Photo Loving Stolen From Visitphilly

Next Thursday, on October 14th, Dr. John Tresch of the University of Pennsylvania will present an illustrated lecture entitled The Experiments of Edgar Allan Poe, combining both science and literature into an epic evening of… science and literature.

That’s right, Poe was into science. According to the Wagner, Poe’s “best-selling work before his death wasn’t the Tell-Tale Heart… it was a manual for amateur seashell collectors, appropriately titled, The Conchologists First Book. He also worked as an early science journalist, reporting and evaluating new discoveries and inventions to readers curious about the world, and enthusiastic about Natural History and the classification of species.”

This talk is part of the Wagner’s evening lecture series. Hang around afterwards for a Q&A following the talk. For more info, visit the Wagner’s official website.

The Experiments of Edgar Allan Poe
Thursday, October 14th, 5:30pm

Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 West Montgomery Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 763-6529
www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org

“Since its founding, Philadelphia has been at the center of science and technology innovation,” said Mayor Michael Nutter.

It’s true–Philly really does have a reputation of geeking out from the start. Ben Franklin, our favorite spectacle wearing homeboy, was shaking things up in the 18th century, long before a city-state of 19th century museums popped up in Fairmont and a second Indy Hall hit the scene in Old City.

“In an effort to raise awareness and engage its citizens in the science that makes this city great, Philadelphia’s museums, cultural institutions, universities, and corporations are joining forces to launch the Philadelphia Science Festival.”

The folks over at The Franklin Institute are spearheading this exciting, ambitious 2-week initiative to showcase the region’s strengths in science and technology. The city-wide event includes ‘an extensive line-up of programs and exhibitions with a single goal– to make science programming exciting AND accessible.’

And how! Among others, local favorites like the The Academy of Natural Sciences, The Mütter Museum, The Please Touch Museum, The Free Library and Philadelphia Zoo are participating. Hundreds of events will take place in Philadelphia,the bulk of which are free and open to the public, including:

-A kick-off science carnival on The Parkway, open to the public
-Neighborhood Science outreach programs will take place across the city
-School-wide science experiments for kids
-A series of “Science Conversations” featuring lecture events, panel discussions, etc.
-Phillies “Day of Science”
-And the slightly uncomfortable promise of ‘award-winning scientists in unexpected places’

For more updates, stay tuned on Twitter, Facebook, and of course, Geekadelphia. Mark your calendars and get your goggles out– I will be seeing you all in April!

Photo Loving Stolen From Visitphilly

The Wagner Free Institute of Science recently announced their free science courses for the Fall. All the courses run from six to eight weeks, with lectures that last about one and a half hours. The Wagner teaches introductory level courses for both students and adults, who are either motivated to prep for college or simply want to keep their minds enriched and active.

This season’s free lectures include:

• The History of Science Series: The Scientist as an Explorer

• Zoology Series: An Introduction to Insects and Related Arthropods

• Anthropology Series: Forensic Anthropology

• Physical Sciences Series: Physics & Chemistry in the Kitchen

For full course information, syllabi, and dates, visit the Wagner’s official website. Go get your learn on, geeks. It’s free!

Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 West Montgomery Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215)763-6529
www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org

Back in June, we were extremely psyched to announce Tesla Fest, a weekend long celebration to the great adventure on Independence Mall.

Well, the weekend is finally here.

The Tesla Science Foundation’s weekend-long bash in honor of the legend-once-played-by-David-Bowie. You can look forward to a special exhibit at the Independence Visitor Center, as well as a dinner and concert at the Arch Street Meeting House.

For more information on the festival, visit the Tesla Science Foundation’s official website.

Enjoy the weekend!

Tesla Fest in Philadelphia [ www.teslasciencefoundation.org ]

Tesla Fest. This exists, and it is happening.

Come July, the Tesla Science Foundation is putting on a weekend-long celebration in honor of the legendary inventor. From a special exhibit at the Independence Visitor Center to a surprisingly affordable reception dinner and concert ($20!) at the Arch Street Meeting House, there is a lot planned for this science party.

