February 16, 2016

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

Everything we see today, our precious atoms and molecules, got here by traveling on swaths of dark matter. From the oscillations of the hot plasma of the primordial universe, to the formation and dynamics of modern galaxies, dark matter plays a necessary role. The very construct in which we sit is defined by its abundance. Our universe’s evolution is controlled tightly by a cosmic tug-of-war between dark matter and dark energy. Read more…

February 2, 2016

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

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. Read more…

January 19, 2016

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

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. Read more…

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.

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December 15, 2015

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

“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.

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December 1, 2015

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

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. Read more…