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The Secret Science Club



Last Updated: 12/6/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Swinger
Age: 101
Sign: Libra

City: BROOKLYN
State: New York
Country: US
Signup Date: 3/25/2007

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Monday, December 14, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

The “Secret Science Club” rockets into the holidays with another brain-boggling lecture at the Bell House

SPECIAL EVENT: Tuesday, December 15 @ 8 pm, $4 cover
Global Warming Expert James Hansen rips the roof off the carbon crisis

Too hot to miss . . .

James Hansen, climatologist, Columbia University professor, advisor to Al Gore, and long-time director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has been studying human-caused climate change for more than three decades—and he was the first scientist to testify before Congress on the threat of growing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Now, as world leaders meet in Copenhagen to negotiate a global emissions treaty, Dr. Hansen warns the Earth’s climate may be approaching one of three “tipping points,” from which there is no return.

In his first book, Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity, Dr. Hansen raises concerns that current proposals do too little to reduce heat-causing emissions and offers bold new strategies for solving the climate dilemma.

Before & After

--Groove to earthy, low-impact tunes

--Try the sultry cocktail of the night, the Dark and Stormy

--Stick around for the sizzling Q&A

--Pick up a signed copy of Dr. Hansen's new book—it's hot off the presses.


This special edition of the “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, December 15 @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510  Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th


$4 cover charge, Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. Come early to snag a seat!

For information, visit us on the Web at http://secretscienceclub.blogspot.com

6:09 PM 
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Sunday, December 06, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

The “Secret Science Club” presents. . .

Tuesday, December 8 at 8 pm FREE! @ the Bell House
Open the doors of perception with visual neuroscientist Ben Backus
You won’t believe your eyes. . .


At the back of the human eye, the retina is smaller than a penny and tissue thin. Yet it contains 100 million neurons. When the eye is open, the retina constantly transmits information on edges, angles, motion, and light intensity to more than 30 areas of the cerebral cortex. How does the brain process and interpret all this visual stimuli—and are our perceptions reliable?


Vision scientist Ben Backus of SUNY discusses:

--how our brains learn to “see”

--whether perception is linked to emotions

--optical illusions that are both illuminating and trippy.


Before and After
--Groove to synesthetic tunes

--Try our cockeyed cocktail of the night, the Parallax View (You’ll see the world in a whole different way . . . )

--Stick around for the laser-sharp Q&A

FREE! Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self.

The “Secret Science Club” meets @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510  Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

7:22 PM 
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Saturday, November 07, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

Methuselah vs. Ponce de León

The Secret Science Club presents age-defying biologist Leonard Guarente
Monday, November 9 at the Bell House @ 8 pm, FREE!

According to conventional wisdom, 40 is the new 30. But how about 80 being the new 20? The search for a proverbial fountain of youth has been the subject of legend for centuries, but today the quest for a medical equivalent is the focus of intense research.


Molecular biologist Leonard Guarente pioneered the anti-aging field at MIT with his discovery of genes that control longevity. When activated, these longevity genes cause the body to conserve resources and “dramatically boost the life span of yeast, worms, mice and potentially humans.” Specifically, Dr. Guarente studies proteins called sirtuins, which regulate longevity genes and show great promise for developing therapies that slow aging. Dr. Guarente asks:


--Could future drugs decelerate the aging process and allow us to stay young longer?

--Could diseases of aging—cancer, Alzheimer’s, type-2 diabetes, and others—be prevented by prospective anti-aging medications?

--Could we extend not only our life spans, but our “health spans”?

Before & After

--Groove to genetically-altered tunes and video

--Stick around for the Q&A

--Try our cocktail of the night, the “Immortal Skol” (Rhymes with soul, baby!)

The “Secret Science Club” meets Monday, November 9 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 w: http://thebellhouseny.com   Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

FREE! Just bring your smart self! Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+

7:47 PM 
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Friday, October 02, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

Black Holes Sing!

The Secret Science Club presents all-star astrophysicist Janna Levin

Tuesday, October 13 at the Bell House @ 8 pm, FREE!

The term “cosmic ballet” has just taken on a whole new meaning. Apparently outer space has a soundtrack. It’s not Tchaikovsky, but … When two spinning black holes orbit each other, engaging in an invisible pas-de-deux, they create gravitational waves—essentially ripples in the fabric of space-time—that cause the cosmos to “ring like a drum.”

Janna Levin is in hot pursuit of these cosmic drumbeats—and the information they carry about the distant universe. Gravitational waves were predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity, and though there is significant evidence that gravitational waves exist, they have never been directly detected. Dr. Levin joins the Secret Science Club to discuss the interstellar search and two far-reaching space-science experiments—LIGO and LISA—that seek to capture and “hear” the beatbox of the universe for the first time.

Don’t miss a single nanosecond of this cosmic talk. Grab your outer space boogie board and catch the groovitational wave . . .

A professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University, Janna Levin is the author of the award-winning books A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines and How the Universe Got Its Spots, as well as dozens of scientific papers on chaos, black holes, and the early universe.

Before & After

--Groove to far-out tunes and video
--Stick around for out-of-this-world Q&A
--Try our quantum cocktail of the night, the “Cosmos-politan” (It will rock you into orbit . . .)

The “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, October 13 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 w: http://thebellhouseny.com   Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

FREE! Just bring your smart self!

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+

8:50 PM 
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Friday, August 07, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

Jungle Love! The Secret Science Club presents botanical explorer Susan Pell on Tuesday, August 11 @ 8 pm @ the Bell House, FREE!

Surrounded by the Coral Sea, the Louisiade Archipelago is a volcanic island chain off Papua New Guinea’s southeastern mainland. Earlier this year, Dr. Susan Pell led a five-person botanical expedition to the islands’ remote mountains, rain forests, and wet savannahs. The team’s goal? To locate rare and endemic plants and identify endangered ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.
A molecular plant scientist at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Dr. Pell chronicles her team’s search as they boat from island to island; hike across swollen rivers teeming with freshwater crocodiles; and encounter creatures such as giant spiders, walking “stick” insects the size of small branches, boa constrictors, and flying foxes.
So grab your boots and backpack . . . and don’t miss one nanosecond of this hot and steamy, flower-powered adventure!
Before & After

-- Groove to tunes inspired by pistils and stamens

-- Try our cocktail cooler, the Tropic-tini! It’ll knock you from Cancer to Capricorn.
-- Stick around for the blooming Q&A
The “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, August 11 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 W: http://thebellhouseny.com   Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

FREE! Just bring your smart self. Doors open at 7:30 PM. 21 and over.

4:08 PM 
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Tuesday, July 07, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

The “Secret Science Club” is making its bones  . . . Join us at the Bell House for more mind-blowing lectures, ever-evolving cocktails, and fossil-friendly sounds!!

Tuesday, July 14 @ 8 pm  FREE!

The Secret Science Club presents Evolution Revolution:
Paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson—the discoverer of Lucy—lectures on Human Origins
As a species, Homo sapiens is a mere 250,000 years old (give or take). Where did humans come from? How did we evolve? And what were our ancestors like? One fossil find revolutionized the world's thinking about early human origins: In 1974 paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson discovered the bones of Lucy—a 3.2-million-year-old early hominid—in the Afar region of Ethiopia. With about 40 percent of her skeleton intact, Lucy represented a new species, Australopithecus afarensis.

The founding director of the Institute for Human Origins, professor of paleoanthropology at Arizona State University's School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and author of the just-published Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins, Dr. Johanson joins the Secret Science Club to discuss his historic find and the latest discoveries in human evolution:
--What kinds of hominid species existed prior to humans?
--When did hominids begin to walk? To develop big brains?
--Have fossil hunters located the common ancestor of humans and chimps?
--Why is Homo sapiens the only hominid species that survives?

Before & After
--Groove to bone-jangling tunes and video
--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A
--Try our cocktail of the night, the “I Love Lucy!”

(Special thanks to the Houston Museum of Natural Science for making Dr. Johanson’s appearance at the Secret Science Club possible.)

The Evolution Revolution edition of the “Secret Science Club” featuring Dr. Donald Johanson meets Tuesday, July 14 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 W: http://thebellhouseny.com   Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

FREE! Just bring your smart self. Doors open at 7:30 PM. 21 and over.

2:18 PM 
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Tuesday, June 02, 2009 

Current mood:Squamous
Category: Parties and Nightlife
The Secret Science Club presents the Undersea World of Jack Costello
Dive into summer with marine biologist Jack Costello as he lectures on the spineless wonders of the world’s oceans. Cavort with gelatinous and ghostly creatures such as jellyfish (cnidarians) and their comb jelly brethren (ctenophores). Feel the motion of the ocean, and ride the waves with copepods and zooplankton.

Professor of biology at Providence College and featured scientist in the PBS documentary “The Shape of Life,” Dr. Costello asks:
--Why do sea jellies have such creepy-seeming body forms?
--How do cnidarians and ctenophores kill their prey?
--What causes jellyfish invasions and how do gelatinous sea creatures get around?
-- Why is so little known about undersea invertebrates when they make up such an enormous part of Earth’s biomass?
 
Before & After
-- Groove to sea-salty tunes and video from Davey Jones’ locker
-- Try our aquatic cocktail, the Alien Stinger. Looks like liquid… feels like fire!
-- Stick around for the utra-buoyant Q&A
 
The “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, June 9 at 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 W: Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th
 
FREE! Just bring your smart self. Please bring ID: 21+. Doors open at 7:30 PM.
Currently listening:
Beyond the Sea: Definitive
By Bobby Darin
Release date: 2004-07-19
2:57 PM 
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Thursday, May 14, 2009 

Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

SPECIAL EVENT: The Secret Science Club & Criterion Collection present

A NIGHT OF SUBMARINE CINEMA at the Bell House

Sunday, May 17 @ 7 PM, FREE

Get wet and wild with surreal underwater filmmaker Jean Painlevé. Sea life has never been this sexy—or strange. Experience The Love Life of the Octopus, The Witches’ Dance, and more—all featuring “The Sounds of Science,” a 21st-century score created specially by indie rockers Yo La Tengo.

