Like thoroughly scientific alchemists, nuclear chemists work to create elements that don’t exist naturally on Earth. These new super-heavy atoms could be long-lived, residing on proton-packed islands of stability off the far end of the periodic table. What new elements have most recently been added to the periodic table? How do scientists construct these fundamental novelties? How do investigators deduce the physical and chemical properties of the new elements from just a few ephemeral atoms?
Our Wonderfest speaker is Dr.Jacklyn Gates, leader of the Heavy Element Group in the Nuclear Science Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
HOW: This event is free and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have FOR YOU (and, indirectly, for society)? Accordingly, please use the DONATE button (below) to support Wonderfest in its nonprofit mission to share the scientific outlook.
It’s a science double feature! Wonderfest presents two half-hour talks — each followed by Q&A (of course) — by outstanding UC Berkeley researchers:
• Biologist Dr. Stephen Gaughran on The Genetics of Extinction (and Survival) — Species are now disappearing faster than at any point in the last several million years. Decades of conservation and management has made real progress in protecting endangered species, yet we still struggle to understand why some recover while others go extinct. By combining new genomic technologies with evolutionary theory, we are entering a new era of species conservation — one where we can use a species’ evolutionary past to plan for its future survival.
• Chemist Dr. Colin Gould on Building Next-Generation Medicines with Light & Electricity — Modern medicines have revolutionized treatments for cancer, heart disease, chronic illness, and more. These therapeutics often consist of carefully engineered organic molecules, which are designed in an iterative process of chemical synthesis and biological testing. Alternative energy sources, such as light and electricity, can help to speed up drug discovery, while also making manufacturing more environmentally friendly.
WHAT: Genetics of Extinction (& Survival) + Next-Gen Meds with Light & Electricity
WHO: Dr. Stephen Gaughran & Dr. Colin Gould, UC Berkeley professors
HOW: This event is free and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have FOR YOU (and, indirectly, for society)? Accordingly, please use the DONATE button (below) to support Wonderfest in its nonprofit mission to share the scientific outlook.
When minds “connect,” the underlying brains synchronize their activity. The stimuli that most potently evoke this neural synchrony includes, perhaps surprisingly, the sharing of stories. Neuroscience now recognizes that narrative constitutes not only the basis of conscious experience, but also the principal mechanism that shapes human selves and societies — for good or for ill.
Our Wonderfest speaker, Dr.Thomas Lewis, M.D., is Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Francisco. Dr. Lewis is co-author of A General Theory of Love.
Dr. Thomas Lewis
WHAT: Neural Synchrony
WHO: Dr. Thomas Lewis, Adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco [https://thomaslewis.com]
HOW: This event is free and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have FOR YOU (and, indirectly, for society)? Accordingly, please use the DONATE button (below) to support Wonderfest in its nonprofit mission to share the scientific outlook.
The USA has developed ground- and space-based telescopes that have helped revolutionize our view of the cosmos … and of ourselves. In this Commonwealth Club event, astrophysicist John Mulchaey explores current and future developments in telescope innovation, the state of national investment in those developments, the global collaboration on extremely large telescopes such as the Giant Magellan, and the future of American leadership in this particular leg of the modern space race.
Wonderfest joins Commonwealth Club World Affairs to present Dr. John Mulchaey, President of the Carnegie Institution for Science, in conversation with the George Hammond, author of Conversations with Socrates.
This event can be enjoyed in-person only. Pre-register with the Commonwealth Club / World Affairs via the “Tickets” link, below. Use promo code WONDERNAUTS for a $10 ticket discount.
Dr. John Mulchaey
WHAT: Tremendous Telescopes: The Future of US Space Observation
HOW: During the last stage of online ticket purchase from the Commonwealth Club (via the "Tickets" link, below), use promo code WONDERNAUTS to secure a discount of $10.
