Cell membranes are highly sensitive to changes in pressure, temperature, and aqueous chemistry. This drives pronounced biochemical adaptation among marine life to protect membrane integrity and function under diverse conditions. For fifty years, scientists have recognized that organisms adjust the fatty (lipid) building blocks of their membranes to maintain optimal ...
Where: StanfordCost: Free
Exoplanetary Poetry: AI, Chemistry, and Alien Communication - LivestreamOur Cosmic Consciousness residency artists daniela brill estrada, Bart Kuipers, and Julie-Michèle Morin, discuss an art-science collaboration that imagines how language might emerge from alien worlds. Hosts: Bettina Forget and Cosmic Consciousness residency advisor Gregory Betts.Join SETI AIR program Director Bettina Forget for a conversation with Cosmic Consciousness artists in ...
Earth’s mantle occupies most of its volume, connecting the deep, inaccessible core to the surface. Its convection regulates the planet’s temperature, magnetic field, chemical distribution, and habitability conditions. Changes in convective regimes therefore have profound implications for Earth’s evolution and our interpretation of the geologic record. In this talk, I ...
Dr. Timothy Chou began his commercial career at one of Silicon Valley's first startups, Tandem Computers. He retired as the first President of Oracle's cloud computing business, pioneering the software-as-a-service model that would reshape the technology landscape. Following his retirement from Oracle, Dr. Chou has served on several public and ...
'Becoming Martian' - LivestreamJoin us virtually with the author of “Becoming Martian” to examine the potential consequences of life in space.As commercial space travel accelerates and plans for long-term human settlement beyond Earth move closer to reality, questions once confined to science fiction are becoming matters of scientific and policy relevance. We are ...
Where: Cost: Free
Controllable AI: Control Theory meets Artificial IntelligenceControl theory is fundamental in the design and understanding of many natural and engineered systems, from cars and robots to power networks and bacterial metabolism. In this talk, we explore how the principles of control and dynamical systems - formalized with control theory - can also play an important role ...
Where: BerkeleyCost: Free
Paved Paradise: The Ecological Impacts of Our Planet’s Roads - LivestreamSome 40 million miles of roadways encircle the earth, providing convenient infrastructure for humans at the expense of wildlife. Discover the profound ecological harm wrought by transportation, and the innovative solutions road ecologists, conservationists, and engineers are using to redress them. From tunnels for English toads to bridges for California’s ...
Once a marvel of modern science, plastic has become so inextricably woven into our lives that imagining a world without it seems impossible. Over the last 75 years, says author and environmentalist Judith Enck, plastic has cradled our planet in a synthetic embrace. In her new book The Problem With Plastic, ...
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22 General
Listening with Merlin: How Sound ID Works and What It Can (and Can’t) Do - LivestreamMerlin Sound ID has made it possible for anyone to identify birds by sound, but how does it actually work, and how should birders use it? In this talk, I’ll give an accessible overview of how Merlin Sound ID listens to audio and turns it into species suggestions. I’ll describe ...
Where: Cost: Free
NightLife: Lunar UndergroundWelcome the Year of the Horse with LED lion dances, fortune tellers, and a bustling night market. Plus, a special performance by Frankie Fictitious. Our Lunar New Year celebration is one you won't want to miss.
Where: San FranciscoCost: Varies
After Dark: New Moon, New YearWelcome the Year of the Horse with traditional dances and uncover the significance of astronomical calendars.
Where: San FranciscoCost: $22.95 General, Free for members
Alison’s favorite photography subjects are tiny fungi and Myxomycetes (“Myxos” or “Slime Molds”), most so small that you would not see them as you walk through the forest. Alison will describe her evolution and process for creating beautiful photos of mushrooms and Myxos, most barely a few millimeters tall. She will share ...
Where: SebastopolCost: Free
Understanding Our Nearest Star: Solar Flares, Magnetic Explosions, and their Societal ImpactWhile our nearest star, the Sun, provides the conditions necessary for life on Earth, it also produces the most energetic events in the solar system. Solar flares release enormous amounts of energy, including intense and harmful X-ray radiation, and some eruptions are powerful enough to spew vast quantities of solar ...
