Much of military science is necessarily preoccupied with the study of violence, the development of strategy, of weapons and armaments, of warfare. But not all the battles of war involve drone technology and Bradley Personnel Vehicle. On a daily basis, soldiers also fight more esoteric battles against less considered adversaries—for example, exhaustion, shock, panic, disease, extreme heat, cataclysmic noise, gastrointestinal distress, and assorted waterfowl.

In Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, America’s favorite science writer, Mary Roach—the author of Stiff, Spook, Bonk, Packing for Mars, and Gulp—explores those aspects of war that no one makes movies about—not the killing but the keeping alive. Grunt salutes the scientists and surgeons running along in the wake of combat, lab coats flapping. With her characteristic sense of humor, her indefatigable enthusiasm, and her sharp eye for telling detail, Roach, as always, proves to be the ideal tour guide, whether observing two maggots devour a third on the tip of her index finger, courtesy of George Peck, resident filth fly expert at the Entomology Branch of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; sniffing Stench Soup, a superlative malodorant (i.e., stink bomb) described as “Satan on a throne of rotting onions,” designed to efficiently clear buildings or disperse violent mobs; or attending medic training with the $57,000 Strategic Operations Cut Suit, a “human-worn” patient simulator with skin that actually “bleeds” when pierced. At this Science on Tap, Roach will talk about her book and will introduce us to a range of quirky but essential scientific endeavors.

From tricorders to warp drive, Star Trek became the first series to bring us a vision of a future where humans were just as flawed as ever, but where technology and the way we used it had created a utopian society. There was no hunger, no homelessness, no rampant diseases, only long-lived humans exploring the galaxy, enjoying all the comforts one could ask for in life. Many of these technologies, dreamed up by Star Trek, are already real, while others are quickly approaching, and a few still remain elusive. From communications to starships to medical breakthroughs to civilian life, Star Trek promised us a future we can all aspire to. At this Science on Tap, hear theoretical physicist and author Ethan Siegel, PhD, talk about his new book Treknology: The Real-Life Science Behind Star Trek’s Technologies. As we attempt to “make it so,” let’s take a look at the real-life science of how far we’ve come!

Ethan Siegel was born in New York, majored in three different things as an undergrad, and got his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. Yes, you indecisive young people, there is hope. After postdoctoral research focusing on dark matter and cosmic structure formation, he became a physics professor and a professional science communicator. The communication was more fun, so now he writes and speaks full-time, including for Forbes, and NASA. His blog, Starts With A Bang, was voted the #1 science blog on the internet by the Institute of Physics, and, separately, by Real Clear Science. His first book, Beyond The Galaxy, is available today, and his second, Treknology, about the real-life science behind the technologies envisioned by Star Trek, was released in October 2017.

In an era when humans spend much of their time indoors staring at the dim glow of a screen, many of us have forgotten the simple pleasure of a stroll through a wooded glen, a hike up a secluded mountain path, or a nap in the grass. Many of us have lost this connection and essentially forgotten about nature’s potential for reinvigoration, self-reinvention, and basic well-being. What if something serious is missing from our lives? What if an occasional trip to the neighborhood park isn’t enough? What if we’ve turned our backs on something that isn’t merely pleasant and enjoyable, but is in fact vital to our happiness, our capacity to learn, and even our survival? And if the latest science shows that nature is necessary, how do we recapture it? At this Science on Tap, journalist and science writer Florence Williams will take us on an intriguing and provocative investigation into our most basic and primal needs with a discussion of her new book, The Nature Fix. In it, she visits parks in Helsinki and forests in Korea, and she studies the brainwaves of urban pedestrians in Edinburgh and examines the healing effects of river-rafting in the American West on veterans afflicted with PTSD. Nature, she finds, is a surprising, key ingredient to civilization.

Williams is a journalist and contributing editor to Outside magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, and National Geographic among others. Her first book, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2012 and the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science and Technology.

What kind of person comes to mind when you hear the word “doctor?” If you’re given a choice in a medical emergency, would you trust the female physician as much as the male?