Marine scientist and filmmaker J. Rudi Strickler will be your guide to the depths with a pre-screening lecture . . .

(Films from “Science Is Fiction: 23 Films of Jean Painlevé” courtesy of the Criterion Collection.)

Before & After

--Groove to siren song and liquid video

--Plunge into the “Painlevé Periscope,” a cinematic cocktail that will give you aqua-vision

--Immerse yourself in the tidal Q&A and soak up some fishy door prizes!

This special edition of the Secret Science Club meets Sunday, May 17 at 7 p.m. @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 W: http://thebellhouseny.com   Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

No cover charge. Just bring your smart self!


Please bring ID: 21+

7:24 PM 
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

The “Secret Science Club” is back at the Bell House with more brain-boggling lectures, super-smart cocktails, and synapse-stimulating sounds!!

Tuesday, May 12 @ 7:30 pm FREE!

Neuroscientist Ottavio Arancio lectures on the Brain and Memory Loss

The arithmetic of the brain is staggering. In just 3 lbs. of gray matter, there are 100 billion brain cells—each with branches connecting at 100 trillion synapses. Dozens of chemical neurotransmitters travel through this neural network, creating, storing, and accessing memories—the sum total of our sensations, thoughts, experiences, and knowledge. Currently, the brain’s total capacity for memory-making is beyond calculation.


But what happens when the brain loses its ability to remember new things? In his lab at Columbia University, neuroscientist Ottavio Arancio explores the molecular mechanisms of memory formation. He asks:
--Why do some people stop remembering?

--How does disruption of the brain’s pathways affect our ability to learn?

--Can new drugs slow, stop, or even reverse the process of memory-impairing diseases such as Alzheimer’s?

--What can we learn from forgetful lab mice?

--Can memory be enhanced? Will future medications act as brain boosters?


Dr. Arancio is a cellular neurobiologist at Columbia University’s Department of Pathology and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain.


Don’t miss this dopamine-spiked evening . . .


Before & After

-- Groove to brain-bending tunes and video

--Enjoy the Cocktail of the Night—the “Brain Scan”

--Stick around for the mind-altering Q&A


The “Secret Science Club” meets Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 w: http://thebellhouseny.com   Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th


No cover charge. Just bring your smart self! Please bring ID: 21+

2:14 AM 
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Monday, March 30, 2009 

Current mood:Spaced Out
Category: Parties and Nightlife

Put on your life support suits and set the dial to “extreme conditions”---the Secret Science Club is heading for the Red Planet via Antarctica

 

DESTINATION MARS!
The “Secret Science Club” presents
Planetary Geoscientist James Head at the Bell House
Wednesday, April 1 @ 8 pm
FREE!

Recent unmanned missions have revolutionized our thinking about Mars. The Red Planet is no longer known as just a dry dusty desert—but the repository for 2 to 3 million cubic kilometers of ice. Surprisingly, it turns out Mars may have a lot in common with the environment at Earth’s South Pole.

 

Mars expert James Head recently spent his “holidays” in Antarctica, studying the bone-chilling landscape for clues that might help explain the mysterious Martian terrain. Dr. Head asks: Could frigid water below the surface of Mars contain evidence of life—like the microscopic extremophiles surviving under such conditions in Antarctica? What’s the latest news from recent Mars missions such as the Mars Express and Phoenix. Will Earthlings send a manned mission to the Red Planet?

 

Professor of Geological Sciences in the Planetary Geosciences Group at Brown University, Dr. James Head spent his early career at NASA, training Apollo astronauts and planning lunar landing sites. As a geological explorer, he has traveled around the world (and to the bottom of the ocean in deep-sea submersibles) to study volcanism and tectonism. He is the author of more than 300 scientific papers on topics ranging from glaciation on Mars to Venusian impact craters. Currently, he is a co-investigator for the European Space Agency’s Mars Express Mission, the NASA MESSENGER mission to Mercury and the NASA Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3).

 

Before & After

--Groove to spaced-out tunes and video

--Blast off with the Secret Science Club’s quantum cocktail of the night, the “Mars Express”

--Stick around for the out-of-this-world Q&A.

 

The Secret Science Club meets Wednesday, April 1 at 8 p.m. @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn, p: 718.643.6510 W: http://thebellhouseny.com   Subway: F to 4th Ave; R to 9th St; F or G to Smith/9th

 

No cover charge. Just bring your smart self!

 

Please bring ID: 21+. Doors open at 7:30

6:17 PM 
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