For more information on the festival, visit the Tesla Science Foundation’s official website. We can’t wait.

Tesla Fest [ www.teslasciencefoundation.org ]

OK guys– I know it’s Memorial Day Weekend eve, I’m going to ask you to please tear yourself off of those LOST forums arguing about the finale and giggling over the Catroulette blog at your desk to give this week’s roundup some serious attention.

Why the harsh tone? Well, if you truly live under a rock, British Petroleum (BP) had a massive accident a few weeks back and currently, millions of gallons of oil are seeping into the Gulf of Mexico and permanently damaging our oceanic ecosystem as we speak. Gross, right?

I have my personal opinions on the truckload of political  controversy swamping the news, but  figured it would be more appropriate to give you some science on the spill this week, and some resources to learn more about the ‘top kill’ method that’s being implemented (which, by the way, may or may not be working):

• Bill Nye explains ‘top kill’ on CNN (see clip below) and discusses with The Washington Post.
• PopSci’s coverage of Top Kill: http://bit.ly/ajd4hq
• Wired’s coverage on the Environmental Protection Agency and BP: http://bit.ly/94UVsC
• New Scientist’s interview with a senior scientist from the National Wildlife Federation on the current state of the gulf’s ecosystem: http://bit.ly/9LXTjW

Image courtesy of Wired Science

‘Sup geeks?! How was your week? Did you have fun at Geekadelphia’s free concert at The Piazza?

So, local news first:

• Philly wins a sustainability award! So, we sort of have a bad rep with other large cities in America because we have wild sports fans and fat locals, apparently… but hey, we are on our way with technology initiatives for long-term sustainability, and that’s really cool.

In other news…

• As a young, attractive, charming, funny (modest…) gal, this study merely confirms my long-term suspicions after swimming in the Philadelphia dating pool: Neanderthals are among us. This Wired Science article gives a great breakdown of the latest news in evolutionary studies…

• What the what?! All life on Earth shares a single common ancestor, a new statistical analysis confirms. Microbiologist chatter has been secured that we don’t have a ‘tree’ of life, so much as a ‘web’… and that’s good to know, considering the study also noted that one universal common ancestor is at least 102,860 times more probable than having multiple ancestors. So get your Enya on, Geekadelphians, because we’re technically all one.

• Um, James Cameron develops camera for new Mars rover. Yes, you read that right. Despite all scientific knowledge to this point, Mars may actually be filled with blue people.

• I got a press release from the National Green Energy Council detailing the Cape Wind project — an offshore sustainable wind farm in New England. Hallelujah! The USA is finally working with the world’s elements, not against them.

• Quick! Add ‘genomic manipulation’ to your vocabulary because we’re a few short steps away from the first Cylon war with the creation of mostly synthetic cells. Kidding! Sort of… This NPR article is a bit more thorough.

That’s all, party people. Have a great weekend, and I hope to see you at Brave New Worlds for the Movement and Motion showing!

She Blinded Me With Science is a weekly column for Geekadelphia.com, brought to you by The Letter B. To submit a science tip, email bianca@geekadelphia.com

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas… actually, the sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma…

If you know what I’m getting at, you’re reading the right blog. So, on that note we have a soundtrack with our roundup this morning! I got a little warm and fuzzy reading this article from Flavorpill today that gave some geek love: the oh-so appropriate Mixtape for Science Nerds. Enjoy.

This week in science:

• If you’re creeped out by crustaceans, do your self a favor and skip to the next bullet. For the rest of you fine folk, check out the fossilized tracks of a giant, prehistoric, six-legged “sea scorpion.” Not just any ol’ tracks… the Hibbertopterus sandstone tracks are actually the largest known walking trackway of a eurypterid or any invertebrate animal, according to BBC.

• A battery was developed that can run on pee. Seriously.

