2016 Archive

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. As we stand at this pivotal juncture, Dr. Grinspoon calls upon all of us to be planetary engineers, conscious shapers of our environment and caretakers of Earth’s biosphere.
Dr. David Grinspoon

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 conspiracies that govern our choices? And what is a good skeptic to do when every explanatory option seems unacceptable — when nature forces us to train skepticism inward, towards our strongest intuitions? (General audiences welcome!)
Dr. Ken Wharton

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 with the universe.

Tucker Hiatt

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. Our speakers/performers are:

• Dr. Luigi Anzivino, neuroscientist
• Marc "Zeke" Kossover, physicist
• Robert Strong, master magician

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. Here, he will discuss his new book Sometimes Brilliant, "a riveting and fascinating epidemiological adventure," and "a testament to faith, love, service, and what it means to engage with life’s most important questions in pursuit of a better, more brilliant existence."

Produced in collaboration with the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley. Purchase discount tickets through THIS LINK with promo code WONDERFEST.

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. Ramanujan believes his insights come from god, and need no proof. His atheist Oxford collaborator, G.H. Hardy, thinks — and demands — otherwise. The clash of cultures and magnificent minds is captivating.

Freeing us from a measure of captivity will be Stanford mathematician Keith Devlin. He has untangled great ideas on National Public Radio, and he is the author of numerous popular books. Dr. Devlin will help us to understand Ramanujan’s revelations. Central to his insights — and central to the fundamental tension in the movie — is the murky provenance of mathematical truths: Where do math insights come from, and how important is the concept of proof?

Keith Devlin

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 that life went on to develop a technological capability similar to our own. What are the latest development in their search, and what would be the consequences of actually finding ET?

Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, will discuss the scientific rationale behind the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and some of the recent discoveries that are informing and spurring the search.

Dr. Seth Shostak

CRISPR is a new gene-editing tool that may revolutionize the way we think about—and ultimately treat—genetic disorders. For scientists, it is cheap and easy to use, allowing them to do what they've only dreamed of in the past. What if researches could eliminate the gene that causes Huntington's Disease in embryos, and free families from that disease for all future generations? 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 research, and for others to say that such a moratorium is a thinly veiled "attack on science." Jeff Sheehy looks at both sides of the debate, exploring the potential and the perils of gene editing.

Speaker Jeff Sheehy is director for communications at the UCSF AIDS Research Institute, and a former member of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's governing board. A longtime HIV/AIDS and LGBT human rights activist, Jeff served as HIV/AIDS advisor to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Jeff has received the Human Rights Campaign's Leadership Award, the Caped Crusader Award from equality California, and he has been named to OUT magazine's "Out 100" and POZ magazine's "POZ 100."

Jeff Sheehy

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 turn up clear evidence for them. A dark sector made of very light particles, however, could have escaped detection, yet is compatible with all astronomical and cosmological evidence. Precision measurements in physics are suitable to searching for such ultralight dark-sector candidates.

Dr. Holger Müller is Associate Professor of Physics at UC Berkeley. He and his research group develop experimental approaches to fundamental and applied physics questions. His expertise in instrument design was demonstrated at the ripe old age of 14 when he earned his first patent.

Dr. Holger Müller

Dr. Norbert Werner

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 of the cosmos.

Admission is FREE, but please register below. Bring a flashlight; and, just in case, wear warm clothes in layers. If bad weather threatens, call 415-455-5370 after 4pm. Hang around afterward for a laser-guided tour of the night sky AND for celestial viewing through the big telescopes of the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA). This event is co-produced by Wonderfest, the Mount Tam Astronomy Program, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Friends of Mt. Tam, and the SFAA.

Dr. Xiaosheng Huang

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 original 2001 Jupiter mission. Co-stars include Helen Mirren and John Lithgow. Post-screening discussion will be moderated by Wonderfest director Tucker Hiatt.

This event is jointly presented by Wonderfest, the Mt. Tam Astronomy Program, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, the Friends of Mt. Tam, and the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers.

