Science Circle

Classical Concert
2021-12-26 07:00 - 08:00, 2021-12-19 07:00 - 08:00, 2021-12-12 07:00 - 08:00, 2021-12-05 07:00 - 08:00, 2021-11-28 07:00 - 08:00, 2021-11-21 07:00 - 08:00, 2021-11-14 07:00 - 08:00, 2021-11-07 07:00 - 08:00 (America/Los_Angeles) and 2 more dates | The Lighthouse Café

Cirque du Mystere
2021-12-25 21:00 - 22:00
Cirque du Mystere
We’ll be treating you all to a compelling murder mystery facilitated by MadPea, so bring your magnifying glasses!
To participate you’ll need a 500L$ HUD, which you will receive from the Science Circle.
Thank you for a thrilling 2021, and a great start to the East calendar, we hope to see you again in the new year!

Cirque du Mystere
2021-12-25 10:00 - 11:00
On Saturday, December 25 at 10 AM & 9 PM PST, we’ll treat you to a compelling murder mystery, facilitated by MadPea.
To participate you need a HUD of 500 L$, which you will receive from The Science Circle.
We enjoyed your presence in 2021 and with this Murder Mystery experience we hope to offer you a fun and challenging end to the year.

SC Region Tour
2021-12-18 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle region
SC Region Tour!

The Science Circle owns a region with more than fourteen beautiful locations. Today we visit them with you, answer your questions and listen to your ideas about regional development.
SC is an alliance of scientists and teachers, who in turn are given regional space to display their work. Some exhibitions are permanent, others are replaced by new acquisitions.
Recently Steven Van Hook, CEO of Educare, left his plot in the region to open a much needed “How to Educate in SL” region. We expect to have a tour in June 2022!
However, Steven’s departure offers his SC colleagues the chance to showcase their project.
During the regional tour we offer you the opportunity to share ideas or projects with us. So that our home base remains attractive, challenging and innovative.
By Jes Stannard & Chantal Jager

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Fireside Chat Dating Dynamics
2021-12-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Fireside
Following on from “Choking on Red Pills: A Biological Take on Modern Dating Dynamics,” Stephen Gasior holds a Fireside Chat.
Choking on Red Pills Citations – PDF & Choking on Red Pills Citations – txt

Hosted by Dr. Stephen Gasior (Xootfly)

Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

Reference work in the library

Previous lectures on film

Podcasts

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Archaeology in Open Sim
2021-12-11 21:00 - 22:00 | Science Circle Opensim Grid
Archaeology in Open Sim
Introduction to Aspiring Archaeologist region Aka Altun Ha
The region features three main components.
#1 The Jonson site: A reproduction investigation site of the Monongahela, used for field school on land owned by the Army Corps of Engineers in Blairsville, PA
#2 The Prehistoric Overview: A museum style exhibit displaying distinctive cultural periods from Paleoindian through the Contact Period
#3 Concepts and methods: This section features various posters and displays illustrating techniques used for researching significant cultural findings.

By Marion Smeltzer, MA Practicing Public Archaeologist.
You will need an Open Sim account to join us for this fieldtrip, you can find a tutorial on how to create an account HERE.

Open Sim Genome Tour
2021-12-11 10:00 - 11:00 | The Science Circle OpenSim project
Open Sim Genome Tour
The Genome Islands on the Science Circle Grid are an Open Sim version of Genome Island on Second Life. On the Science Circle Grid, the virtual laboratory activities have been organized into four islands: Mendel, Crick, Hooke and Huxley.
Mendel houses the transmission genetics, including Mendel’s Abbey and a Garden Walk that includes the monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, X-linked traits, and interacting genes. It also includes a meiosis activity, which illustrates the chromosomal behavior that underlies the Mendelian Laws.
Crick represents molecular genetics, including the experiments that identified DNA as the genetic material, illustrations of the organization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genes and chromosomes, and galleries featuring selected genomes, including nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes. The bioinformatics building compares genes and chromosomes of different species. Two areas each concentrate on the genes of a single species: fruit flies and humans. Fly Base, named for the online database, offers various experiments with Drosophila genetics. Likewise, the Human Genetics building illustrates different aspects of human genetics. The central feature of Crick is Chromosome Hill, which has large models of human chromosomes.
Hooke focuses on cell biology, ranging from models of the macromolecules found in living organisms, to a model of a cell big enough to walk around in. Various sections of the Hooke walkway feature membrane models, experiments with enzymes and membrane transport, comparison of plant and animal tissues and illustrations of both cell respiration and photosynthesis.
Huxley is still under construction but will represent organismal diversity.
By Mary Anne Clark, Professor of Biology, Texas Wesleyan University