• Wired Science and PopSci released amazing news supporting a theory that’s been tossed around for years. The headlines? Ice Discovered on Asteroid, Suggests Earth’s Oceans Came From Space. “A thin film of water ice and organic materials coats the space rock named 24 Themis, according to a study  released today. That discovery marks the first-ever direct detection of water ice on an asteroid, and adds evidence to theories about how asteroids could have brought water and organic material to a primordial Earth.“ The summary only reinforces, in my mind, how –to paraphrase Stephen Hawking– we really are just some lucky, advanced apes on a planet near a very average star… trying to understand the universe.

• Um, speaking of space, Japan has so boldly declared that a bi-pedal Japanese robot will walk the moon by 2015. Now this is the type of future I grew up thinking about.  Next up, CYLONS.

• Even dino youth rebelled from Mom and Dad! This Wired Science article is about young, feathered dinosaurs changing their physical apperance, but really just made me sad. Also left me regretting wanting a scientifically-sound dino costume. That illustration leaves them lookin’ pretty creepy, and it’s nothing like Jurassic Park.

• Last but not least, an ancient city was discovered in India and potentially pre-dates the Harappan Civilzation –one of the world’s oldest– by 5,000 years. The site was discovered by chance. An interviewee in BBC notes, “There’s a huge chronological problem in this discovery. It means that the whole model of the origins of civilization with which archaeologists have been working will have to be remade from scratch…” Updates as they come! Thanks to Brian (@frankenlincoln) for the tip.

This post has been brought to you by The Letter B.

“The Hoba! The Hobaaaaa!” TGIF, Geekadelphians! Sorry I left you hanging about a PopSci update last week… but I found out I got a full-time job (!!) so, you know what that means…

Here’s what’s happening:

• It’s a crazy week for sustainable science, which is pretty awesome news. Lots of little interest pieces about energy-saving initiatives are popping up everywhere! Some favorites being cows walking on treadmills, Danish hotel guests riding bike generators and energy-absorbing sidewalks.

• Neatorama has sweet pics of the Hoba Meteorite in Africa, which is 9 feet long and weighs 60 tons! Oh baby, that’s a large rock.

• Life was found in Trinidad’s Pitch Lake! Pitch Lake is a hot asphalt lake boiling with all kinds of toxic gases and that has little water. Pitch Lake is the closest thing on Earth that resembles the hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn’s moon, Titan. It’s been speculated that life could be supported on the gas giant’s moon for some time… but things are looking even more optimistic: “if microbial life can survive in Pitch Lake, it might be able to thrive on Titan’s hostile surface.” Nothing has been found in space yet, but gives us hope!

• If you watch the news at all, you heard about the crazy volcanic eruption in Iceland! After being quiet for nearly 200 years, Volcano Eyjafjallajokull (yes, really) has been having activity for the better part of a month, but only this week had such a crazy plume of ash invade the skies that European flights are being grounded. Not to mention you can see the cloud from space!

• Um, I don’t know how I feel about this… but sheep are tripping balls and being shot with tasers. Why? For testing the Taser x26, which is apparently used in law enforcement. Great.

• Last but not least, PopSci tackles reader questions about sending nuclear waste into the Sun. Sorry guys, anything that resembles a part of Day Break, Part Two gets nixed in my book before scientific explanation even begins.

This post has been brought to you by The Letter B.

Mark your calendars! In the second of four planned screenings, in conjunction with their great Marvels and Ciphers Exhibit. The Chemical Heritage Foundation will be screening the classic 1956 Hammer sci-fi film X: The Unknown in glorious black and white, Wednesday, April 14^th at 6:30pm.

The Plot of this great sci-fi thriller goes something like this:

Visiting American researcher Dean Jagger faces wrath from worried parents and mistrust from the military as he investigates a mysterious force that is causing death and mayhem in the Scottish moors. Despite this lack of faith in his theories (and his brusque manner), Jagger successfully reasons out the cause of the strange goings-on: a giant mass of intelligent, radioactive mud has emerged from the center of the Earth, starved for energy and multiplying in size!

