2018 Archive

Earth, seventy percent covered by water, is home to a multitude of strange ocean creatures, and dominant among them are the fishes. There are giants that live for centuries and thumb-sized tiddlers that survive only weeks; they can be pancake-flat or inflatable balloons; they can shout with colors or hide in plain sight, cheat and dance, remember and say sorry; some rarely budge while others travel the globe restlessly. In discussion of her most-recent book, Eye of the Shoal, Dr. Helen Scales will provide A Fishwatcher's Guide to Life, the Oceans, and Everything.

When not writing (or underwater), marine biologist Helen Scales teaches marine conservation at Cambridge University.

Dr. Helen Scales

Earth, seventy percent covered by water, is home to a multitude of strange ocean creatures, and dominant among them are the fishes. There are giants that live for centuries and thumb-sized tiddlers that survive only weeks; they can be pancake-flat or inflatable balloons; they can shout with colors or hide in plain sight, cheat and dance, remember and say sorry; some rarely budge while others travel the globe restlessly. In discussion of her most-recent book, Eye of the Shoal, Dr. Helen Scales will provide A Fishwatcher's Guide to Life, the Oceans, and Everything.

When not writing (or underwater), marine biologist Helen Scales teaches marine conservation at Cambridge University. [Note: Dr. Scales will present similar undersea insights on June 25th at this Wonderfest event in Redwood City.]

Dr. Helen Scales

Through years of scientific and technological advance, we’ve learned that heredity is as complex as it is important. Consider the seemingly simple trait of height. We now know that at least 800 distinct genes influence height in humans. Further, collectively, those genes explain only about one-quarter of the heritability of height! The subtitle of science writer Carl Zimmer's new book is The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity. In this Wonderfest collaboration with the Commonwealth Club, Zimmer will exhibit the depth of his research and the clarity of his discourse. He will help us to understand how humans have become who we are.

Carl Zimmer's journalistic "beat" is the science of life. He has written 13 books (including two biology textbooks), numerous essays (for The New York Times, Discover, National Geographic, and more), and he is an adjunct professor in Yale University's Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry.

Carl Zimmer

We humans often do battle with creepy invaders of our living spaces. This lively talk will present the latest research on the biology, detection, and control of three particularly villainous house guests. You might be surprised to find which room in your home is their favorite target. We will have big (and little) fun, and there will be props a-plenty — some of them still crawlin' — to go around.

Our speaker, Dr. Vernard Lewis, is emeritus Cooperative Extension Specialist in UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management. He joined the Cal faculty in 1991, specializing in Urban Entomology, authoring or co-authoring more than 150 publications, and giving hundreds of lectures & presentations. Dr. Lewis was inducted into the Pest Control Hall of Fame in 2016.

Dr. Vernard Lewis

The Northern Lights (aurora) can appear as a deep red glow here in California. In Alaska, it more often appears as a bright green band, glowing across the night sky. Scientists are still researching why these dynamic lights look the way they do. Come learn more about the underlying reasons for auroras, their connection to the activity on the Sun, and how photographers are helping us better understand the different ways these lights manifest ... and delight.

Our speaker, physicist Laura Peticolas, is Scientist and Associate Director of Education & Outreach at Sonoma State University.

Dr. Laura Peticolas

Scientists know, as well as we know the sun will rise tomorrow, that California will experience another large earthquake. But what details do we have? What will this earthquake be like? How accurate is the portrayal we see on television? Earth & planetary scientist William Hawley will answer these questions — and more — in a moving dive into the world of seismology.

William Hawley is a seismologist and advanced PhD candidate in UC Berkeley's Department of Earth & Planetary Science. He is also a Wonderfest "Science Envoy," a compelling and well-trained science communicator.

William B. Hawley

How did the human race evolve from rather 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? Pascal famously wrote, "The heart has reasons that reason cannot comprehend." Today, Pascal would admit that very reasonable "comprehension" has been attained by modern psychology and neuroscience.

Our speaker, Dr. Thomas Lewis, is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF and Professor at USF's Fromm Institute. He is also co-author of the book A General Theory of Love.

Zoologist Lucy Cooke has explored the wildest side of wildlife. Against our temptation to anthropomorphize animal behavior — projecting human values such as temperance, fidelity, and enterprise onto our biological kin — Cooke's careful observation reveals a bizarre animal world that includes drunken moose, cheating penguins, and lazy worker ants. "Virtue" may be significantly less natural than we imagined.

Oxford-educated Lucy Cooke is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who studied zoology and animal behavior with Richard Dawkins. This discussion of her most recent book, The Truth About Animals, will takes us on a global journey, exposing myths and misconceptions about the animal world.

Lucy Cooke

Psychologist Mariel Goddu explores the origins of logical thought, from prehistory to everyday modern problem-solving. Neuroscientist Ryan York explains the romantic lengths to which one castle-building critter will go in the name of romance.

