This month’s Science@Cal lecture will feature Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz, Kepler Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley speaking on the topic of “Magnetic Stars, Space Weather and Life: Stellar Activity and its Effect on Planets:”

Sunspots are some of the oldest astronomical phenomena observed by human beings. These “freckles” on the the face of our Sun may look innocuous, but they are actually the footprints of huge magnetic loops that protrude from our star. These loops sometimes twist and snap, causing spectacular solar flares that send radiation and energetic particles hurtling towards Earth. These flares are responsible for beautiful aurorae, but they can also cause the troubling disruption of satellites and other infrastructure. Similar phenomena are observed on many other stars in our Galaxy, with some stellar flares being even more powerful than those of the Sun. What is it like to be a planet around those stars? How do flares and starspots affect a planet’s ability to support and sustain life? These are just some of the questions we will explore.

The talk will be in the Genetic and Plant Biology Building, Room 100. These talks are pretty well attended so get there when the doors open at 10:30am.

Now, if you can’t make it, the talk will be live-streamed via UStream at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/science-cal. You’ll find previous talks archived there as well.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) today released new video of a fluid simulation scenario showing oil from the BP disaster moving into the Atlantic Ocean as early as 80 days after it was spilled, or sometime in July.

While the dye model simulation doesn’t capture the dynamics of crude oil interacting with the ocean, and it depends upon the very likely possibility that the oil will continue to gush out of the ruined well, it does illustrate how quickly fluids entrained in the Gulf Loop Current can end up carried by the Gulf Stream around Florida and up the Eastern Seaboard.

But before you give up your summer beach rental out at the Vineyard, there are some limits to the fidelity of their simulation:

The dye tracer used in the model has no actual physical resemblance to true oil. Unlike oil, the dye has the same density as the surrounding water, does not coagulate or form slicks, and is not subject to chemical breakdown by bacteria or other forces.

Peacock and her colleagues stress that the simulations are not a forecast because it is impossible to accurately predict the precise location of the oil weeks or months from now. Instead, the simulations provide an envelope of possible scenarios for the oil dispersal. The timing and course of the oil slick will be affected by regional weather conditions and the ever-changing state of the Gulf’s Loop Current—neither of which can be predicted more than a few days in advance. The dilution of the oil relative to the source will also be impacted by details such as bacterial degradation, which are not included in the simulations.

It is possible that the oil may dilute or degrade long before it gets to the Atlantic, but the simulation does present the sobering possibility that BP’s oil may end up coming home this fall, albeit not in the belly of a tanker.

BP is providing this live video from one of the ROVs assisting in the “top kill” procedure:

It is my understanding that the brown fluid is drilling mud venting from the damaged riser pipe. The mud is being injected downstream into the blowout preventer, and the hope is that while much of it is leaking from the riser, the majority of the pressure is downward into the well.

Update (05/27/10 9:02am): Tentative reports suggest the top kill effort was successful in stopping the flow. If this is confirmed, the next step would be cement the wellhead.

Early Saturday morning, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Chile near the town of Maule. The earthquake generated a tsunami, and much of the Pacific Basin was placed on alert for a possibly severe tsunami.

The initial reports from Chile are sketchy, and indicate moderate damage from the quake and tsunami. Officially, 147 people are reported killed. The epicenter is 200 miles from Santiago, Chile.

While the US West Coast is only under an advisory (below watch and warning), the State of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning, with the initial wave expected to arrive at 11:05am HST. Wave heights in the Hawaii are projected to be potentially as high as 8ft. at Hilo, HI.

According to a email sent by the Alex Zwissler, Executive Director/CEO of the Chabot Space & Science Center to members of the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, a proposed City of Oakland FY 2010-11 budget will include drastic cuts in the City’s contribution to the Chabot. In the proposed budget document, the budget cuts, designed to eliminate a $32M shortfall would include the elimination or significant reduction of yearly contributions to a number of social and cultural programs along with the Chabot, programs like the Oakland Zoo, the Symphony in the Schools program, and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

In the case of the Chabot, the proposed budget will zero out the City’s contribution of nearly $500,000:

On Tuesday, February 16th, a Special Concurrent Meeting of the
Oakland Redevelopment Agency/City Council will take place to
recommend measures to balance the city of Oakland 2009-2010 budget and to recommend cuts for the 2010-2011 fiscal year that will be considered by the Council in the spring.

The proposal from the Office of the City Administrator for the 2010–2011 budget recommends eliminating 100% of the current funding for Chabot Space & Science Center. This proposal will decrease our allocation in 2009-2010 of $480,000 to a 2010-2011 allocation of $0.

The elimination of the City of Oakland contribution, a $300,000 subsidy and an additional $180,000 grant, looks to be a massive cutback, but would not cause the shutdown of the museum, which sees 150,000 visitors annually. According to a strategic plan document available at the Chabot website, the loss would represent about 5% of the Chabot’s total yearly revenue of $9.9M and a little over 7% of the $6.6M in grants received annually. However, since most non-profits operate will little budgetary maneuvering room, a cut of even 5% could force reductions in programs, staff, and even hours of operation.

