Nerd Nite SF #6: Penguins, Martian Magnetosphere, and the Clap

Nerd Nite: where nerds and non-nerds alike gather to meet, drink, and learn something new! This month, we have presentations on the quirks of Mars's magnetosphere, the peculiarities of those adorable penguins, and a history of not-so-adorable gonorrhea. "Ooohs," "Awwws," and "Ewwws" will abound. Sponsored by the Science Channel. Be there and be square!

"Mars's Lumpy Bumpy Neato Magneto(sphero)"

by Dave Brain, planetary physicist @ UC Berkeley

 Imagine that you are a boy or girl scout wandering around Mars using your trusty compass to navigate. Congratulations-you're lost! As your air slowly runs out and you lie wondering where it all went wrong, Dr. Brain (yes, that's really his name) will explain what happened, and the connection between your useless compass and the cold, thin, toxic Martian atmosphere. Maybe you can get a merit badge as consolation.

"Penguins: The True Chicken of the Sea"

by Brooke Weinstein, Aquatic Biologist @ the California Academy of Sciences

 Despite being almost universally loved, penguins are easy to parody. They walk funny. We laugh when they trip. They look like they're all wearing identical tuxedos. They're birds, but they're fundamentally different from all other birds. Biologist Brooke Weinstein will take us beyond the caricatures and explain the basic peculiarities of these fascinating creatures.

"The Perilous Infirmity of Burning: the History of Neisseria Gonorrhea"

by D Muthulingam, med student @ UCSF

 Described in Leviticus and named by the Greeks, gonorrhea has faithfully followed the loins of lovers through Roman conquests, Parisian whorehouses, and American college dorms. "The Clap" has persisted, overcoming the Roman Catholic Church, mercury, penicillin, and fluoroquinolones. This is a story of a gram-negative diplococci committed to love-and oh, how it burns!