Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle, Two Events

"Psychological Benefits of Walking in a Virtual Nature"

Friday June 29
9AM to 10 AM PST
By Benny Rigaux-Bricmont

"Can the benefits of nature walks for psychological well-being and cognitive ability be replicated in a purely virtual environment? The island of Natmoud was built in the virtual world of Second Life (SL) to see whether immersion in such an environment is possibly therapeutic. Residents of SL were invited to visit Natmoud and comment in writing on their experience while there. Reading and analyzing these comments with TROPES semantic software allows us to identify the main factors contributing to a relaxing and comforting atmosphere. The implicit hypothesis that a virtual representation of nature can be soothing is confirmed. We also find that wildlife – which is abundant on the island * –appears to be the main feature that catches the attention of walkers. Given that these verbatim transcripts from a small convenience sample reflect, with one exception, the emotions felt by women, the results cannot really be generalized. In the analyses, the anonymity of the avatars is preserved by using initials, even though in all the cases the participants consented to the reproduction of the emotions they expressed."

For more information, Click Here.

Natmoud Island (52/137/28)

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"Updating Darwinian Evolution Part II: The Role of Sexual Selection"

Saturday June 30
9AM to 10 AM PST
By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior 
"The most common conception of evolution is that the hardiest survive. Darwin proposed another type of competition–that for mates within a species. When competing for mating partners the ability to find the right match and display your wares become important forces shaping the evolution of physiology, chemistry, and the brain. This talk explores the science of sexual selection in humans. Sexual selection has been well established in animal species for half a century, but the ability to study it in humans is relatively recent. Using the documentary The Science of Sex Appeal as a scaffold, this talk helps us update Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. "

For more information, Click Here.

The Science Circle (61/127/32) 

Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle: “Updating Darwinian Evolution Part I"

“Updating Darwinian Evolution Part I: Insights from Genes and Genomes”
By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior
Sunday, April 22 at 8AM - 9AM PDT     

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was a landmark event in science, providing an explanation for the origin of the diverse lifeforms on the Earth. Notably, it was largely a construct of deduction from observations. In the over 150 years of the existence of this theory, scientists have provided the nuts and bolts of how evolution works. Notable discoveries include DNA and how it encodes genes, how genes lead to characteristics, the ability to compare genomes, and experimentally measure population dynamics. What Darwin Never Knew (PBS 2009) covers some of the molecular examples of how evolution works. This presentation will summarize the key examples from the documentary. You are welcome to watch the documentary in advance and ask specific questions; however, the talk is designed for those unfamiliar with the documentary topics.

The first talk will be based on “What Darwin Never Knew”.
Watching before hand will be good but not necessary.

For more information: Click Here.  

The Science Circle (61/127/32)