We appreciate the difficult choices the city currently faces, and
over the last couple of years we have withstood these increasing
city funding cuts by making our own significant cuts to our staff
and programs, while working diligently to increase our other sources of funding – not an easy task in these challenging economic times.

We are fully prepared to share the burden…however, we must be able to maintain our services to the community and to the 50,000+ students we serve each year. Chabot is partially owned and administered by the City under a Joint Powers Agency Agreement, so Completely eliminating Chabot from the city budget is untenable.

We need your help in sending a message to city officials that this elimination of any funding to Chabot will result in the Center
having to cut services and programs we consider to be critical in
achieving our mission to the community.

The email includes a call to action to contact the following city officials.

City Administrator Dan Lindheim: dlindheim@oaklandnet.com

Mayor of Oakland Ron Dellums: rdellums@oaklandnet.com

Oakland City Council

• Jane Brunner (President): jbrunner@oaklandnet.com
• Jean Quan (chair, finance committee): jquan@oaklandnet.com
• Desley Brooks: dbrooks@oaklandnet.com
• Ignacio De La Fuente: idelafuente@oaklandnet.com
• Rebecca Kaplan: rkaplan@oaklnadnet.com
• Pat Kernigan: pkernighan@oaklandnet.com
• Nancy Nadel: nnadel@oaklandnet.com
• Larry Reid: lreid@oaklandnet.com

If you want to contact the City on behalf of the Chabot, Zwissler requests you cc: him at:

Alex Zwissler, (Chabot CEO): c/o jgordon@chabotspace.org

An emergency City Council meeting to adopt an amended budget for FY2009-10 is scheduled for February 16th, at 5pm. The agenda for the meeting is posted online, and includes Open Forum time for making public comment. A formal proposal of the FY2010-11 budget is set for later in May.

There is no question the Chabot Space & Science Center provides a significant resource to this community. Its telescopes are open to the public many nights of the year, and its educational programs reach 50,000 Bay Area children each year. Over 2,000 K-12 teachers receive science training annually, and over 150,000 yearly visitors, many of them adults, experience the wonders of space through their exhibitions, special programs, lectures, and classes.

I would encourage you to consider becoming a member of the Chabot Space & Science Center, and to make a donation.

I’m sure that the email from the Chabot was not to create a competion among various City-funded agencies for these scarce resources, but I do want to include a list of additional cultural programs that are on the list of proposed reductions:

• Vietnamese Senior Services %100 reduction
• Cypress-Mandela Training Center %100 reduction
• Hacienda Peralta %100 reduction
• Oakland Asian Cultural Center %100 reduction
• School of the Arts %100 reduction
• Symphony in the Schools Program %100 reduction
• Women’s Business Initiative %100 reduction
• Day Laborer Program %100 reduction
• Art Grants %50 reduction
• Zoo Subsidy %25 reduction
• Jack London Square Aquatic Center Project %100 reduction
• Human Services – Academies Program %100 reduction
  

I’m sure these are all worthy programs, and the loss of any of them would be to the detriment of a city that needs to protect and nurture the cultural health of its adults and children, especially when times are tough.

Juliana Gallin of “Ask a Scientist” is spinning off a new monthly event called “How-To Night.” This month’s event at Bazaar Cafe will teach attendees some magic tricks:

“How-To Night” will take place the second Wednesday of each month at San Francisco’s wonderful Bazaar Cafe (birthplace of Ask a Scientist). Each event will feature a different guest instructor who will lead a one-night workshop on how to do…just about anything.
We’ll launch the series on February 10th with “How to do Magic Tricks,” taught by professional magician Robert Strong. Twice voted the Bay Guardian’s “Best Comedian in SF,” Robert knows how to put on an awesome show, as you’ll see. Suggested items to bring: coins, deck of cards, dollar bill, business card, pencil, 6 feet of rope, scissors, and $1 donation to cover other supplies. (If you don’t have all of these items, no worries, we’ll bring extra.) The fun starts at 7:00pm.

Admission is to the event is free. Bazaar Cafe is located at 5927 California Street at 21st Ave in San Francisco.

This month’s Cafe Scientifique is on a topic close to the hearts of almost every Californian: water:

At the February Café, Stanford Professor Richard Luthy will host a wide ranging discussion on the various facets of California’s water crisis, including:
• Potential solutions
• Supply sources and constraints
• Allocation choices (farmers vs. cities vs. the environment)
• Water pollution, remediation and reclamation.

And…Kepler’s will be giving away a $30 gift card to one lucky attendee! I recommend you spend it on a copy of the late Mark Reisner’s Cadillac Desert ⁽kplr|amzn|bandn|pwls).

If you’re planning to attend, the organizers would like you to help them out with a little survey.

Cafe Scientifique is held at SRI, Middlefield Road at Ringwood Ave in Menlo Park at 6:30pm (doors open at 5:15).

As museum and zoological parks around the country look for ways to appeal to broader (older, hipper, willing to part with discretionary income) audiences, Valentine’s Day provides the perfect opportunity for a community that typically caters to the under-12 set to let down their hair for a little after-hours action, if you know what I mean.

