Eye Movements & Tiny Galaxies – Apr 15
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with enhanced communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:
• UC Berkeley neuroscientist Stephanie Reeves on The Horizontal Saccade Bias — Humans make eye movements to explore the visual environment. One type of involuntary eye movement, termed a saccade, occurs 2-3 times per second and is one of the fastest movements that the human body can make. New research challenges previous assumptions about how and why saccades arise.
• Stanford astrophysicist Viraj Manwadkar on Tiny Galaxies and Big Cosmic Mysteries — The very smallest galaxies shed light on fundamental questions in physics and astronomy: They play an intriguing role in the formation of cosmic ecosystems, and they even inform our attempt to understand dark matter, the utterly mysterious stuff that constitutes 80% of the material universe.
This interactive science presentation, free and unticketed, is produced by Wonderfest in partnership with Marin Science Seminar.
Marin Science Seminar [https://marinscienceseminar.com]
Muscle & Strength – Apr 2
Muscle plays a central role in life and health. At this Commonwealth Club event, Michael Joseph Gross, author of the new book Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives, shares his call for each of us to recognize muscle as “the vital, inextricable, and effective partner of the soul.” Learn how Gross looks at strength, weight training, and fitness — about how all of us, from elite powerlifters to people who have never played sports at all, can learn to lift weights in ways that yield an important prize: the ability to act upon the world in the ways that we wish.
Author Michael Joseph Gross will speak with podcaster Guy Raz, creator of “How I Built This.” Two types of tickets are available: in-person and online-only. Pre-register with the Commonwealth Club via the “Tickets” link, below. Use promo code WONDERNAUTS for a $7 ticket discount.
Michael Joseph Gross
Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California [https://www.commonwealthclub.org]
Anthropocene Alarm; Partisan Contagion – Mar 18
Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with enhanced communication skills and aspirations. Following short talks on provocative modern science topics, these two Science Envoys will answer questions with insight and enthusiasm:
• UC Berkeley biologist Kristy Mualim on Genetic Biodiversity Loss in the Anthropocene — In the Anthropocene, the age of planet-wide human impact, activities like habitat destruction, pollution, and resource overuse cause rapid loss of genetic diversity. This loss makes it harder for plants and animals to adapt to changes in the environment, putting entire species at risk of extinction. Protecting genetic diversity is crucial for keeping ecosystems healthy, and for ensuring the survival of life on Earth.
• UC Berkeley demographer Chris Soria on Partisan Differences in the Spread of Disease — Political partisanship significantly influences how different groups respond to public health guidance, affecting their adherence to protective measures against infectious diseases. Understanding partisan-based disparities in acceptance of scientific evidence helps us to predict the population-wide spread of diseases, and to improve public health outcomes.
This interactive science presentation, free and unticketed, is produced by Wonderfest in partnership with Marin Science Seminar.
Marin Science Seminar [https://marinscienceseminar.com]
Sleep-Deprived Emotions – Jan 28
Insufficient sleep dramatically changes how we feel and think, about ourselves and about others. Even a single night of sleep loss elevates levels of anxiety, depression, and asocial behavior in healthy adults. If sleep loss is chronic, this association can develop into a clinical mental disorder. Since 40% of adults in the US suffer from chronic insufficient sleep, researchers need — and are finding — a better understanding of the interaction between sleep and socio-emotional well-being.
Our speaker is sleep expert Eti Ben-Simon, PhD, Research Scientist at The Center for Human Sleep Science, UC Berkeley.
Dr. Eti Ben-Simon
Strong Aging – Jan 25
What can we do, today, to improve muscle strength and, accordingly, to increase healthy longevity, i.e., healthspan? It starts by understanding the science of strength and of muscle function, and then appreciating how muscle changes with aging. Ultimately, we find that healthspan increases with simple and effective evidence-based strategies for improving muscle health and function.
Our speaker, Dr. Greg Tranah, PhD, is Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UC San Francisco. He is also Senior Scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute.
Dr. Greg Tranah
Berkeley Public Library [www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org]
Pills For Aging – Oct 24
How did society enable the distribution of drugs and supplements — principally in the form of pills — to billions of people? How, in particular, did “anti-aging treatments” come about? Can vitamins be efficacious against aging? Finally, what is the promise of recent supplements — developed based on our understanding of cellular biology — that influence aging in cells and model organisms, mainly mice?
Our speaker, Dr. Steve Cummings, is Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics at UCSF. Dr. Cummings directs the San Francisco Coordinating Center, having designed and led many of the most important medical studies of human aging.
Dr. Steve Cummings
This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for YOU? Accordingly, please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.
Healthy Aging – Aug 29
Modern insights into wise exercise, sleep, and diet are enhancing healthspan, the years of healthy life that one actually enjoys. This presentation focuses on human clinical data with actionable recommendations for lifestyle choices that can maximize the healthy years of life.
Our speaker, Dr. Greg Tranah, is Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC San Francisco. He is also Director of Genetic Research at California Pacific Medical Center.
Dr. Greg Tranah, PhD
Since Wonderfest is COVID-cautious, consider wearing a mask (provided upon request). The warm feeling of Wondernaut(!) camaraderie radiates through masks and across wide seat-spacing.
This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for YOU? Accordingly, please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.
Creating/Covering Science – Sep 5
The married team of Katie Hafner and Robert Wachter understand both crucial sides of science: creativity and communication. Wonderfest joins the Commonwealth Club for a doubly-fascinating interview that explores the talents of both team members. Katie Hafner will discuss her groundbreaking books and her popular Lost Women of Science podcast; Dr. Robert Wachter will discuss his work in guiding the digital transformation of healthcare and in coping with the COVID crisis. [Note that this program takes place both in person and online; discounted tickets for either form of experience must be reserved via the Commonwealth Club website presented below.]
Journalist Katie Hafner is Host and Co-Executive Producer of Lost Women of Science, and author of Mother Daughter Me and The Boys. Physician Robert Wachter, Professor and Chair of Medicine at UC San Francisco, is author of Understanding Patient Safety and The Digital Doctor. They will be in conversation with the Commonwealth Club’s George Hammond.
Visit the Commonwealth Club event website (below) for info about the two types of tickets: in-person and online. During the final steps of ticket acquisition, use discount code WonderfestPromo for $10 off. (That price reduction renders the online ticket entirely FREE.)
Pandemic(s) Update – July 25
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has killed 7 million people. (16% of those deaths were in the US, yet we have only 4% of global population!) Last century, the influenza virus killed more than 20 million. Humankind may face famine, war, and disease for centuries to come, but we are learning to lessen the death toll. Dr. Robert Siegel, infectious disease expert at Stanford, will discuss the progress that we’ve made — and must extend — against COVID and other, future, scourges. Welcoming attendee questions, he will address our growing understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its affects on the human mind and body.
Dr. Robert Siegel is Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University, and he is a member of the Wonderfest Advisory Board. Dr. Siegel has won numerous awards for his teaching at Stanford, and has given hundreds of public service interviews on radio and TV.
Dr. Robert Siegel
This event is FREE and unticketed ... and valuable. But what value does it have for YOU? Accordingly, please consider a donation to nonprofit Wonderfest via the Eventbrite window, below.
Watch: Health Effects of EM Radiation
A Cell Phone Upside the Head: EM Radiation and Health from Wonderfest on FORA.tv
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