Hello again, science fans. Glad to have you along with us today.
Знову вітаю, шанувальники науки. Раді, що ви сьогодні з нами.
[Ukrainian]
May is here and the hills and fields are abloom in Scotch Broom, California Poppies, Lupines, Mustard, Wild Peas, Fiddlenecks, Tidy Tips, and more. When i suggest you “take a hike,” i mean it in the best possible way.
SPACE
A space probe launched 72 years ago is expected to crash to Earth this week. Kosmos 482 was launched by the Soviet Union in 1972. It is speculated that the probe was intended to land on Venus but a glitch kept it in Earth orbit. If it is a landing module, it likely has a heat shield and might not burn up on its way through our atmosphere. Instead it would slow to about 70 m/s (160 mph) by the time it hits Earth’s surface. Since we humans occupy less than 5% of the Earth’s land area, and land occupies about 30% of the Earth’s surface, there is less than a 1.5% probability it will land in an occupied area; not high odds but worrisome.
Watch the International Space Station for 7 minutes starting at 21:39 (9:39 PM) on Thursday as it passes over the Bay Area from SW to NE. Actually, it passes over frequently but it is only naked-eye-visible during pre-dawn and post twilight while the ISS is overhead in sunlight.
CLIMATE
A knowledge of climate change is required for new undergraduate students at UC San Diego as an additional requirement for a Bachelor’s degree. This is the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement.
Last week the U.S. House voted to block California from enforcing its plans to:
- reduce heavy truck nitrogen oxide emissions by 90% over 2016 standards by 2027
- phase out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035
The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, claims that the already-disbursed $20 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants are “vulnerable to fraud” and has used his claim to order the funds be returned to the federal government. Those funds have been ‘frozen’ while the controversy plays out in court.
The President has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement; the international framework to fight climate change signed by almost every nation. When the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization met to finalize details of a levy on the shipping industry’s carbon emissions, the President threatened reciprocal measures if levies were placed on American shipping companies.
All of the nearly 400 scientists working on the Sixth National Climate Assessment (NCA) – mandated by Congress and due in 2027 – have been dismissed.
Union of Concerned Scientists, 2018: The NCA provides sector-specific information targeted to, for example, the transportation, agricultural, and energy sectors, as well as regional information.
The NCA can assist companies with their assessment of vulnerabilities to climate change. Defense agencies also use the NCA to assess risks and plan for different scenarios. For example, the Department of Defense has recognized the NCA as an important source of information for sea level rise projections and regional projections.
The Fifth National Climate Assessment remains available online, as of this writing.
RAFFLE
We are offering a 15cm high desktop barometer – an essential instrument for your zeppelin travels. Just send an email before noon Friday to david.almandsmith [at] gmail.com with your guess of an integer between 0 and 1,000. Last time, Andrew won a 1,000 piece “Tree of Life” jigsaw puzzle. Of the 25 contestants, his guess of 451 was closest to the randomly-generated 456.
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK – My Picks
- Nature’s Toxins from Spices to Vices Livestream Tues 2pm
- Ocean Ecosystems: The Role of Marine Predators Livestream Wed 11am
- How Intelligent Design Nearly Won Livestream Thurs 7:30pm
- Laboratory to Marketplace: The Development of a New Drug Livestream Saturday 10:30am
BIOLOGY / ETHOLOGY
(If you are already familiar with biological nitrogen uptake, skip ahead to the next paragraph.) Although our bodies are 3% nitrogen and the atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, we must ingest food to get the nitrogen necessary for DNA, RNA, and proteins. Animals and plants have never ‘learned’ to “fix” atmospheric nitrogen into biologically useful chemicals – usually ammonia. Instead, plants rely on bacteria and fungi to fix nitrogen. Nitrogen enters the animal world through the eating of plants (and mushrooms). Plants get their nitrogen from fungal mycorrhizae in the soil or from symbiotic relationships with bacteria – as with peanuts. In agriculture, nitrogen-rich fertilizers boost plant growth.
Sierra Mixe corn evolved an interesting method of supporting bacteria to supply its needed nitrogen. The plants have several roots above the ground that drip a mucus that nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil feed on. The maize’s sub-surface roots then transport the nitrogen up from the soil. In a sense, Sierra Mixe corn fertilizes itself.
¿What 5 insects have benefitted people the most? Author and entomologist Barrett Klein picked these:
Domestic silk moth (Bombyx mori) The source of the fiber used to make silk cloth was a secret kept in the Far East. The Silk Road trade network affected economies throughout the Old World and spread innovations, knowledge, and religions.
Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) Apiculture gives us honey, agricultural pollinating, and beeswax with its many uses in candles, cosmetics, lost-wax jewelry, and more.
Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) The cochineal bug was used in Mesoamerica for millennia as a red dye. Transported to Europe, it was used for dying the capes of Cardinals and the coats of British soldiers. Today it is also found in foods, drinks, and cosmetics.
Lac insect (Kerria lacca) Shellac is made from the hard cases that lac insects create to protect themselves. Floors, furniture, artwork, candies, and apples are often covered in shiny shellac for protection and appearance.
Common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) Fruit flies were the first animals to be sent into space. Over half of our DNA is shared with these easily-raised insects, so we use them in laboratories to better understand life itself.
FUN (?) NERDY VIDEOS
Pacemaker for Newborns – Northwestern University – John A. Rogers – 1.5 mins
Importance of Clinical Trials – Cup o’ Joe – Joe Schwarcz – 5 mins
¿Two Big Bangs? – Sabine Hossenfelder – 5.5 mins
Creating & Using an AI Scientist – Quanta – Mario Krenn – 9 mins
Space Roar: A 20 Year Mystery – Dr. Becky – Becky Smethurst – 10 mins
¿Why Do River Dolphins Look Like That? – Bizarre Beasts – Sarah Suta – 12 mins
¿Did We Just De-Extinct Dire Wolves? – SciShow – Savannah Geary – 13 mins
ESA Gaia’s Map of Our Galaxy – Secrets of the Universe – Rishabh Nakra – 18 mins
Quantum Energy Teleportation – PBS SpaceTime – Matt O’Dowd – 18.5 mins
Climate Week Keynote Address – explOratorium – Al Gore – 21 mins
Audio: Reimagining Plastics – Podcast – A Day in the Half-Life – 52 mins
Uranium – Tales from the Periodic Table – Ron Hipschman – 62 mins
Searching for Alien Earths – Skeptical Inquirer Presents – Lisa Kaltenegger – 72 mins (Editor: The first 16 minutes cover elementary concepts.)
The UFO Movie They Don’t Want You to See – Brian Dunning – 91 mins (Editor: The “WOW Signal” referenced in the video now has a likely natural explanation.)
Enjoy your week. Take time for yourself. Take time for democracy.
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“You can fool some people sometimes
But you can’t fool all the people all the time
***
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight”
—Bob Marley (1945 – 1981)
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