Here’s a list of events around the Bay Area for those looking to mix a little science with pleasure:

Sexplorations
Exploratorium
Thursday, February 4, 6pm

The Pitch:

Join us as we delve into the whys and wherefores of sex, and investigate the ways nature is both conservative and creative in its pursuit of procreation. Explore insect peep shows, collect your DNA, enjoy the latest reproductive dress fashions, and check out a variety of sperm from across the plant and animal kingdoms. See sex-related exhibit prototypes that will one day grace the Life Sciences collection in an Exploratorium greenhouse, films, and much more!

Featuring:

• Mary Roach, author of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
• Project Inform Evening of Hope: A Night of Life-Saving Fashion
• Condom Couture Fashion Show

Sign me up:
$15/free to members

Nightlife: Romance and Reproduction
California Academy of Sciences
Thursday, February 11, 6pm

The Pitch:

We have a pre-Valentine’s day treat, “Romance and Reproduction”. Throughout the Academy, you can learn about how different plants and animals from many different parts of the natural world reproduce. Among other things, you’ll see baculum (penis bones) from a variety of different mammals, learn about how the invertebrates in the tidepool exhibit reproduce, and find out exciting information about the frequency and duration of lion mating, penguin mating and zebra mating.

Featuring:

Sign me up:
$12/$10 for members

Woo at the San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
Saturday February 13, 6pm (Evening Event)
Sunday, February 14, 11am (Brunch Event)
Sunday, February 14, 6pm (Evening Event)

The Pitch:

“Woo At The Zoo – Finally turns 21! Be you penguin, primate or possum you are cordially invited to celebrate a San Francisco Zoo original – the 21st Annual Sex Tour/Woo At The Zoo led by Jane Tollini. Come join us for her exciting presentation full of wild animal facts and kinky information about animal mating. It includes all animals A to Z including U! Heads and Tails above flowers and candles, there is no better way to impress your Valentine. If that isn’t enough, there will be up-close animal encounters from some Zoo residents to top off this unique event.

Featuring:

• Romantic brunch including mimosas, A French toast station, maple sausages, scrambled eggs, pastries, fresh fruits and delicious desserts.
• Evening event dinners of beef tenderloin, herbed couscous, salad, chocolate delights, champagne and more.

Sign me up:
Brunch: $65/$60 for members
Dinner: $75/$70 for members
Reservations recommended

Animal Amore Tour
Oakland Zoo
Saturday, February 13, 9am
Sunday, February 14, 9am

The Pitch:

Ever wonder about the love lives of Animals? Are they Monogamous or Romantic? Do they really fall in Love?

This Valentine’s Day, surprise your sweetie with something unique—an animal encounter you both will never forget! Join us for “Animal Amore” and learn about the courting, mating, and child-rearing habits of some of Oakland Zoo’s most amorous Zoo animals. We’re featuring a special walking tour in honor of Valentine’s Day!

Sign me up:
$11/free to members
Reservations recommended

Valentine’s Day Love Missions
Chabot Space and Science Center
Saturday, February 13, 1:30pm and 3:30pm
Sunday, February 14, 1:30pm and 3:30pm

The Pitch:

Celebrate with your Valentine on a simulated space mission to the Red Planet. This package includes an all access pass to the Center, chocolates, fizzy Martian beverage, and a souvenir of your trip.

Sign me up:
$85 per couple/$80 members
Reservations recommended.

Valentine’s Day comes a little early as the Exploratorium gets Cinemax’d up and becomes the Sexploratorium for this month’s After Dark program.

Join Bonk author Mary Roach for a “droll journey through understandings and misunderstandings about our sexual parts, their relationship to our minds, and scientific techniques for studying them.” Doesn’t everyone want to hear a droll discussion of matters sexual? Come on guys, work with me here!

Here’s the rundown on the night’s events:

• Mary Roach, author of the bestselling Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, who will take us on a droll journey through understandings and misunderstandings about our sexual parts, their relationship to our minds, and scientific techniques for studying them.
• Project Inform Evening of Hope: A Night of Life-Saving Fashion
  Condom Couture Fashion Show
  Models will strut their stuff in fetching dresses fabricated from hundreds of condoms
• Flower dissection
• Sea urchin fertilization
• A discussion about the female feline reproductive system
• Bull testicle dissection
• DNA extraction
• Take-apart sex toysFilms and Projections
  
• Love Life of the Octopus (1965, 12 min.)
  
• Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind (1983, 55 min.)
• Live sperm
• Sea urchin fertilizationExhibits
• Love Nest: Take a peek inside a dollhouse that’s home to amorous insects
• Pollination Partners: Explore flowers and the pollinators they attract
• Sense Appeal: Tease apart your sense of smell and your sight in terms of attraction
• Sperm to Scale: Discover which organisms have the largest sperm size to body ratio and what impact this has on the organisms
• Blown-Up Sperm: Check out fish, chicken, dog, and, lizard sperm. When these animals grow up they don’t look like humans; why does their sperm look so much like ours?

After Dark opens at 6pm and runs until 10. Cash bar opens at 6pm. Admission is $15 or free to members. The Exploratorium is located in the Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon Street in San Francisco.