Studies show that many people — from patients and their families to administrators and other medical staff — show an implicit bias against female physicians and scientists, often judging them as less experienced or trustworthy. Esther Choo, MD MPH, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at OHSU and Founder of Equity Quotient is a nationally recognized expert in gender bias in medicine. At this Science on Tap, Dr. Choo will discuss some of the underlying reasons behind the inequities, limitations to solutions proposed to date, and next steps to creating and sustaining diverse and productive healthcare teams.

Metabolism, behavior, sleep, mood swings, the immune system, fighting, fleeing, puberty, and sex: these are just a few of the things our bodies control with hormones. Armed with a healthy dose of wit and curiosity, Dr. Randi Hutter Epsteintakes us on a journey through the unusual history of these potent chemicals and their discovery, from the London laboratory where the concept of hormones was identified to a basement filled with jarred brains to a canine sex lab. We meet leading scientists who made life-changing discoveries about the hormone imbalances that ail us, as well as charlatans who used those discoveries to peddle false remedies. Along the way, Epstein examines the functions of hormones such as leptin, oxytocin, estrogen, and testosterone, demystifying the science of endocrinology.

A fascinating exploration of the history and science of one of medicine’s most important discoveries, Aroused: The History of Hormones and How They Control Just About Everything reveals how hormones can both push us to the edge and reel us back. Randi Hutter Epstein, M.D., M.P.H., the author of Get Me Out is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a lecturer at Yale University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times and the Psychology Today blog, among other publications.

Movie stars are adored by the public, but often just for their looks and talents on the silver screen. Actress Hedy Lamarr was once known as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” but was also an inventor. She and a colleague designed radio-skipping technology to help the US Navy guide torpedoes more effectively during WWII, but her invention was ignored for decades until it was revisited and used as part of the foundation for wifi, GPS, and cellphones. She and many other women have contributed to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but have been dismissed or deliberately forgotten by virtue of their gender. The contributions of these women play an integral role in our everyday lives and in that of scientists around the world, but their work is often forgotten.

At this Science on Tap, Leslie New, PhD, assistant professor of statistics at WSU Vancouver, will celebrate the unique life and mathematical accomplishments of Ms. Lamarr. In a satisfying twist, Dr. New will also describe how Ms. Lamarr’s work on wireless technologies, originally intended for the Navy, currently helps her study and protect marine mammals such as whales and dolphins.

Few of us have any conception of the enormous timescales in our planet’s long history, and this narrow perspective underlies many of the environmental problems we are creating for ourselves. The passage of nine days, which is how long a drop of water typically stays in Earth’s atmosphere, is something we can easily grasp. But spans of hundreds of years—the time a molecule of carbon dioxide resides in the atmosphere—approach the limits of our comprehension. Our everyday lives are shaped by processes that vastly predate us, and our habits will in turn have consequences that will outlast us by generations.

At this Science on Tap, Marcia Bjornerud, PhD, will talk about her new book Timefulness and will present a new way of thinking about our place in time that will enable us to make decisions on multigenerational timescales. Knowing the rhythms of Earth’s deep past and conceiving of time as a geologist does can give us the perspective we need for a more sustainable future.

Dr. Bjornerud is a professor of geology and environmental studies at Lawrence University, the author of Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth, and a contributing writer for Elements, the New Yorker’s science and technology blog.

One of the greatest sets of geological events to ever have occurred in North America was the Missoula Floods. Occurring as many as 40 times during the last ice age, the floods were caused by waters released from ancient Lake Missoula that scoured the Columbia River basin, carved out the Columbia River Gorge, and swept across at least 16,000 square miles of the Pacific Northwest.

At this Science on Tap, Dr. Scott Burns, professor of geology and past chair of the Department of Geology at PSU, will focus on the incredible story of discovery and development of the idea of the floods by J Harlen Bretz and will discuss the effect of the floods on the landscape of the Willamette Valley and the area around us.

