the smart friend is Peter Norvig, world ...

Quantum theory is our best description of the micro-world. Quantum phenomena underly all processes in nature (except possibly gravitation). Some of these phenomena — superposition and entanglement, in particular — seem very strange to those of us living and functioning…

Imagine being able to watch as Edison turned on his first light bulb, or as Franklin received his first jolt of electricity. Particle Fever follows six brilliant scientists during the launch of the Large Hadron Collider, marking the start-up of the biggest and most expensive experiment in the history of the planet, pushing the edge ...

In the past five years, science has made great strides in better understanding the emotion of awe. UC Berkeley psychologist Craig L. Anderson will help us understand state-of-the-art findings about how awe promotes curiosity and pro-sociality, including the physiological processes that support these behaviors…

In April 2013, a little-known lecturer—working in isolation—proved something that rocked the mathematical world. Yitang Zhang’s insight into one of the great challenges of number theory, the Twin Prime Conjecture, is beautifully portrayed in the new film Counting From Infinity.

Perhaps “Biology is not destiny.” But our genetic code is at least writing on the wall! 1997’s GATTACA is a sci-fi thriller that explores what happens when society can control that writing — when eugenics and genetic discrimination are the norm. Is this our future? Expert commentary and audience Q&A will be provided by Prof. ...

Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, ethologist, science writer, and outspoken atheist. In 1976, he published his first book, The Selfish Gene, which emphasized the gene as the key unit of biological evolution, and coined the term meme as the unit of cultural evolution. In 2013, Dawkin’s Appetite for Wonder chronicled “the making of ...

Join us for a fascinating journey through the early universe using the latest computer animations of early star formation, supernova explosions, and the build-up of the first galaxies. Dr. Abel’s work has shown that the first luminous objects in the universe were very massive stars shining one million times as brightly as our Sun. They died quickly and seeded the cosmos with the ...

Not one microbe has been found anywhere in the universe, except on Earth. Intelligent civilizations seem hard-to-come-by, too! Is our Galaxy teeming with life, as suggested by science fiction, or might intelligent life be rare in the Milky Way Galaxy? New telescopes and techniques can answer these questions.

Whether you’re a NightLife regular or rookie, Wonderfest’s Cosmic NightLife is not to be missed. It features three of the most exciting and insightful space experts in the Bay Area — and perhaps on planet Earth. Here’s the schedule and line-up: McKay, Werthimer, and Filippenko. Planetary exploration, SETI, and the multiverse.

Bay Area astronomer Andrew Fraknoi takes us behind the scenes of how Pluto got “demoted” to a dwarf planet and why its story might still turn out OK. In July, the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the double planet Pluto-Charon and gave us superb close-up views of both worlds for the first time. Though New ...

Halloween is the perfect day for a deep and magical dialogue on the supernatural! Michael Shermer is the founder of The Skeptics Society, and monthly contributor to Scientific American magazine. He has written many books, including The Moral Arc and Why People Believe Weird Things, and he has appeared on The Colbert Report, Dateline, and ...

Join us for a fascinating journey through the early universe using the latest computer animations of early star formation, supernova explosions, and the build-up of the first galaxies. Dr. Abel’s work has shown that the first luminous objects in the universe were very massive stars shining one million times as brightly as our Sun. They died quickly and seeded the cosmos with the ...

Love is defined as a feeling of deep affection for someone or something, but why can it mean so much more to us? Why does who we are, and who we become, often depend on whom we love? Dr. Lewis, co-author of A General Theory of Love,…

We spend one third of our lives asleep, yet doctors and scientists still have no complete understanding as to why. It is one of the last great scientific mysteries.

Facebook is a great way to share news, keep in touch with friends, and make fun of old photos. It’s also a gold mine of information about human relationships. Data scientists have studied the communications of people who change their Facebook relationship status from “Single” to “In a relationship.” We now know how their timeline ...

We spend one third of our lives asleep, yet doctors and scientists still have no complete understanding as to why. It is one of the great scientific mysteries. Sleep researcher and UC Berkeley Professor, Matthew Walker…

How Fast Are You Moving Right Now? A TED-Ed video by our own Tucker Hiatt, with more than 3/4 million views!

Humans commonly make the perceptual error of equating the knowledge products of a society with the individual intellectual capacities of that society’s members, but this assumption has legs and feet of very soft clay. Sure, knowledge tends to be produced by smart people in any particular society, but the concentration of energy a society can ...

Steve Palumbi, one of today’s leading marine scientists, takes us to the absolute limits of the aquatic world—into the icy arctic, toward boiling hydrothermal vents, and into the deepest undersea trenches—to show how marine life thrives against the odds.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Diamond examines the evolutionary history of humans and the unique traits that distinguish us from other animals.

The word placebo, from Latin “I shall please,” was defined in Quincy’s Lexicon-Medicum (1811) as “ adapted more to please than to benefit the patient”. But as you probably know, pharmacologically inert “sugar pills” can do much more than just please…

Planet Earth is constantly being struck by interplanetary debris: fine dust, rocks, boulders (big enough to outshine the Sun when they die), asteroids, comets, and even small stray planets.

