prediction – Wonderfest – Bay Area Beacon of Science

Experience Machine – May 6

Tucker / 2023 Archive, Archives, Event / brain, consciousness, experience, mind, perception, philosophy, prediction, science /

April 11, 2023

My previous encounters with reality contribute to my internal mental predictions about the world that, in turn, help to shape my actual future experiences. So, seeing the “real world” (or hearing sounds, or feeling pain, or …) involves a personal, ideosyncratic filter/kaleidoscope. This prediction-based theory of mind is quite hopeful. More than a facile version of “positive thinking,” it suggests a realistic optimism where well-tuned expectations can actively help to bring about desired states and experiences.

Our speaker, Dr. Andy Clark, is Professor of Cognitive Philosophy at England’s University of Sussex. He will present ideas from — and answer questions about — his new book, The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality.

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Earthquakes; Gene Engineering – Apr 5

Tucker / 2023 Archive, Archives, Event / biology, biophysics, CRISPR, earthquakes, genes, microscope, nature, prediction, research, science, seismology, smartphone /

March 21, 2023

Wonderfest Science Envoys are early-career researchers with special 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 seismologist Sarina Patel on Earthquake Science Using Crowdsourced Data from Smartphones — MyShake is a free citizen-science smartphone app which has been downloaded globally 2.5 million times. MyShake delivers earthquake early warnings(!) to users in California, Oregon, and Washington. It also uses the vibration sensor built into all smartphones to record earthquake motion for scientific analysis. How can the gadget in your pocket contribute to earthquake early warning, shake-hazard mapping, and structural-health monitoring?

• Stanford biophysicist Kevin Aris on Genetic Engineering Refined with Single-Molecule Microscopes — CRISPR enzymes allow precise genetic engineering, cleaving DNA molecules to improve the health and function of organisms. However, naturally compact and twisted pieces of DNA, under stress due to mechanical deformation, are tough to cut precisely. Single-molecule microscopy helps us design novel CRISPR enzymes that become highly-accurate molecular scissors — new tools for beneficial gene modification.

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