Over the past several decades, we have gained immense insight into the world of the human microbiome. The observations made using techniques like Fecal Microbiota Transplant and microbial sequencing are contributing to a new paradigm of what it means to be human. We now know we are not alone in our own bodies. We have a compilation of trillions of microbes living in and on us. They are working together with our cells as a complex ecosystem, one that defines us as a holobiont. Through the lens of the human microbiome we are challenged to approach health like we do ecology. We can begin to think about how every choice we make is interfacing with this ecosystems.

At this Science on Tap, come get gutsy with Andrea McBeth, Naturopathic Doctor and founder of Flora Medicine.  Dr McBeth first studied Biochemistry and Biology at the University of San Diego and then worked as a research assistant in molecular biology and biomedical engineering at OHSU. Shifting her focus to naturopathic medicine in order to help people in a more tangible way, Dr McBeth graduated from NUNM to empower and advocate for us holobionts.

What IS happening this week in science??? It’s often hard to keep up with the pace of new discoveries. But, that’s where the This Week in Science (TWIS) podcast comes in! Prepare to laugh and learn while TWIS, the longest running, woman-run science podcast, entertains you with SCIENCE!

This Week in Science (TWIS) is a weekly web and radio talk-show presenting a humorous, often opinionated, and irreverent look at the week in science and technology. In each show, the hosts, Dr. Kiki Sanford (a neuroscientist), Justin Jackson (a car-salesman turned geneticist), and Blair Bazdarich (the zoologist), discuss the latest in cutting-edge science news on topics such as: genetic engineering, stem cells, human evolution, climate change, space exploration, neuroscience, microbiology, and show favorites – Countdown to World Robot Domination and Blair’s Animal Corner. 

Feed your curiosity about the world, and join the TWIS crew for this very special LIVE broadcast from the Alberta Rose Theater where we will be joined by nerdy musical guests, The PDX Broadsides! If you enjoy music by Jonathan Coulton, Ingrid Michaelson, Magnetic Zeroes, Karen Kilgariff, The Finches, Paul and Storm, and Barenaked Ladies, you are going to love the PDX Broadsides.

It will be a night of science, music, and fun… don’t miss out!

This Science on Tap event is brought to you in partnership with Science Talk, a local organization dedicated to improving science communication and engagement.

Humanity’s fascination with death and the supernatural has influenced science for centuries. The desire to overcome death and understand the strange and unusual of the human condition has inspired many scientists throughout history, particularly within the fields of anatomy and medicine.

At this Science on Tap, Leslie New, PhD, assistant professor of statistics at WSU Vancouver, will take us on a tour of some of the weirdest specimens from museum collections in the western world and describe how scientists through the centuries have tried to understand death and the afterlife.

Not for the squeamish, join us for a walk through the more macabre corners of science as we celebrate Leonardo da Vinci’s 567th birthday!

Humans have kept honey bees in hives for millennia, yet only in recent decades have biologists begun to investigate how these industrious insects live in the wild. The Lives of Bees is Thomas Seeley’s captivating story of what scientists are learning about the behavior, social life, and survival strategies of honey bees living outside the beekeeper’s hive—and how wild honey bees may hold the key to reversing the alarming die-off of the planet’s managed honey bee populations.

Seeley presents an entirely new approach to beekeeping—Darwinian Beekeeping—which enables honey bees to use the toolkit of survival skills their species has acquired over the past thirty million years, and to evolve solutions to the new challenges they face today. He shows beekeepers how to use the principles of natural selection to guide their practices, and he offers a new vision of how beekeeping can better align with the natural habits of honey bees.

Dr Thomas D. Seeley is the Horace White Professor in Biology at Cornell University. He is the author of Following the Wild Bees, Honeybee Democracy, and Honeybee Ecology as well as The Wisdom of the Hive.

We all have an attachment style that impacts how we behave and feel in romantic relationships.  Though attachment styles are formed during childhood, awareness of our attachment style and tendencies can support the development of a healthy relationship through adulthood.  At this Science on Tap, Leah Haas, a mental health provider and sex educator, will discuss the origins of each attachment style and the behaviors associated with them so participants can walk away with ideas to make their romantic relationship more secure and satisfying.  

Leah Haas has a Master of Social Work (MSW) and is a Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA), providing mental health therapy on sexuality and gender related topics.  She is also a sex educator for the State of Oregon and co-founder of Beyond the Talk, an organization that supports sexual health for adults.