Mariel Goddu is a doctoral candidate at UC Berkeley's Institute of Human Development, and Ryan York is a postdoctoral scholar in Stanford's Department of Neurobiology. Both Mariel and Ryan are Wonderfest Science Envoys.

Mariel Goddu & Ryan York

Reading the news is a lousy way to learn about global warming. Why? Because news outlets focus on what is novel, so they rarely discuss the big picture that has been causing climate scientists to lose sleep for decades. This presentation provides the big picture. It will arm you with a few simple numbers to be confident in your understanding of global warming, its impacts, our failure to act, and what needs to be done.

Our Earth Day speaker, Dr. David Romps, holds the Goldman Distinguished Chair in the Physical Sciences at UC Berkeley. He is also Associate Professor of Earth & Planetary Science, and he directs the Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center.

Dr. David Romps

Many scientists now think that there might be more than a single universe. Our Universe may be just one example in a far larger "multiverse," but an unusually complex one that is conducive to the existence of life. Come learn about the relevant lines of reasoning and their profound implications.

Our speaker, Dr. Alex Filippenko, is one of the world's most highly cited astronomers. He was the only person to serve on both teams that simultaneously discovered the Nobel-worthy accelerating expansion of the universe. Alex has been voted UC Berkeley's "Best Professor" a record nine times.

Alex Filippenko

We search for the origins of life on Earth and the potential for life elsewhere, but what are we actually looking for? What is life? Is there only one way to construct a living organism, or are we Earthlings but one possibility out of a multitude?

Our speaker, Dr. Lynn Rothschild, is an astrobiologist and synthetic biologist at NASA Ames Research Center. She is also an adjunct professor at Brown University and at UC Santa Cruz.

Dr. Lynn Rothschild

Jane Goodall may be the world's foremost expert on our genetic and behavioral kin, the chimpanzees. She is certainly a brave and thoughtful steward of planet Earth. In the 2017 documentary Jane, we see the young, untrained researcher challenge scientific consensus on the road to revolutionizing people's understanding of the natural world.

Alongside the Cameo Cinema's screening of the highly acclaimed Jane (99% Fresh at RottenTomatoes), Wonderfest presents UC Davis anthropologist Kelly Harcourt on "Why Study Apes?" Dr. Harcourt studied mountain gorillas (with, among others, Dian Fossey) in central and east Africa. Since 1989, she and her husband have produced numerous scientific and popular publications, including their 2007 book, Gorilla Society.

Dr. Kelly Stewart Harcourt

The modern scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is decades old. Why, so far, have we gotten no hint of cosmic companionship? SETI pioneer Dan Werthimer will describe the rationale for past and future searches, and will show how new technologies are revolutionizing SETI.

Dan Werthimer is chief scientist at the Berkeley SETI Research Center. He oversees both SETI@home and the new $100-million Breakthrough Listen project.

Dan Werthimer

Putting potent science into NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences, Wonderfest presents two scientists with deep insights into the brain-body connection:

• At 7:45pm, Dr. Gregory Tranah presents "I Got Rhythm!" – How circadian rhythms coordinate the brain and body to impact human health and aging. Dr. Tranah is Director of Precision Medicine at Sutter Health.
• At 8:30pm, Dr. Robert Siegel presents "Cows, Cannibals, and Crystals" – How prions, infectious agents unlike any others, cause disease. Dr. Siegel is Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University.

Please take part in this special Wonderfest contribution to Brain & Body NightLife  by purchasing tickets via the Cal Academy link below. [Note: The full NightLife experience begins at 6:00pm; only adults 21+ are admitted.]
Greg Tranah, PhD and Bob Siegel, MD PhD

The Declaration of Independence proclaims our right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," but not to the pursuit of pleasure. What is the neurological difference between these two positive emotions of happiness and pleasure? Has society's exploitation of pleasure systematically weakened our grasp on happiness? What has caused the twin epidemics of these emotions' negative extremes: addiction (from too much pleasure) and depression (from too little happiness)?

Our speaker, Dr. Robert Lustig, is Professor Emeritus of pediatric endocrinology at UC San Francisco. His new book, The Hacking of the American Mind, explores the scientific, cultural, historic, economic, and social causes of our modern problem with pleasure.

Dr. Robert Lustig

Viruses are infectious agents that exist in the twilight zone between the living and the non-living. Despite their tiny genomes and diminutive nature, viruses hold the power of life and death. They also contain remarkable molecular tools, some of which researchers have learned to harness to understand and control the fundamental powers of biology. Stanford's Bob Siegel will shine light on the basic structure and function of viruses. He'll also explore those features that distinguish viruses from the living organisms they commandeer.

Dr. Robert Siegel, MD PhD, is Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University. He has won nearly a dozen awards for excellence in teaching.

Dr. Robert Siegel

The first human mission to Mars will be the greatest adventure of 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. Pascal 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 our first journey to the Red Planet.

Dr. Pascal Lee