This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

 Saturday April 4

 

    ~*~

 

At 10 AM PST  

 

Functional Morphology and Eye Evolution in The Trilobite

 

By Dr. William F. Schmachtenberg

 

Exact location in sim unknown

 

    ~*~

 

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝  

 

Autism Australia Event Raises Over 130,000 Linden Dollars

 

At one minute after Midnight SL time on Saturday December 13, a 24 hour fundraiser named Autism Australia took place. It was held at Club Evolution in Hartford. A number of DJs would take part. The event was to raise funds for "Shine for Autism."Simone Wagstaff, the club's owner, and Missy (Misfit72 Resident) helped run the event. I would drop by at the tail end of DJ RocknRoll's event, and they were whooping it up. 

Missy would call out on occassion:

 

💙 AUTISM AWARENESS CHARITY EVENT 

 ═══════════════════════════════
🎗️ EVOLUTION is raising funds for AUTISM! 🎗️
Already L$130,000+ donated! 💕
Every donation counts - big or small!
Help us make a difference! ✨
Donations can be made directly at
https://www.initforautism.org.au/event/shine-for-autism/home 

 

 She would comment, "I started just before midnight. I must say we.. Anna and I ..." DJ Grizzly, who was next on stage, responded, "It's tough being indispensable." Missy grinned, "Heh, I am sure I am indispensable. ... This will be my last set (smile) after this I really need to go and pay my bed a visit." Grizzly was just starting to head to the stage, "Awww...  Well, glad your sticking around for my set.  And thanks for toughing it out!" "All for charity," Missy commented. Grizzly would start his set with "Rough Girl," while someone else, Jessica (VicBitter Resident) encouraged, "Missy get to bed!" 

Grizzly would encourage people to donate to the posters, which were accepting cash like kiosks. Jessica would say, " just want to say right here...thank you to Simone and Jack for putting all of this together. To all of our awesome DJ's and host volunteers on behalf of Evolution Australia thank you all." People were also encouraged to enter a couple raffles in which a car and a place were the prizes. 

Mira Dust would thank the Newser for helping to publicize the fundraiser. 

 

Yours truly was only able to stay at the event for a short while, and due to real life couldn't be at the end. But over 130,000 Linden dollars had been raised by the time I was there. Dropping by later, I couldn't find the total amount. 

 

There will be a second Autism Australia fundraiser just after Midnight early Saturday morning December 20.

 

Addition: The Newser has been informed that the event raised over 170,000 Linden dollars.  

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Press Release: "Autism Australia" Taking Place Saturday Dec 13, Dec 20

 

 ## Second Life Charity Event Raises Funds for Australian Children with Autism

**Second Life, Virtual World** — Evolution Australia proudly announces a special charity event in Second Life, raising funds to support Australian children with Autism through **Shine for Autism**.

This community-driven event brings together DJs, hosts, volunteers, and residents from across Second Life for an inclusive celebration of music, connection, and giving. All funds raised will directly support programs and services for children with Autism in Australia.

Participants can support the cause in several easy ways:

* **Donate Lindens**: Click and pay the **big blue “Shine for Autism” donation signs** located at the back of the stage.
* **QR Code Donation**: Scan the QR code on-site to be taken directly to the Shine for Autism website.
* **Website Donation**: Touch the information sign to receive a notecard with the Shine for Autism website link. Navigate to **Donate** and contribute as normal.

Every contribution—big or small—makes a difference.

 

* **FREE Car and Aircraft Raffles** will be held during the event.
* Entry is limited to **200 people**.
* Participants must wear the **AutAusEvoEvent group tag** to be eligible.

## 🎉 Most of All… Have Fun

This event is about community, music, and making a real-world difference. Whether you’re donating, DJing, volunteering, or just dancing—thank you for being part of something meaningful.

**Together, we can shine a light on Autism and support Australian children who need it most.**

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hartford/230/18/22

 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 
    Saturday, February 12 DARWIN DAY
 
    At 10 AM PST
    
    Darwin Day, Heroes of Evolution: E. O. Wilson
    By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/darwin-day-heroes-e-o-wilson/
    
    ~*~
    
    At 9 PM PST
    
    Darwin Day Lecture at the H.M.S. Beagle
    By Jes Stannard
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/darwin-day-lecture/
      
    ~*~
    
    NOTE: Registration required, IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═══╝
 

Announcement: This Friday and Saturday at The Science Circle - "Richard Dawkins" And "Rare Preservation"

 

"Heroes of Evolution: Richard Dawkins"

Friday February 12 

9 to 10 AM SL time

For the first time in this lecture series, I will discuss a still living icon of evolution. Richard Dawkins has had an immense impact in his lifetime on the advancement of evolutionary theory as well as science advocacy. His energy and commitment to science are still ongoing today. The talk will discuss his scientific work as well as highlight some of his activities advocating for rational thinking. The talk will consist of three sections: 

Scientific Work

Presentation by Dr. Stephen Gasior (Xootfly)

For more information, Click Here.