Crows are everywhere: they are found on nearly every continent and thrive in human dominated environments. They have influenced art and literature throughout history, and whether they inspire love or hate, they have certainly impacted the hearts and minds of the humans who share their space.

Because crows are so common, it may be easy to overlook the fact that they are very intelligent and have complex behaviors and social structures, including play, tool use, communal roosting, and being able to recognize specific humans. Kaeli Swift, PhD, studies crows and other corvids (ravens, jays, and magpies), and will introduce and explain to us the world of these fascinating birds, including, of course, crow funerals.

You can find Dr. Swift on Twitter and Instagram @corvidresearch where she talks about crows, corvids, and other wildlife and plays a weekly game called #CrowOrNo to help people learn how to correctly ID and distinguish different kinds of corvids.

We’re all familiar with how X-rays allow doctors to get detailed views inside their patients to find out what’s going on without having to actually cut people open. Scientists can also use x-rays to look inside plants to study things like disease resistance, drought tolerance, and advanced breeding technologies without having to cut open or damage the plants. Using this non-destructive imaging technology we can see the unseen, such as ears and tassels of corn as they develop inside the stalk, roots as they grow in the soil, or flowers and buds as they develop into fruits or grains. 

At this Science on Tap we’ll be joined by Keith Duncan, research scientist at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, the largest independent non-profit plant science institute in the world. He’ll talk about how x-ray imaging is a great benefit to plant science research, and can help us to find safe, effective, and sustainable ways to grow plants using fewer inputs like water, fertilizers, and pesticides. That will help us feed the expected 8 billion humans that will inhabit the earth by 2030, and do so with declining arable land and limited available water. Remember, plant science research is only important if you want to eat, drink, wear clothes, have medicines, or breathe oxygen; other than that it’s not important.

How does your brain learn best? As the field of Neuroscience uncovers the neural mechanisms of perception and learning, can we begin to bring these findings into the classroom to help improve how students learn? Right before the school year begins, this Science on Tap will discuss the brain’s learning networks, their emotional connections and how the visual and motor pathways influence what we process. Join us as Dr. Mark Pitzer demonstrates of how each brain circuit can be recruited by instructors to improve teaching and learning in and out of the classroom and how neuroscience can make learning truly memorable. 

Mark Pitzer, Ph.D. is a Neuroscientist at the University of Portland. For the last 25 years he has worked to better understand diseases of the brain. He has worked on techniques to improve the survival of newly transplanted brain cells as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease and, more recently, conducted experiments using a genetic technique to halt the production of toxic proteins in the brain as a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease. Currently, his lab is conducting experiments designed to identify the neural circuits and neurotransmitters that play a role in the personality changes that affect those who suffer from Huntington’s disease. Mark is also an award-winning teacher that uses the findings from the fields of Learning and Neuroscience to invoke enduring enthusiasm, curiosity and deep learning in his college students. 

This event is produced in collaboration with Oregon Repertory Singers in support of their Fall concert, Shadow and Light, an Alzheimer’s Journey by Northwest composer, Joan Szymko.

Our brains undergo numerous changes that affect memory, motor, and sensory functions as we age. Many of these changes are amplified in diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Could music limit the effects of aging and neurodegenerative diseases?

At this event, learn from Dr. Larry Sherman, a musician and Professor of Neuroscience at the Oregon Health & Science University, and singer/songwriter Naomi LaViolette as they explore how listening, practicing, and performing music influence the brain, and how these activities could impact brain aging and disease. They will also discuss Naomi’s work as a pianist, vocalist, arranger, and composer with Steven Goodwin, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and the Saving His Music project, which has received prominent coverage in national and local news.

Join us and enjoy a multi-media presentation that combines live music and visuals with discussions about cutting edge science. The presenters will be performing live music ranging from Debussy, Leonard Cohen, and the Beatles to original pieces by Ms. LaViolette and Steven Goodwin.

