Brilliant!Science: Extraterrestrial Life

Saturday, September 28
9:00–10:30 am
Board Room

Earth 2.0: Where is it? Can we Visit? Earth: A Single Point Failure

Speakers: Rusty Schweickart, former NASA astronaut and Chair Emeritus of the B612 Foundation
David DesMarais, NASA Ames and Academy Fellow
Carl Pilcher, NASA Astrobiology Institute

This conversation will revolve around whether our search for Earth 2.0 and other exoplanets is an absolute requirement for humanity’s survival. Are there alternatives to moving out? What can the climate changes we study on other worlds tell us about the potential for husbanding our world successfully?

Moderated by Academy Fellow Dr. Jill Tarter, Bernard Oliver Chair for SETI at SETI Institute; welcome by Dr. Terry Gosliner.

Reservations: Adults $35; Members $25, Seniors $25; series tickets: Adults $90, Members $70, Seniors $70. Coffee, tea and pastry provided. Ticket does not include museum admission. Reserve your Member or Non-Member ticket online or over the phone at 1-877-227-1831.

Thursday, October 10
6:00–10:00 pm

Plunge into the mysteries of our Universe (and beyond) with a cocktail in-hand during a cosmic edition of NightLife. Every Thursday evening, NightLife features provocative science, mingling, music, creatures and cocktails for adults ages 21 and up. Extraterrestrial life welcome.

Reservations: Tickets are $12 per person ($10 for Academy members); Additional details to be announced at www.calacademy.org/nightlife. California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118

Saturday, October 12
9:00–10:30 am
Board Room

Cosmic Evolution: A Scientific Creation Myth Like No Other

Speakers: David Morrison, Director of the Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute and Academy Fellow
Eugenie Scott, Executive Director, National Center for Science Education and Academy Fellow

Our current standard model of cosmology is, in fact, just the latest in a long line of “creation myths.” Why does it matter that this one is told by scientists? How can we encourage the general public to adopt suggested solutions for current/pending environmental challenges, when they appear to be losing confidence in science and scientists?

Moderated by Academy Fellow Dr. Jill Tarter, Bernard Oliver Chair for SETI at SETI Institute; welcome by Dr. Terry Gosliner.

Reservations: Adults $35; Members $25, Seniors $25; series tickets: Adults $90, Members $70, Seniors $70. Coffee, tea and pastry provided. Ticket does not include museum admission. Reserve your Member or Non-Member ticket online or over the phone at 1-877-227-1831.

Saturday, October 12
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Price: Regular Admission Pricing

Participants: 2013 iGEM Stanford-Brown Team; American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); Berkeley SETI Research Center; Cartoonists Michael Capozzola, Jonathan Lemon, Erin Smith, and special guests from The Cartoon Art Museum; Destination Science; NASA Ames Research Center; NOVAS: NASA Opportunities in Visualization, Art, and Science; SETI; Techbridge; and others.

Explore Extraterrestrial Life through informative, interactive programs for the whole family. The Academy’s public floor will host hands-on demonstrations that investigate how scientists search for extraterrestrial life. Learn how scientists use rocks to tell what conditions may or may not support life, use scientific data to visualize what extraterrestrial life might look like, and discover how undergraduate students are contributing to the field of astrobiology. Guests can also visit guest cartoonists to playfully imagine life on other planets. Interactive activities that explore life outside our planet will entertain families all weekend long.

Sunday, October 13
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Family Festival: Extraterrestrial Life - Day Two!

Price: Regular Admission Pricing

Day Two - See Participants and Description above

Monday, October 14
7:30 pm
Morrison Planetarium

The Search for Habitability and Life Beyond Earth: From micro-ETs to Exoplanets

Speaker: Nathalie A. Cabrol, Planetary Scientist at the Carl Sagan Center (SETI Institute) NASA Ames Research Center

The last decade has seen a revolution in astrobiology – the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Results returned by planetary missions in the Solar System such as Messenger, Venus Express, the Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Express, MSL and the Curiosity rover, Cassini, and Kepler, as well as multi-disciplinary research in terrestrial extreme environments, have resulted in a new, inclusive, vision of astrobiology. What we learn from one planet helps us understand others, including our own, and guides the design and planning of future astrobiology-focused missions. In her presentation, Dr. Cabrol will discuss this revolution in astrobiology, with the latest updates from these various missions, and where we stand on our quest to understanding habitability and find life beyond Earth.

Reservations: $8 Members, $10 Senior, $12 General Admission. Reserve your Member or Non-Member ticket online or over the phone at 1-877-227-1831.

Wednesday, October 16
8:00 pm–10:00 pm (Doors open at 7:00 pm)

Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell Street at Van Ness

Presenters: Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute and Academy Fellow
Ryan Wyatt, Director of Science Visualization, California Academy of Sciences

Seth Shostak knew he would spend his life hunting for signs of life in the Universe from the time he was just 10 years old. He is now Senior Astronomer at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute whose mission is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the Universe. Shostak has published hundreds of scientific articles, written several popular books and even has his own radio show. Ryan Wyatt, Director of Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences will join Shostak on stage to hear the latest confessions of one of this world’s leading alien hunters!

Of course, we all know that learning is more fun when you’re drinking with friends and colleagues, which is why Nerd Nite exists in the first place. Held monthly in more than 50 cities across the globe, this is where science nerds take the stage to give fun and informative presentations while the audience drinks along. As nerds and non-nerds say, Nerd Nite is like the Discovery Channel™...with Beer!

Price: $8. Tickets are available now: Nerd Nite tickets. Promo Code: "NERDALIEN"

Friday, October 18
6:00 pm to 8:00 am
Children ages 5+ with adult chaperones

Do you ever look up at the starry night sky and wonder, “Are we alone?” Well, grab your sleeping bag and join us for our Brilliant!Science Extraterrestrial Penguins + Pajamas Sleepover event! Become a star-gazing guru while touring our night sky during an after-hour planetarium show. Take a solar system walk to learn about our own cosmic neighborhood, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and much more. Before bedtime, enjoy cookies and milk, then attend a late night show in the Planetarium, Hohfeld Hall, or a bedtime story in African Hall. When the lights go out, unroll your sleeping bag in African Hall, next to the swaying kelp of the California Coast tank, or even at the Swamp window, face-to-face with Claude, the albino alligator. In the morning, rise and shine, then head over to the Academy Café for a full breakfast.

Reservations: $99 per person non-member and $79 per person for members. Group rates available for groups of 10 or more. Reserve your Member or Non-Member ticket online.

Saturday, October 26
9:00–10:30 am
Board Room

SETI: The Archaeology of the Future

Speakers: Geoff Marcy, Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley and Academy Fellow
Andrew Fraknoi, Professor of Astronomy, Foothill College and Academy Fellow
Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute and Academy Fellow

The successful detection of a signal from another extraterrestrial technology would tell us that, on average, technology is a stabilizing influence and we could have a long future if we get it right. What are the statistics? What can we really learn—if we get a signal and if we do not? How long should we listen before we transmit?

Moderated by Academy Fellow Dr. Jill Tarter, Bernard Oliver Chair for SETI at SETI Institute; welcome by Dr. Terry Gosliner.

Reservations: Adults $35; Members $25, Seniors $25; series tickets: Adults $90, Members $70, Seniors $70. Coffee, tea and pastry provided. Ticket does not include museum admission. Reserve your Member or Non-Member ticket online or over the phone at 1-877-227-1831.