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"Rare Preservation of a Mother Crocodilian With Eggs"

Saturday February 13

10 to 11 AM SL time

Modern crocodilians exhibit parental care for their eggs during development, as do modern birds. However, given that pterosaurs (flying reptiles), which are more closely related to birds than crocodilians seem to have not exhibited parental care, this calls into question whether or not more ancient crocodilians and dinosaurs had parental care or not. A remarkably well-preserved fossil adult crocodilian with eggs helps resolve some of these issues by showing this behavior of egg-guarding likely extending back about 45 million years.

Presentation by Dr. Alex Hastings

For more information, Click Here.

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/67/129/32

Announcement: This Saturday in The Science Circle - "Evolutionary Theory Before Darwin"

"Evolutionary Theory Before Darwin"
Saturday October 12
10AM to 11AM
By Dr. Stephen L. Gasior 

The easy narrative of how people thought of evolution in Europe before On the Origin of Species was that God created everything. Then Darwin came along and showed how it really is. While Darwin was revolutionary, he did not create his evolutionary theory from whole cloth.

This talk will explore more the concepts in the scientific field that set the foundation for Darwin. Scientists like Buffon, Cuvier, Lamarck, Chambers, Unger, and Darwin (Erasmus) were instrumental in developing theories on the origins of species and how they interrelate. While some concepts like the scala naturae (ladder of being) were wrong, they nevertheless provided a foundation for criticism which helped Darwin conceptualize his objections to current thought. Thoughts on how Darwin’s contributions can be thought of as part of a continuity as compared to a foundation for evolution will be the goal of the talk.

Read the announcement in full here (link).

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/67/129/32  

Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle: “Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease”, "Darwin Day 2019 Lecture"

"Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease"
By Robert A. Hendrix, MD
Saturday, February 9 at 10 AM PST

"Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is of increasing prevalence and can lead to cirrhosis and total liver failure and can be found in children as young as 2 years of age through adulthood.  Death can occur not only from liver failure but more likely, associated cardiovascular disease.  This talk will review the clinical presentation and natural course of this  disease process and its possible associations with modern lifestyle, diet and gastrointestinal (gut) microbiota.

"GOAL – to raise awareness and basic understanding of NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE for lay people."

For more information: Click Here

The Science Circle (61/127/32)

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Darwin Day 2019 Lecture "Heroes of Evolution"
by Stephen L. Gasior, Ph.D
Tuesday, February 12th at 6 AM PST

"Heroes of Evolution: Kettlewell and Majerus: Of Moths and March of Science

"This lecture will honor the accomplishments of two scientists who helped demonstrate “Evolution in Action.”

"Dr. Henry Bernard Davis Kettlewell spent time in the field counting moths in response to increasing amounts of pollution. This phenomenon of industrial melanism was an excellent demonstration of microevolution showing how a population of organisms change in accordance with environmental changes. Unfortunately, scientific criticism lead to junk science criticisms by anti-evolutionists.

"Dr. Mike Majerus followed up on the scientific criticisms with his own updated experiments solidifying this basic concept of modern evolutionary theory. This talk focuses on the basics of the science and also the process of how science works.

"It will, as is typical for the speaker, criticize the bad faith arguments of the anti-evolutionists and reflect on the challenges for rational thought in today’s culture."

For more information: Click Here

The Science Circle (61/127/32)

Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle: "Two Part Talk by Dr. Gastor, and Debate"

"Two Part Talk by Dr. Gastor, and Debate."

“Reducing Irreducible Complexity”
“A Biological Basis for Morality”

Saturday Sept. 16
8-9AM SLtime 

In this two part talk, Dr. Gasior discusses two crux arguments in the evolution versus religion debate.
 
One counter concept to Darwinian evolution is the argument that biological systems are designed. And, an irreducibly complex machine must have had a designer. A deconstruction of this line of reasoning will be produced along with an example of how evolution works to develop biological machines via analogy with handgun development.

Regardless of the truth of religion, many people find comfort and feel a need for a system of morality with an omniscient and punishing/redeeming entity. Science does not per se offer a specific system of morality and in fact it is argued it creates a potential sense of loneliness and isolation. The second segment puts forth a biological basis for morality from our understanding of biological diversity and Darwinian evolution.

The second segment will begin by watching the first couple minutes of the following video which sets up the conversation.