Crows are everywhere: they are found on nearly every continent and thrive in human dominated environments. They have influenced art and literature throughout history, and whether they inspire love or hate, they have certainly impacted the hearts and minds of the humans who share their space. Because crows are so common, it may be easy to overlook the fact that they are very intelligent and have complex behaviors and social structures, including play, tool use, communal roosting, and being able to recognize specific humans.

Kaeli Swift, PhD, studies crows and other corvids (ravens, jays, and magpies), and will introduce and explain to us the world of these fascinating birds, including, of course, crow funerals. You can find Dr. Swift on Twitter and Instagram@corvidresearch where she talks about crows, corvids, and other wildlife and plays a weekly game called #CrowOrNo to help people learn how to correctly ID and distinguish different kinds of corvids.

Combining ecological, ethnographic, historical, and contemporary knowledge, author and mycologist Lawrence Millman discusses how mushrooms are much more closely related to humans than to plants, how they engage in sex, how insects farm them, and how certain species happily dine on leftover radiation, cockroach antennae, and dung. He explores the lives of individuals like African American scientist George Washington Carver, who specialized in crop diseases caused by fungi; Beatrix Potter, creator of Peter Rabbit, who was prevented from becoming a professional mycologist because she was a woman; and Gordon Wasson, a J. P. Morgan vice-president who almost single-handedly introduced the world to magic mushrooms. Millman considers why fungi are among the most significant organisms on our planet and how they are currently being affected by destructive human behavior, including climate change.

Fungipedia presents a delightful A–Z treasury of mushroom lore. With more than 180 entries—on topics as varied as Alice in Wonderland, chestnut blight, medicinal mushrooms, poisonings, Santa Claus, and waxy caps—this collection will transport both general readers and specialists into the remarkable universe of fungi.  With charming drawings by artist and illustrator Amy Jean Porter, Fungipedia offers a treasure trove of scientific and cultural information.

Lawrence Millman is a mycologist and author of numerous books, including Our Like Will Not Be There Again, Fascinating Fungi of New England, and At the End of the World. He has done mycological work in places as diverse as Greenland, Honduras, Iceland, Panama, the Canadian Arctic, Bermuda, and Fresh Pond in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has documented 321 different species.

As the growing effects of climate change become clear — massive fires and floods, hotter summers, stronger hurricanes — it’s obvious that we urgently need to do something. Forest loss and degradation is globally the second largest source of CO2 emissions (after fossil fuels), but it’s the only emissions source that can reverse course and reabsorb that same CO2. Forest conservation and restoration management can sequester massive amounts of carbon and promote climate resiliency. The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most productive and carbon-rich forests on the planet, and changing how we manage these and other forests is key to ensuring a safe future.

At this Science on Tap we will hear from Laurie Wayburn, Co-Founder and CEO of the Pacific Forest Trust, who will discuss the immediate imperative— and opportunity— for forest conservation and restoration here at home as a climate solution. This cost effective strategy also has multiple benefits for water, wildlife habitat, human health, and jobs. Come learn about the unique role of forests and other land conservation efforts in as an essential climate strategy and how you can get involved to make positive change.

The Pacific Northwest is due for a major earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and a magnitude 9 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami would likely produce an unprecedented catastrophe much larger than any disaster the Pacific Northwest, or the nation, has ever faced. Portland isn’t ready, and significant preparation is needed to safeguard communities, businesses, and people. There are lessons to be learned from several recent earthquakes around the world including Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and Mexico. At this Science on Tap, Allison Pyrch, a local geotechnical engineer, will discuss Portland’s earthquake setting, what similar quakes can tell us about what to expect from a Cascadia earthquake, and how the Pacific Northwest is preparing for “the really big one”.

Allison Pyrch is a geotechnical engineer whose experience includes site specific seismic design for buildings, roads, bridges, dock and port structures, large embankments, slopes and landslides, and water and wastewater infrastructure. Recognized as American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2018 Oregon/SW Washington Engineer of the Year, she has travelled to Chile, Japan, and Mexico after their recent subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis to study the effects on lifelines.  Allison was also featured prominently in the awards-winning OPB documentary Unprepared, as well as the Al Jazeera program TechKnow.