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 presentation, Dr. Cabrol will discuss this scientific revolution. She will present the latest updates from current missions, the existing plans for new ones, and where we stand in our quest to comprehend habitability and to find life beyond Earth.

Our speaker, SETI Institute astrobiolgist Nathalie Cabrol, is presented by: Wonderfest, the Mt. Tam Astronomy Program, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, The Friends of Mt. Tam, and the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers.

Dr. Nathalie Cabrol

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 Physics & Astronomy, shares the aspirations and the trials of the scientists who embarked on a 50-year-long endeavor to capture these elusive gravitational waves — allowing us to record the soundtrack of the universe.

[Black Holes with Einstein image from Discover magazine.]

Dr. Janna Levin

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. She shares some of her bizarre experiences dodging hostile fire as part of a training exercise with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team, and staying up all night with the crew manning missiles on the nuclear submarine USS Tennessee. Take a tour of duty with Roach, and you’ll never think about our nation’s defenders the same way again.
Mary Roach

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.

Join Dr. Gregory Tranah, CPMC Research Institute and UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, for this penetrating and FREE exploration of healthy aging. Just kindly register with Eventbrite.

Gregory Tranah, PhD

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 discuss his latest book, The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself.

• WHO:  Sean M. Carroll, Professor of Physics, California Institute of Technology
• WHAT:  The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
• WHEN:  7:00 PM, Monday, May 16, 2016
• WHERE:  Cubberley Community Theater, 4000 Middlefield Road (at Montrose Avenue)
• HOW:  Purchase Wonderfest DISCOUNT tickets through the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley HERE.
• WHY:  Because we're curious creatures.

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 seas.

Dr. Chris McKay

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. Here's the schedule and line-up:

7:00pm – Eliot Quataert (Director, UC Berkeley Theoretical Astrophysics Center) on "How the Universe Evolved from Smooth to Lumpy" — The infant universe was remarkably uniform, with only tiny differences in its properties from one part to another. By contrast, the present universe exhibits enormous differences: some regions host planets, stars, and galaxies (and even humans!) while others do not. Prof. Quataert will describe how the universe evolved from its smooth beginnings to its current state, emphasizing how gravity reigns supreme and builds up the planets, stars, and galaxies required for biological evolution to proceed.

8:00pm – Dave Deamer (Professor of Biomolecular Engineering, UC Santa Cruz) on "Salty Sea or Darwin's Pond: Where Did Life Begin?" — Many undersea hydrothermal vents are loaded with bacteria, so scientists propose that life could have begun in similar sites four billion years ago. But science works best when there is competition between ideas. Prof. Deamer will describe field studies in the hydrothermal fields of Hawaii, Iceland, Kamchatka, and Mt. Lassen’s Bumpass Hell. He’ll discuss lab simulations that argue in favor of life’s origin in the fresh water environment suggested by Charles Darwin in 1871.

9:00pm – Henry Gilbert (Associate Professor of Anthropology, Cal State East Bay) on "Human Civilization from a Paleoanthropologist's Perspective" — Webster’s defines civilization as “the condition that exists when people have developed effective ways of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.” Is civilization a useful term in academia? … in geopolitics? Does the term unite or divide humanity? Using numerous visual presentations of artifacts, excavations, and prehistoric societies, Prof. Gilbert will address the archaeological origins of intelligence, art, and other aspects of modern human behavior that may constitute civilization.

TICKETS: Get general NightLife info, and purchase tickets here.

• WHAT:  Wonderfest's "ORIGINS NightLife" at the Cal Academy
• WHO:  Eliot Quataert (UC Berkeley); Dave Deamer (UC Santa Cruz); Henry Gilbert (Cal State East Bay)
• WHEN:  6:00 PM, Thursday, May 12
• WHERE:  California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
• HOW: Purchase tickets via the Cal Academy.
• WHY: Because we're curious creatures.