The Rupununi region of Guyana is a mix of lowland savannas and tropical forests. The vast savannas include an expansive network of wetlands that connect the Guyana’s main river drainage, Essequibo River, to the Amazon River during the rainy season. This unique biogeographic feature influences fish communities of the area. One of the fish species found here is in dire need of protection. Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Saving Giants of the Amazon” with Dr. Lesley de Souza”

There’s a treasure at the edge of the Solar System. It’s a data recorder, aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, slowly sending to Earth several gigabytes acquired during last summer’s flyby of Pluto.  That information is still coming down.  At the mission’s home base in Maryland, William S. Higgins witnessed the excitement during the encounter.  Now he reviews results, downlinked in recent months, that are illuminating the mysteries of Pluto, its five moons, and its neighborhood. Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Playback from Pluto: Recent News from NASA’s New Horizon Spacecraft” with William S. Higgins”

Global warming is a reality that we will be forced to adapt to in the coming decades. A true solution will not come from one area; there is no silver bullet. Rather, lasting and significant change will come from a suite of modifications to our behavior, as well as technological improvements.

Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Getting More Electricity Out of Sunlight” with Matthew Weimer”

“Machine learning”—a form of artificial intelligence—has received increasing attention in the news media, owing to its increasingly widespread impact on our everyday lives. Today, machine learning allows computers to understand speech, recommend movies, and beat the best human player at Jeopardy.  Prof. Miles Wernick will explain the basic ideas behind this important technology, and will describe how he has used machine learning in various medical applications.

Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Machine Learning and Medical Imaging” with Dr. Miles Wernick”

Seasonal changes in temperature and light impact our moods and can cause serious impairment to our everyday functioning. But, how does the weather outside impact what happens inside our bodies? The answer to that question depends on what type of “weather personality” we have. While some of us thrive in sunlight and feel better in warm temperatures, most of us are able to cope with fluctuations in the weather and seasons by using adaptive coping skills. Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Feeling Down? Maybe it’s the Season” with Dr. Jocelyn Carter”

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) recently opened a one-of-its-kind temporary exhibit, Robot Revolution. This unprecedented exhibit features more than 40 robots from all over the world. MSI’s robot wrangling team spent five years developing this program with the help of esteemed robotics advisors. The team scoured the world — including Japan, China, Germany, and France — to find the most advanced and exciting robots to showcase to the public. Kathleen McCarthy was part of this team.

Continue reading “C2ST Speakeasy: “Robot Revolution” with Anna Brill and Kathleen McCarthy”