If you would like to attend the Genome tour on the SC grid, follow the instructions here

Discussion: Science / Sci Fi Movies and books
2021-12-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Fireside

Open Sim Abyssinia Tour
2021-12-04 21:00 - 22:00 | Abyssinia
Open Sim Abyssinia Tour
Abyssinia, which is intended as a living museum & educational resource on the Science Circle’s OpenSim grid, is my reconstruction of ancient archaeological sites in Tigray (northern Ethiopia) & Eritrea that date from at least 1000 BCE through roughly 800 CE. I excavated at several of these sites decades ago (1969-1972), & now am restoring parts of them virtually to their prominence during their heyday. Currently I have constructed two major buildings & other parts of Yeha, capital of the kingdom then known as Di’amat, located in Tigray.

I created a similar project on Second Life more than a decade ago, but technical & financial issues prevented its continuation, so I am grateful to be able to created it again.

Framed within the striking dragon-tooth mountains characteristic of the region, Yeha was the administrative & religious capital of a kingdom that controlled trade along the Red Sea together with its counterpart & related South Arabian kingdom Saba’ in what is now Yemen, The language, culture, religion, & architecture of the two kingdoms bear strong similarities, indicating their close contact.
Skip dedicates this project to the people of Tigray, as well as those of Ethiopia & Eritrea, with urgent hopes for return to peace & stability.

There are two major buildings in Yeha from that period, the Great Temple, which still remains largely standing, & the administrative palace, whose ruins are known as Grat Be’al Gibri (the field of the tax collector). I participated in the first two seasons of excavation at the latter, during which the front of the building, including a colonnaded portico, were opened.

Subsequent more recent excavations on both buildings by a joint German-Ethiopian team have revealed many additional details about them, which are incorporated in my full-scale recreations of the buildings, which can be fully explored. I also included several other structures which represent other aspects of the city as it must have appeared at that time, including houses, a market, a pavilion for a royal festival, farm fields, & a representative war elephant, which were one of the exports from the kingdom to the Mediterranean & the Middle East. As time & space permit, it is my intention to add other important sites from both Tigray & Eritrea.

This project has gained greater significance for me since the tragic war which has been fought throughout Tigray since November 2020, causing great human suffering & destruction. Many of the sites & artifacts that have been or will be represented are located in Tigray, which now is undergoing the upheaval of disastrous civil war.

This is an excursion in OpenSim with Archaeologist Skip Dahlgren.
We have prepared a tutorial on how to register an account and enter the Science Circle open sim grid, click here to view it.

Open Sim Archaeology Tour
2021-12-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Science Circle Opensim Grid
Archaeology in Open Sim

Introduction to Aspiring Archaeologist region Aka Altun Ha
The region features three main components.
#1 The Jonson site: A reproduction investigation site of the Monongahela, used for field school on land owned by the Army Corps of Engineers in Blairsville, PA
#2 The Prehistoric Overview: A museum style exhibit displaying distinctive cultural periods from Paleoindian through the Contact Period
#3 Concepts and methods: This section features various posters and displays illustrating techniques used for researching significant cultural findings.
By Marion Smeltzer, MA Practicing Public Archaeologist

If you would like to attend the Archaeology tour on the SC grid, follow the instructions here

Is nationalism beneficial or dangerous in the context of globalization?
2021-11-27 21:00 - 22:00 | Fireside
Is nationalism beneficial or dangerous in the context of globalization?
“While globalization will make the world smaller and more accessible, we must continue to appreciate its vibrant diversity.” -Jean-Philippe Courtois

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Organic Chem Basics: Diels-Alder and similar reactions
2021-11-27 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Organic Chem Basics: Diels-Alder and similar reactions
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Dr. Benjamin List (Max PLack Institute) and Dr. David MacMillam (Princeton University) for “the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.” One of the first reactions that they found could be catalyzed by purely organic compounds was the Diels-Alder reaction. The Diels-Alder reaction is a well-known example of a fundamental class of reactions in organic chemistry, and it can proceed unaided, be catalyzed by metal-containing compounds, or most recently catalyzed by purely organic species. We’ll talk about what makes the Diels-Alder reaction special, and how it has been catalyzed in the past, and why the recent Nobel prize is seen as a jump forward.

