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 we'll marvel at the diversity of the ever-expanding viral family tree. Lauren Popov
WHAT: Viruses: Ancestors or Aliens?
WHO: Lauren Popov, PhD Candidate, Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University
WHERE: Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N San Pedro Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 [http://www.marinjcc.org]
WHEN: 2016-05-10 1:00 PM, Tuesday, May 10, 2016
HOW: Co-produced with the Marin JCC. Please register ($10) by calling 415-444-8000.
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 meaning.
Nature loves all energies equally.
Mass becomes energy via E=mc^2.
God does not play dice.
WHAT: BAD PHYSICS: Five Common Errors in Our Grasp of Reality
WHO: Tucker Hiatt, Wonderfest Director & former Stanford Visiting Scholar
WHERE: Osher Marin JCC, 200 N San Pedro Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 Map: [http://bit.ly/1X1hJTf]
WHEN: 2016-03-24 — Thursday, March 24, 1:00-3:00 PM
HOW: Collaborators: Co-produced with the Marin JCC. Please register ($10) by calling 415-444-8000. [http://www.marinjcc.org]
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 different size levels. He will explain how our deep understanding leads to life-saving medicines, and how the time has come to use life’s rules (the “Serengeti Rules”) to heal our ailing planet. Sean B. Carroll
WHAT: Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works
WHO: Sean B. Carroll, Prof. of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin — Madison [http://seanbcarroll.com]
WHERE: Recital Hall, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara Map: [http://bit.ly/1L7RkTj]
WHEN: 2016-03-23 — Wednesday, March 23, 7:00 PM
HOW: Collaborators: Co-produced with the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley
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 around the world — from the Arctic to Antarctica, from basement labs to the International Space Station — to achieve the first human voyage to Mars. He will explore the what, why, how, when, and who of that first interplanetary journey.
Dr. Pascal Lee
WHAT: MISSION: MARS — Toward the First Human Journey to the Red Planet
WHO: Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist, Mars Institute and SETI Institute
WHERE: Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland Map: [http://bit.ly/1L7RtG6]
WHEN: 2016-03-18 — Friday, March 18, 8:00 PM
HOW: Collaborators: Co-produced with Chabot Space & Science Center
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 she presents a great “What If” analysis: the speculative fiction of an alternate universe in which intelligent design creationism COULD be taught as science! This event is FREE, but please register with Eventbrite, below. Dr. Eugenie Scott
WHAT: What If “Intelligent Design" Had Won?
WHO: Dr. Eugenie Scott, Founding Director, National Center for Science Education
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, and Culture Center — explores how our cultural and social development produce a collective intelligence that explains both our uniqueness and our success. Joseph Henrich
WHAT: The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Human Evolution
WHO: Joseph Henrich, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
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 distinct categories of consistent time travel stories — making connections with actual physics wherever possible.
WHAT: The Physics of Time Travel
WHO: Ken Wharton, Professor of Physics & Astronomy, San José State University
WHEN: 8:00 PM, Saturday, January 9, 2016
WHERE: Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619
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