2021 - 05/2021 Meeting

Page Created: 11/22/20. Last Updated: 11/22/20

MOHAMED A F NOOR

Speaker Site, Star Trek: https://www.biotrekkie.com/

Speaker Site, Science: https://biology.duke.edu/people/mohamed-f-noor

Speaker Site, Science: https://trinity.duke.edu/natural-sciences-division

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/mafnoor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mafnoor

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Noor

Notes:

Links to sites mentioned in his talk:

Introduction to Genetics and Evolution on Coursera:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/genetics-evolution

BioTrekkie YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/BioTrekkieExplains/playlists

(the set under "Science Briefs" is the series of 6-12 min videos I started on single biology concepts last year, the set called "BioTrekkie with the Admiral" go over season 3 episodes alongside actress Jayne Brook, and the other two playlists are self-explanatory)

Recent specialist-level seminar about my research:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYV3hNNr6aM&list=PLXiAV4LoRkT-vlQJ8GX954CQD3TmmLPzJ&index=5&t=2549s

Notes 2:

Topics discussed at the post-meeting Virtual Diner Run included Time Travel, Missile Silos, Iron Mountain, Star Trek Aurora (fan episode): Mudd in Your I, THE PREMONITION, TRUTH LIES, AND O-RINGS, and Shooting Down Falling Space Debris.

Meeting Date: May 8, 2021.

Meeting Site: Zoom Video Conference.

Attendance: 55.

Meeting Program: Talk / Q & A with Evolutionary Biologist / Star Trek Consultant.

Newsletter Account:

The Saturday, May 8, 2021 General Meeting of the Science Fiction Association of Bergen County was conducted through Zoom Video Conference. Evolutionary Biologist Mohamed A F Noor of Duke University was the speaker. Professor Noor heads the Noor Lab at Duke. He is also a fan of science fiction in general and of STAR TREK in particular. He has written the book LIFE LONG AND EVOLVE: WHAT STAR TREK CAN TEACH US ABOUT EVOLUTION, GENETICS, AND LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS from Princeton University Press.

Our speaker became involved with STAR TREK when he attended, and later organized, a science panel at Dragon*Con. This brought him into contact with actor Garrett Wong who organizes the Dragon*Con science trek which led him to becoming a science consultant for the franchise (STAR TREK has had science consultants since The Next Generation. Dr Erin Macdonald is the primary consultant for TREK. Dr Noor is a supplemental consultant.) When Princeton University Press contacted our speaker about doing a book on why evolution is true, Dr Noor replied that it had already been done quite well by Jerry A Coyne and instead pitched the STAR TREK take. (Write up continued on club website at 2021 - 05/2021 Meeting.)

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Notes:

Phil's list of reasons why people don't trust science experts:

.....Science & Evolution are poorly taught

.....Evolution has been used to champion Social Darwinism, racism, cleansing society of undesirables

.....Science has been misapplied to areas like economics where it has failed

.....Spurious research & faulty peer reviews mean there is lots of bad science out there

Documentary A FLOCK OF DODOS about evolution vs intelligent design

Misuse of antibiotics has given rise to drug resistant super bugs.

Talked about work being done to eradicate dengue fever. Work being done to release gene-tweaked mosquitoes to stop the spread.

The Star Trek Next Generation episode, The Chase, sought to give a scientific reason for humanoid life. While it doesn't really work, it was a nice try.

Showed student short BIO0895S Star Trek on genetics & evolution

Has recently received a grant to study genetic causes of rapid aging / early death.

He watched 800 episodes of various Trek series, taking notes about scientific concepts mentioned. He used an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of everything. Each chapter of the book starts off with an instance of a science concept in an episode in the series and then goes into the science in more detail.

He offers a course on Genetics, Evolution, and Star Trek at Duke.

Most aliens on Star Trek are variations of the human prototype. It's really hard to get an octopus that can act. The Tholians and rhe Horta are non-human classic Trek races.

Will we recognize none human life if we come across it?

While silicon has some properties in common with carbon, you can't make long chain molecules from silicon.