Dr. Mike J. Shaw

Reference work in the library

Previous lectures on film

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Virtual Teaching Tactics to Help a Divided World
2021-11-20 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Virtual Teaching Tactics to Help a Divided World

Educators can be Covid-challenged to keep students and funds flowing, while promoting healthy and enriching academic options. Virtual World learning may provide immersive hands-on experience for engaging students and offering a sense of place and belonging, so important to student success and retention in online education.This presentation covers: evolution of virtual world learning, academic necessities for learning alternatives, socioeconomic drivers and gains, fulfilling student desires for immersive experience, benefits of experiential learning, providing dimensional sense of space, sample in-world learning centers, forming partnerships between academia and emerging technology, effective gamification of learning, bridging the digital divide, and self-guided field trips to Virtual World campuses.

Dr. Steven R. Van Hook has developed and taught mixed-format courses in cross-cultural communications and global affairs for the University of California and other universities in the United States and abroad. He’s been a newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, TV news anchor, and television bureau chief in Moscow covering the fall of the Soviet Union. He has directed international public education campaigns through the United States Agency for International Development. He has a PhD specializing in transcultural learning, and is published in scholarly journals including SAGE, and UNESCO’s Prospects. Research website: http://wwmr.us

Choking on Red Pills: A Biological Take on Modern Dating Dynamics
2021-11-20 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
The basic tenet of biology is reproduction to continue the species. Evolution and genetics has programmed every species’ to follow behaviors to ensure the next generation. Sometimes this has resulted in seemingly contradictory behaviors like male spiders sacrificing themselves after mating.
Given this pattern of programming in sexually reproducing species, it is flabbergasting that some people are choosing to exit the mating pool consciously. These movements (Men Going Their Own Way, Involuntary Celibates, parts of The Manosphere, etc) espouse very different interactions in the mating game, primarily to exit it. Collectively using the term “Red Pill” (a reference to The Matrix) this philosophy claims to now be awakened to the truth of how society oppresses men.
This presentation will explore initially the biology of sexual reproduction in vertebrates and humans then look to reconcile or at least understand better the current society/cultural situation.
Presentation by Dr. Stephen Gasior (Xootfly)

Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

Reference work in the library

Previous lectures on film

Podcasts

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Immunotherapy: Harnessing the Weapon Within
2021-11-13 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Immunotherapy: Harnessing the Weapon Within
In 1890, a bone surgeon by the name of William B. Coley was profoundly moved by the loss of a 17-year old patient (Bessie Dashiell) to bone cancer and endeavored to find an effective treatment for the disease. Amidst reviewing hospital records, Coley learned of a patient with a similar disease who recovered after (dramatic pause…) coming down with an infection.
“Say what now?”
Yes… Coley (after verifying that wasn’t a singular case) went on to treat malignant tumors with injections that induced infections. While he was successful in some cases, an explanation for the positive outcomes wasn’t available at the time. Today, we understand that components of the toxins Coley used tuned his patients’ immune systems, stimulating responses that lead to tumor regression. The understanding of our innate defense system’s potential in fighting cancer has instigated the development of a marvelous form of treatment – immunotherapy.
In this presentation I aim to introduce the principles that underlie immunotherapy, discuss various forms of the treatment like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and dendritic cell vaccines, and explain the challenges involved in harnessing our immune systems in the war against cancer

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Virtual Teaching Tactics to Help a Divided World
2021-11-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Educators can be Covid-challenged to keep students and funds flowing, while promoting healthy and enriching academic options. Virtual World learning may provide immersive hands-on experience for engaging students and offering a sense of place and belonging, so important to student success and retention in online education. This presentation covers: evolution of virtual world learning, academic necessities for learning alternatives, socio-economic drivers and gains, fulfilling student desires for immersive experience, benefits of experiential learning, providing dimensional sense of space, sample in-world learning centers, forming partnerships between academia and emerging technology, effective gamification of learning, bridging the digital divide, and self-guided field trips to Virtual World campuses.

Bio: Dr. Steven R. Van Hook has developed and taught mixed-format courses in cross-cultural communications and global affairs for the University of California and other universities in the United States and abroad. He’s been a newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, TV news anchor, and television bureau chief in Moscow covering the fall of the Soviet Union. He has directed international public education campaigns through the United States Agency for International Development. He has a PhD specializing in transcultural learning, and is published in scholarly journals including SAGE, and UNESCO’s Prospects. Research website: http://wwmr.us

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Mars Exploration
2021-11-08 10:00 - 11:00 | Fireside
On their way to a robot planet:
Fry: So, this planet is completely uninhabited
Bender: No, it’s inhabited by robots
Fry: Oh see. The same way a warehouse is inhabited by boxes.
Mars isn’t inhabited by boxes, errr, I mean robots. They are better thought of as remote controlled sensory extensions of humans. Please join us at the Science Circle campfire to talk about Mars, the technology with which we explore it, and what we can look forward to from our exploration.

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Has the global pandemic changed your view on others or society itself?
2021-11-06 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Has the global pandemic changed your view
on others or society itself?
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” -Mahatma Gandhi
“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Museums
2021-11-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Fireside
Which RL museum do you recommend to others?
This can be a local, national or foreign museum and can be a science, art, history, maritime or open air museum. Is the location exceptional or the architecture of the building? Share it with us.
Which one left an indelible impression on you? Tell us what you found and discovered. Perhaps you can share an image of what impressed you the most. Share the website of the relevant museum with us.
An example of museum development and innovation is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Night Watch “De Nachtwacht by Rembrandt van Rijn” is currently being restored and to inform, educate and share this process with the public, you can get a virtual tour here.
We look forward to your museum!
This FC topic is an idea of William Schmachtenberg, many thanks Bill.
Note: Please prepare, write your text prior to this Fireside Chat.

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Nuclear Energy
2021-10-30 21:00 - 22:00 | Auditorium
Nuclear Energy

The prospect of carbon-free electricity produced reliably and abundantly would incentivize investments in nuclear energy. Concerns over proper fuel disposal or recurrences of nuclear accidents with disastrous consequences also inhibit liberal employment of the energy source. Alternative power plant designs such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are being considered to improve safety and reduce construction costs. To what extent should we consider nuclear energy a solution to ensuring our energy needs are met in our struggle with climate change?
A presentation by Karthik P., Graduate Student

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Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Failure in Human Disease
2021-10-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Auditorium
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Failure in Human Disease
Some two billion years ago, a seminal, endosymbiotic event occurred: a larger, anaerobic bacterial cell ingested a smaller, aerobic prokaryotic ‘germ’. This beneficial union of two life forms led to the evolution of more highly organized eukaryotic cells with mitochondria as subcellular organelles. These mitochondria still retain their own bacteria-like DNA – they also replicate themselves. As the metabolic power source for eukaryotic cells, mitochondria utilize (detoxify) oxygen to produce energy, an attribute that has made possible the rise of multi-cellular organisms and higher life forms. Mitochondria are vital to cellular life and therefore, to human life. Unfortunately, they can also be subject to genetically-based errors of metabolism.
The mammalian mitochondrial genome (circular, double-stranded DNA) encodes 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs and mRNAs for 13 polypeptides of the oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) system -this is the water brigade-like, mitochondrial-membrane bound, Electron Transport Chain that drives the proton pump, which in turn, drives production of ATP with a high energy phosphate bond to sustain cellular biochemistry (purposeful energy production and utilization required for sustenance of life processes).
Mitochondrial diseases have been recognized in the past 30 years as a group of genetic disorders characterized by defects in oxidative phosphorylation. These are attributable both to mutations in genes that encode structural mitochondrial proteins or proteins involved in mitochondrial function:

these mutations include genes in nuclear (chromosomal) DNA (nDNA) as well as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

Mitochondrial diseases as a group of inherited metabolic disorders are in fact, among the most common forms of inherited neurological disorders. Diagnosis is often delayed:

due to non-specific and varied symptom

which can range from fatigue and exercise intolerance to failure to thrive in children, autism, dementia, diabetes mellitus;

and finally, lack of suspicion for, or lack of awareness of mitochondrial diseases on the part of the diagnostician.

Advances in sequencing techniques of mitochondria have substantially improved diagnosis, particularly in children. In our REVIEW of HUMAN DISEASE of MITOCHONDRIAL ETIOLOGY, we will discuss common presenting symptoms – in particular, those involving organs with high energy requirements: central nervous system, cardiac and skeletal muscle, renal tubules, to name a few. Medical management of mitochondrial diseases will be considered along with some attention to “mitochondrial health”.
Presentation by Robert A. Hendrix, M.D.

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