Pain speaks as forcefully and as personally as any human experience. While the ability to experience pain is essential for survival, chronic pain is the scourge of sentient existence. As a topic of research, pain presents a formidable challenge for scientists. Why can it be so hard to control? …

ome laugh with Dr. Norm Goldblatt, physicist and laser engineer. He’ll take you on a tour of his crazy world that unites left and right brain. Come one come all, young or old. NOT for geeks only. Everyone will enjoy thinking and giggling. Laugh AT him or WITH him; he doesn’t care.

The only way that Wonderfest and SF in SF can improve “Europa Report” is to follow it with the insights of legendary astrobiologist Dr. Chris McKay.

Particle Fever is the astoundingly popular account of humankind’s deepest exploration into the structure of matter. According to Kenneth Turan of the L.A. Times,

What if our soundest, most reasonable judgments are beyond our control? Are the feelings of being rational and having free will generated by conscious decisions or involuntary brain mechanisms? Is there a way to resolve the conflict between our innate biology and our traditional beliefs? Dr. Robert A. Burton, author of “A Skeptic’s Guide to ...

When science fiction portrays the galaxy as an arena of interstellar commerce and, occasionally, of star wars, could it be accurate? We now know that billions of hospitable, Earth-like planets are sprinkled throughout our Milky Way Galaxy. Yet billions of short-term searches for ET have turned up nothing. Where is everybody?!

Spring is no longer in the air, and the grass is worn down. But excitement is building as the boys of summer become the play-off boys of October — with the end of the Major League Baseball season. Please join two veteran physics teachers as they explain — and demonstrate — the physical nuances of ...

“Not too hot, not too cold” reads the prescription for a world that’s just right for life as we know it. Finding evidence of life beyond Earth is one of the primary goals of science agencies in the United States and abroad. The goal looms closer as a result of discoveries made by NASA’s Kepler ...

Jared Diamond, UCLA Professor of Geography, is a scientist known for drawing from a variety of fields: from anthropology to evolutionary biology. He has published several very popular science books, including Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs and Steel and, most recently, The World Until Yesterday.

Who’s your (ancient) daddy? Did he walk upright? Could he control fire? Did he have a brow ridge that wouldn’t quit? Then maybe he was a Homo of the erectus — not so sapient — type. Many new Homo erectus specimens

Earth was once a molten ball totally uninhabitable. In a geological instant, it was filled with life. What do we know about this transformation? And could there be more than one recipe for the transition from non-life to life?

Pain speaks as forcefully and as personally as any human experience. While the ability to experience pain is essential for survival, chronic pain is the scourge of sentient existence. As a topic of research, pain presents a formidable challenge for scientists.

Earth was once a molten ball totally uninhabitable. In a geological instant, it was filled with life. What do we know about this transformation? And could there be more than one recipe for the transition from non-life to life?

From ancient conjurers to quick-handed con artists to big ticket Las Vegas illusionists, magicians throughout the ages have been expertly manipulating human attention and perception to dazzle and delight us (or scare us, or steal our watches). Of course you know that the phenomena of cognitive and sensory illusions are responsible for the “magic” of ...

The evening will begin with a lecture and slide presentation by UC Berkeley researcher Dan Werthimer. Then Paul Salazar, the Urban Astronomer, will lead the audience in a brief tour of the night sky. Finally, all attendees are invited to walk to a nearby site where the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers will make ...

Actors meet scientists! See what happens when experts in comedy improvisation glorify, qualify, and versify the science insights of earnest PhD students (Wonderfest’s Science Envoys)… Laughter joins learning to capture your imagination.

Don’t Lick That Doorknob: A special screening of Contagion with commentary by microbiologist Dr. Bob Siegel

From ancient conjurers to quick-handed con artists to big ticket Las Vegas illusionists, magicians throughout the ages have been expertly manipulating human attention and perception to dazzle and delight us (or scare us, or steal our watches). Of course you know that the phenomena of cognitive and sensory illusions are responsible for the “magic” of ...

Everyone loves a good time travel story, but given what we know, and don’t know, about physics, is time travel in any way plausible? Using popular movies as a framework, Professor Wharton will outline several distinct categories of consistent time travel stories, and discuss possible connections with actual physics.

We humans often do battle with creepy invaders of our living spaces and goods. Come and learn the latest research on the biology, detection, and control of three particularly villainous house guests. You might be surprised to find which room is the foremost target in your home. We will have a lot ...

Roger Ebert wrote of this terrific little film: “Few descriptions of ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ will do it justice. It’s a more ambitious and touching movie than seems possible.” Time travel is a wonderful idea. Come explore that wonder while watching what Roger Ebert called “a more ambitious and touching movie than seems possible.”

Are you excited about the potential of stem cell research to provide cures for debilitating conditions like diabetes, spinal cord injury, macular degeneration, heart disease, and neurologic disorders? Perhaps you’ve noticed the enthusiasm, the caveats, and the controversy — and you want to understand what it all means, where the research stands today, where it’s ...

