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Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these three Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:

• UC Berkeley psychologist Eliza Kosoy on "How Children Are Smarter Than AI"
• Stanford microbiologist Alma Mendoza on "The Most Successful Parasite"
• Stanford astrophysicist Jed Thompson on "What We Know (and some of what we don't) About Dark Matter."

Black holes are among the most remarkable predictions of Einstein's theory of gravity. So much material is compressed into such a small volume that nothing, not even light, can escape. In Spring 2019, the multinational Event Horizon Telescope released the first real picture of gas around a massive black hole and the “shadow” cast as that gas swirls in. UC Berkeley astrophysicist Eliot Quataert will describes how this — and other — pioneering observations were made and what they have taught us about black holes.

Dr. Eliot Quataert is Professor and Chair of the Astronomy Department at UC Berkeley. He also directs Cal's Theoretical Astrophysics Center.

Racing Extinction is a compelling documentary about the (pending) legacy of Earth's Anthropocene epoch: a species mass extinction caused, world-wide, by human activity. The Emmy-nominated film is 81% "Fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes, and it won the Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award. This special screening of Racing Extinction will be followed by expert commentary and Q&A with conservationist and tropical ecologist Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo.

Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo is Professor of Environmental Science at Stanford University. He is also Senior Fellow at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these three Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:

• UC Berkeley industrial engineer and operations researcher Caleb Bugg on "Engineering in an Apocalyptic World"
• Stanford Earth systems scientist Sami Li Chen on "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Give Me Some Ramps"
• UC Berkeley astrophysicist Abigail Polin on "Things that Go Boom in the Night: A Story of Type Ia Supernovae."

Around the world, people recognize that E=mc^2 oozes cosmic insight. But what does this "most famous equation" really say? What are energy and mass? And what makes the speed of light, c, so important? [Hint: mass, moving at speed c, doesn't turn into energy!] Using little more than common experience and middle-school math, Einstein's "special relativity" gem can come to life — with surprising insights into the nature of reality.

Speaker Tucker Hiatt, founding director of Wonderfest, has taught physics for a looong time. In 2006, he won the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence, and, from 2008 to 2014, he was a Visiting Scholar in the Stanford Chemistry Department.

Human beings tend to prefer cross-species measurements that put us at the top of the scale. Intelligence is one such measure. Are humans really the smartest creatures on Earth? Should this be obvious given our problem-solving ability and big brains? This presentation will look at some examples of animal intelligence, explore language studies in animals, and attempt to view human intelligence within a grander environmental context.

Our speaker, Julie Hui, is a PhD candidate studying the evolution of cooperation in UC Berkeley's Anthropology Department. She is also a Wonderfest Science Envoy.

Scientists know with certainty that California will experience large earthquakes in the future. Earthquakes are often depicted in the media and popular culture, but which aspects of these depictions are factual, and which are fictitious? We cannot yet predict earthquakes, so what can we do? How can we prepare?

Our speaker, Dr. William Hawley, is a geophysicist and a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Scholar at Columbia University. He is also a Wonderfest Science Envoy.

Image: SarahRichterArt

Sharks exhibit an incredible sensitivity to their watery environment, including an extra sensory advantage: the ability to detect tiny electric signals. This sixth sense can help them locate meals, identify mates, and even, we believe, navigate the oceans. Hundreds of "electrosensors" sit embedded within a shark's head; in concert, they can discern changes as small as a billionth of a single volt. This talk will bring together physics, chemistry, and biology to reveal how a creature can "see" the world electrically.

Our speaker, Dr. Brandon Brown, is professor and chair in the Physics Department at the University of San Francisco.

Human minds love to discover patterns, to find intuitive explanations, and, most of all, to be certain. Yet our world is complicated and filled with randomness. Statistical thinking provides us with practical tools for making sense of an uncertain world. It can lead us to make surprising conclusions from the data of everyday life. And it also teaches us useful humility in the face of uncertainty.

Our speaker, Dr. Jacob Bien, is Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Southern California. He is also a founding member of Wonderfest's Board of Directors.

Genetic engineering and editing allow us to modify plants in various ways. Questions have been raised about the environmental and human-health effects of these technologies to modify the genetic information in crops and foods. What is the history of genetic modification of plants, and what impact might these technologies have on the future of foods?

Our speaker, Dr. Peggy Lemaux, is Cooperative Extension Specialist at UC Berkeley. She, also, was the chair of UC's Agricultural and Natural Resources Biotechnology Workgroup.

Our understanding of stem cells has exploded in recent years, promising transformative therapies — and even cures — for a myriad of diseases. Come learn about the many types of stem cells in the human body, and how they are being used to develop treatments for diseases including immune deficiencies, sickle cell disease, thalassemia, diabetes, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, and eye diseases. See how these groundbreaking therapies have changed the course of so many lives.

Both of our speakers hail from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Dr. Lisa Kadyk is CIRM's Associate Director of Therapeutics, and Yimy Villa is CIRM's Marketing Communications Manager.

In 1931, Winston Churchill declared: "We shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under suitable medium." What suitable medium is that?! Beyond chicken, can the tissues of cow, pig, and fish really be grown in the laboratory? These are questions being tackled by scientists at companies in the US and abroad. Further: How do these cultured meats taste, and how much do they cost? Alongside the enormous animal welfare issue, does in vitro meat have health implications for humans AND for the planet at large?

Our speaker, Dr. Nicholas Legendre, is Director of Biological Research at New Age Meats in San Francisco.

Quantum mechanics, the physics of the very small, is the most accurate and far-reaching theory in science. (Bear in mind: theory is as good as it gets in science!) Still, physicists themselves admit that they don't fully understand the quantum world. Caltech physicist and New York Times best-selling author Sean Carroll suggests that we do have a very promising way to understand the mysteries of the quantum world ... of quantum worlds.

Sean M. Carroll is Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology. His most recent book is "Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime."