Many of us have spent the last month regularly hitting refresh on our web browsers to update the map that has now become ubiquitous in (quite literally) bearing witness to the persistent spread of COVID-19. Mapping technologies are used in a variety of situations to track vast amounts of data.…
Catastrophic events quickly challenge fundamental assumptions about how we live and what we take for granted. This has been especially evident as we witness health systems around the world pushed to their limits in the wake of unprecedented strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mounting examples of critical shortages in…
Our grandparents and great-grandparents grew “Victory Gardens” during World Wars I and II when fresh produce was scarce. All the best trends eventually come back. But these days we have a whole lot of nifty ways to ensure a tasty harvest in as little time as possible. Make something easy…
Current events have us very focused on the search for a vaccine for COVID-19. But this is not the first time that scientists have sought quick solutions to address an emerging infection that posed a risk to human health. We have a long history in battling back microbial threats wielding…
Jessie Christiansen
On a cool Tuesday evening in Hollywood, I find myself sitting in a circle with fifteen others when astrophysicist Jessie Christiansen walks up to us with a roulette-style carnival wheel in hand. Instead of numbers, each space features the name of a different exoplanet, or planet outside of…
Upon walking into the expansive lobby of the California NanoSystems Institute on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, guests were treated to a warm welcome of drinks, appetizers, and mingling. Greeters seated at a nearby table handed each individual a small petri dish with a piece of paper…
Artificial intelligence (AI) has always fascinated Hollywood, with the technology mostly depicted in a sinister, ominous light. In The Terminator, the U.S. military commissioned the development of Skynet, a defense AI who gains artificial consciousness and ends up attacking the human race. HAL 9000, the spacecraft computer in 2001: A…
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Lively scientists, entertainers, and reporters gathered this week for an unlikely event nestled in Manhattan’s swanky NeueHouse cultural center. Armed with a purple-green cocktail called “The Galaxy” and mysterious hotel keys, guests made their way to their seats in a packed lobby fitted with cushioned stairs.
If you didn’t…
Celebrating a lighthearted milestone of its 10th anniversary during the nation’s marking of midterm elections, The Science & Entertainment Exchange recently returned to New York City’s Lower East Side arts venue Caveat for an informed and witty Friday evening discussion and Q&A titled “Cyber Civics: Securing the Vote for 2020,”…
The evening began like any other Exchange event, with delicious drinks and lively conversation in a room packed with scientists and entertainment professionals. It was the night before Halloween, but the atmosphere felt festive and lighthearted—that is, until the networking hour was rudely interrupted by a fairly loud argument. Near…