A recent article in the Kernel features Michael Busch, Dimitra Atri, and Jacob Haqq-Misra on the subject of sending messages into space. The Lone Signal project of 2013 was an attempt at sending a crowdfunded message toward the star Gliese 526, and the article discusses both the funding perils and security concerns over this and other attempts at broadcasting messages that extraterrestrial intelligence might receive. [read the article at the Kernel]
Read moreOur “BlueSciCon” podcast for May features a conversation with our 2014 essay contest winner Kamir Hiam titled “Redesigning Human Motivation and Aiming for the Stars“. Space exploration requires costly investment, and the lack of an immediate return on this capital provides little economic incentive for a long-term exploratory program. Likewise, optimal solutions to environmental challenges sometimes compete against marketplace forces, which can create difficulties in motivating new behaviors. In his winning essay, Kamir Haim proposes that “complementary currency” could provide […]
Read moreDr. Laurie Barge recently discussed her research on self-organizing processes at the University of Washington astrobiology seminar. Processes that tend toward self-organization are of interest to astrobiologists like Dr. Barge, who seek to understand conditions that could have led to the origin of life in Earth’s early history. Dr. Barge’s research focuses on understanding the chemical environments that exist in seafloor hydrothermal systems, where out-of-equilibrium conditions could have provided the right mix of ingredients for life to begin. [watch a […]
Read moreNASA/BMSIS research intern Palmer Fliss engaged a group of thirty 5th graders at Fammatre Elementary School in San Jose, CA. Nina Hyatt, the teacher of the class, expressed “It was so great for my fifth graders to have an opportunity to talk to a “real live scientist! So many fascinating questions were asked, and conversations shared! And, after the bell rang, they were so immersed in their drawing projects that I needed to practically chase them out of the classroom!”. […]
Read moreDr. Sara Walker recently led a conversation at the Valley Engineering Science & Technology Club in Sun City West, Arizona. Dr. Walker discussed the search for extraterrestrial life in the 21st century with this organization that includes active and retired scientists and engineers. [read about the event]
Read moreKamir Hiam Listen: [mp3 download] Questions to consider: How does the modern global market economy inhibit innovative solutions to civilization’s environmental challenges? What is complementary currency, and how do new forms of complementary currency emerge? How can complementary currencies help to direct human behavior? Could too many forms of complementary currency lead to an economic “bubble”, followed by a market collapse? How can innovative economic ideas foster the human exploration of space? [ca_audio url=”http://beerwith.bmsis.org/BlueSciCon_38_MAY2015.mp3″ width=”500″ height=”27″ css_class=”codeart-google-mp3-player”]
Read moreOur “BlueSciCon” podcast for April features a conversation with Dr. Sara Walker about her recent essay titled “The Descent of Math“. Scientists and philosophers have often remarked that it seems incredible that we are able to understand the universe at all. Our civilization’s ability to manipulate the physical environment has allowed us to create possibilities that were never before seen in history. In her essay for FQXi’s current contest, Dr. Walker discusses the possibility that evolutionary processes tend toward producing […]
Read moreA new science series titled “Through the Wormhole” features BMSIS research scientist Dr. Sara Walker as a guest expert on an upcoming show. The episode is titled “Are We Here for a Reason?” and is scheduled to air on Wednesday, May 13th on Discovery’s Science Channel at 10:00 PM ET/PT. Hosted by Morgan Freeman, the series explores some of the deep mysteries of astronomy, cosmology, and existence. [Visit the site for “Through the Wormhole”]
Read moreDr. Sara Walker Beverage: Seltzer Water Listen: [mp3 download] Questions to consider: Why does the universe seem comprehensible, and why should beings like us be here to comprehend it? How does our knowledge about the laws of physics permit us to access new physical states of the world? Do other creatures–such as birds or beavers–engage in knowledge manipulation of their environments? Are there early examples of the emergence of math, prior to the evolution of humans? Is the development of […]
Read moreOur “BlueSciCon” podcast for March features a conversation with Dr. Seth Baum of the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute and Kathryn McLaughlin of Biosecu.re about the concept of “Winter-Safe Deterrence“. The stockpiles of nuclear weapons held by nations today hold the power to destroy civilization several times over, and the risk of nuclear winter–a catastrophic reduction in global temperatures due to soot from nuclear war–gives us reason to question whether we should maintain such massive stockpiles at all. Yet deterrence provides […]
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