 More information at: https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/two-part-talk-by-dr-gasior-debate/

The Science Circle (61/126/32) 

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) 

Announcement: This Week in The Science Circle - “The Common and Misplaced Racism of... "

“The Common and Misplaced Racism of David Duke, Hitler, and Darwin: The Value of Diversity in Human Interactions”

by Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

"Racism is the worst idea ever in its impact on the evolution of the human species and its longterm survival. Yet, it is a persistent and strong perspective that has early roots in our evolution that has continued through the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, and modern day. This talk covers the biological basics of human genetic diversity as it pertains to race and some historical perspectives of notable individuals and how that has impacted culture. A more in-depth presentation on population genetics and interesting genetic traits will finish the discussion with a thought on how a rational anti-racism is beneficial in the continued evolution of Homo sapience."

January 13th 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST

For more information, click here: https://www.sciencecircle.org/events/2018-01-13/

The Science Circle (61/126/32) 

Announcement: This Week at the Science Circle

Saturday 23th 10 AM PDT

“Virtual Reality in Science!” by William Schmachtenberg, Ph. D (Dae Miami in SL)

Abstract: VR in Education. There has been a lot of hype about Virtual Reality in the Media, but what is actually involved in using VR in education? How much does it cost, what hardware do you need, how do you set it up, and how good is the software that is available? For the most part, VR in schools has meant Google Cardboard, but other forms of VR are getting cheaper such as Gear VR and even Oculus Rift.

I have been conducting hands-on research with Google Cardboard,  Gear VR and Oculus Rift setups and will be sharing those results in this presentation, but I hope you will come and share your information on VR as well. I will also include reviews of current VR software.
         
More information about Dae's presentation at https://sciencecircle.org/upcoming-saturday/

The Science Circle (61/126/32)

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Sunday 24th 10 AM PDT

“Horse-hunting Crocodiles and Tiny Alligators: Crocodilian Evolution after the Age of the Dinosaurs” by Alex Hastings, Ph. D                                       

Crocodiles have had an impressively long evolutionary history. During the Age of the Dinosaurs they reached massive size and diversified into a wide array of forms, but their lineage did not die with the mass extinction that ended that era. After the massive ecological shifts that occurred, crocodilians adapted to new circumstances and have been enormously successful.

Dr. Hastings will present some of his research on this fascinating group of animals in the millions of years that have followed since the extinction including running crocodiles and dwarf alligators.


More information about Hasting's presentation at https://sciencecircle.org/upcoming-sunday/

The Science Circle (61/126/32)

Xymbers Slade's "From The Primordial Soup" Interactive Story/Game

Xymbers Slade, whom in the Newser's earlier days was a contributor of both stories, horoscopes based on his inworld tarot card deck, and some occasional cartoons, has been making himself busy lately. In the "Reddit forums under the pseudonym "TheDiscordedSnarl," he's set up a kind of interactive story/game that fans of "Spore" and from years ago "Sim Earth" might be interested in: "From The Primordial Soup." Here, people can guide the evolutionary development of an organism by discussion and voting.

So far, about 1.3 billion years in story time have progressed. The single-cell organism that the readers started out with has evolved into a multicellular organism. It shares the ocean with several other organisms, some it feeds upon, some that try to feed upon it.

As of now, the interactive story has 186 participants, a few of whom have contributed some artwork. It should be interesting to see how Xymbers/Discorded's game progresses as the reader-guided creature continues to evolve.

Bixyl Shuftan

Xymber Slade's "Civilization of the Internet" Interactive Story/Game

Longtime readers may remember Xymbers Slade, known in the past for his game and avatar reviews, as well as occasional screenshot cartoons. Under the pseudonym "Dr. Hervis Jasper," he's doing an interactive story/game about the evolution of a single cell lifeform to a multicellular organism, and on to more complex organisms to presumably something intelligent, which then developed a civilization.

 

It's a game where a bacteria arises from the depths to become first an animal, then a somewhat-intelligent animal, then an intelligent creature, onward and upward from a prehistoric group to a tribal (or not so tribal?) creature, and so on and so forth until you reach space... to infinity and beyond! Or something, at any rate.

Every day at the game's webpage, there will be an update, "For the first week and few days, you will be prompted to tweet suggestions for evolutions to the bacterium. Things such as color, how it moves, how it eats, what it eats, ANYTHING that you can think of that would make it beneficial. Feel free to suggest prey species, predators, anything to enrich this bacterium's environment." At first, the turns will represent 100 million years. Once one billion years have passed, options will open as to the organism's evolution, with "you will all vote and the one with the highest votes goes through."

So how will it end? In Xymber's words, "That's for the Internet to decide... and for me to find out!" So if you're curious to see what evolves from his interactive story/game, keep an eye on it, and tweet some suggestions how it goes.


The page can be found at: http://riseoftheinternet.wix.com/oneszeroesandtwos

Bixyl Shuftan