The scientific understanding of our origins began in earnest with Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin, and others, and has since evolved into a rich, detailed, and well-tested model. Direct observations of the infant universe now show that it was remarkably smooth compared to what we see around us today, with only tiny differences in its properties from ...

Dr. Jim McKerrow, Director of the Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, will present Parasites Among Us. Of the ~ 4,000 species of mammals, very few are parasitic. But when we add up the 5,000 species of tapeworms, 200,000 species of parasitic wasps, and the legion of other parasitic species, we ...

2012’s “Robot and Frank” charmed and challenged moviegoers with the story of a robot that befriends an aging cat burglar, played by Frank Langella. Wonderfest and Variety Children’s Charity are teaming-up to present a special screening of “Robot and Frank” along with affectionate commentary by UC Berkeley EECS professor Ken Goldberg.

When we talk about social networks, we’re almost always talking about online networks: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, weblogs. Constantly changing and ever-increasing online media offer us unique ways to connect, collaborate, and express our interests and creativity. Yet, questions have been raised about the widespread use of social networks, revealing …

While self-confidence is a prized human attribute, too much confidence can be obnoxious, pernicious, and even deadly.

For five decades, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has pioneered groundbreaking discoveries from astrophysics to energy science. The home of cutting-edge facilities and technologies, scientists uncover mysteries on the smallest and largest scales – from the workings of the atom to the enigmas of the cosmos. Research conducted at SLAC has led to Nobel Prizes for ...

On December 1st, with just one month to meet the legendary “End of Days” before 2013, Wonderfest invites you to a more rational examination of doomsday. End of Daze: Does Hollywood Get Doomsday Right? presents uber-droll planetary scientist Chris McKay introducing a special screening of 2012’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. ...

Wonderfest presents The Physics Circus, an exhibition in the Bay Area Science Festival, Discovery Days at AT&T Park. With equipment generously donated by PASCO Scientific, physics teachers Zeke Kossover and Tucker Hiatt will guide you in the use of over a dozen wondrous devices: bicycle gyroscope, marshmallow blowgun, compression igniter, inertia wand, ultrasonic motion detector, ...

The famous K/T extinction event (death knell of the dinosaurs) shows that, even today, the collision of Earth with a small world gone astray can refresh the face of our planet. Impacts were much larger and more frequent on the early Earth. In all likelihood, impacts posed the greatest challenge to the survival of ...

As a cookbook, Joy of Cooking has sold over 18 million copies. As a philosophy, it has enriched countless fine meals. Scientists contend that science intensifies the joy of cooking. From boiling water to baking a soufflé, scientific insights can inform and enhance most every kitchen experience.

Since at least the beginning of the written record, epidemics of infectious disease have swept through plant and animal populations, including humans, and altered the course of history. The unexpected, diverse, and seemingly sophisticated composition and behavior of these naturally-occurring epidemic agents has prompted many to proclaim Mother Nature to be a far more effective ...

Join world-renowned astronomers for an end-of-summer picnic on Mt. Hamilton! Event begins with outdoor catered BBQ (with vegetarian options) and live 1970s music from Silicon Valley’s Dr. West. Mingle, chat, and ask your cosmic questions of UC astronomy professors Alex Filippenko, Geoff Marcy, and Sandra Faber.

Renowned researcher-teacher (and co-discoverer of dark energy) Alex Filippenko will present key video excerpts from Carl Sagan’s legendary COSMOS television series, offer up-to-date commentary, and invite audience questions. Your browser does not support the video tag. Do you remember when Carl Sagan urged us to explore beyond the “shores of the cosmic ocean” and to search for ...

Where do nature’s building blocks, called the elements, come from? They’re the hidden ingredients of everything in our world, from the carbon in our bodies to the metals in our smartphones. To unlock their secrets, David Pogue, the lively host of NOVA’s popular “Making Stuff” series and technology correspondent of The New York Times, spins ...

What are the health effects of electromagnetic (EM) radiation? After exploring the fundamental (and fun) physics of electric and magnetic fields, we will see just what EM waves are. Then we’ll consider how this radiation can, and might, and cannot disrupt the mechanisms of the body. Finally, we’ll examine the evidence — both anecdotal and ...

More than 80% of the material universe consists of stuff we don’t understand. This “dark matter” gravitates, but it does very little else; in particular, it doesn’t emit, reflect, or even absorb light. Over the next decade, a combination of astronomical observations and particle physics experiments hold great promise to finally shed light on the ...

Some 65% of all research and development in the U.S. is funded by private interests. History shows that the corporate funding of scientific research can be problematic — the tobacco industry offers a potent example. When corporations fund science, is truth the ultimate goal, or is stockholder profit?

Incomplete Nature begins by accepting what other theories try to deny: that, although mental contents do indeed lack these material-energetic properties, they are still entirely products of physical processes and have an unprecedented kind of causal power that is unlike anything that physics and chemistry alone have so far explained. Paradoxically, it is the intrinsic ...