This intelligent U.K. predecessor to The Blob features crisp black and white photography (largely shot at night), and excellent acting from a cast that includes Leo McKern (the ring-seeking villain from Help!) and singer Anthony Newley.

The event is free to the public and also promises, “Popcorn and other refreshments will be served.” Free Hammer films and food, I am so there. Check out the website for more info here!

HELP! IT'S THE CLOVERFIELD MONSTER!

Good afternoon! I’m so excited for tonight’s Geekadelphia Fiesta party at North Bowl. Mikey and Tim have plenty planned– so I hope I will be seeing you all there. In the mean time, here’s to servin’ up some science:

• THANKS FOR RUINING SEAFOOD FOREVER. I’m not kidding. Have you seen the 2.5 foot-long seabug that popped out of the ocean last week?! I keep scrolling under the image because it’s giving me chills and I live on the 17th floor of a landlocked building! A bit of a thrill-seeker, Crazy Sea Bug (more formally referred to in the article as a previously unstudied, harmless, giant isopod) apparently attached itself to a remotely operated submarine and then scared the team surfacing the ship. Yes, Crazy Sea Bug terrorized robo-sub. You’re welcome.

• Talk about drilling down! PopSci released an article on the world’s deepest drill: “Chikyu research vessel is capable of fetching samples at depths of 2,890 feet below the seabed, two to four times that of any other drill.” It sounds so science fiction, but apparently this is real. Don’t tell the mole men.

• Happy almost anniversary, The Human Genome Project! On June 26, 2000, the head of the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute met in the White House with Craig Venter, founder of Celera Genomics and President Bill Clinton. Almost 10 years ago, the researchers announced that the human genome’s three billion base pairs of DNA had been mapped with an initial draft of their findings. Today the project continues and has made great strides and scientists hope these projects will fill the massive gaps that remain in current genetic explanations for most common diseases.

• Wake up and smell the trash! Beijing Deploys Giant Deodorant Cannons to Freshen Up City Landfill. I’m not going to lie, I was cracking up at the title… especially how there are ‘deodorant guns that shooting fragrance based on Italian and German technology’ (um, whatever that actually means)… but after reading it, some light was shed on the importance of developing/ implementing a waste-management system that can deliver for a city with 17-million people producing more trash then they can handle.

• “A Dose of Embryonic Cells Could Induce Infant-Like ‘Plasticity’ in Brain, Allowing it to Rewire Itself Like New.” According to an awesome PopSci article out earlier this week, a study suggests that ‘it may be possible to transplant immature neurons into the visual cortex/other parts of the brain damaged by stroke, trauma, developmental disorders, psychiatric illness or aging’ –allowing the brain a second chance to wire itself like new.

This post has been brought to you by the letter B.

Happy Friday! Here’s your weekly helping of headlines about evolutionary science, new technology, extinct-things and The Final Frontier:

• So what if I watch an old VHS copy of Jurassic Park before I go to bed, sometimes… OK, fine– all the time. Geekologie enlightened me on the existence of Dinoogle , and search engines will never be the same (…especially for the Chicxulub crater).

• A Wired Science article discusses the social culture of chimps… and how new studies say it’s almost exclusively driven by females. Haaa-aay.

• You’ve heard of dark matter (Cavil wants to smell it!), you’ve heard of dark energy…. but have you heard of ‘dark flow’? Pop Sci continues to make my head hurt with a study on ‘dark flow’ –the gravitational pull of matter  beyond the edge of the known universe. Seriously.

• Triassic-Jurassic extinction explained! “Dinosaurs Rode Volcanic Armageddon to Victory” on Wired Science is about the series of mass extinctions before the rise of the ‘saurs. Read it! It involves Pangea and 610,000 years of volcanism!

• “A new member of the human evolutionary family has been proposed for the first time based on an ancient genetic sequence, not fossil bones… if confirmed, would have lived near Stone Age Neandertals and Homo sapiens.” The most recent discovery was made by studying a mitochondrial sequence… no word if our long lost hominid cousin is actually a Jedi.

This post has been brought to you by the letter B.