Boston Flora

Tag: Smithsonian Associates

  • Wednesday, October 25, 6:45 pm Eastern – Nature’s Toxins: From Spices to Vices, Online

    Scratch beneath the surface of a coffee bean, a red pepper flake, a poppy seed, a mold spore, a foxglove leaf, a magic mushroom cap, a marijuana bud, or an apple seed, and you’ll find a bevy of strange chemicals. We use these to greet our days (caffeine), titillate our tongues (capsaicin), recover from our surgeries (opioids), cure our infections (penicillin), mend our hearts (digoxin), bend our minds (psilocybin), calm our nerves (CBD), and even kill our enemies (cyanide). But why do plants and fungi produce such chemicals? And how did we come to use and abuse some of them?

    Using cutting-edge science in the fields of evolution, chemistry, and neuroscience, author and evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman reveals the origins of toxins produced by plants, mushrooms, microbes, and even some animals, the mechanisms that animals evolved to overcome them, and how a co-evolutionary arms race made its way into the human experience. This perpetual chemical war drove the diversification of life on Earth and is also intimately tied to our own successes and failures. Whiteman uncovers the deadly secrets that lurk within our spice racks, medicine cabinets, backyard gardens, and private stashes.

    This Smithsonian Associates lecture will take place on Zoom on October 25 at 6:45 pm Eastern. $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org

  • Wednesday, October 18, 6:45 Eastern – Darkness in Distress: Halting the Rise of Light Pollution, Online

    Light pollution has become a pervasive and ugly consequence of our 24/7 society, and it has grown at the alarming rate of 10% per year over the past decade. Few of us can enjoy a star-spangled night sky any longer, thanks to the glowing pall caused by all the lights that line roadways, parking lots, and backyards. More ominously, a growing body of research finds that excessive light at night disrupts nocturnal ecosystems, sometimes dramatically. It can also inhibit the production of melatonin, a compound produced as we sleep—and only in darkness— that seems to play multiple roles in maintaining general human health. 

    The situation has not been helped by the widespread rollout of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. Fortunately, the spread of light pollution can be halted and even reversed. Join Smithsonian Associates and Sky and Telescope magazine’s Kelly Beatty on October 18 at 6:45 Eastern, online, as he discusses how we can safely light up our homes, businesses, and communities without wasting energy, disturbing the neighbors, or creating an unhealthy environment for humans and wildlife. $20 Smithsonian members, $25 nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org

  • Wednesday, August 23, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm Eastern – Bonsai: Small Wonders, Online

    Bonsai, tiny trees in pots or miniature landscapes on trays, have delighted and intrigued people for centuries, from their origins in China to their extraordinary refinement in Japan to their global popularity today.

    Join Michael James, the U.S. National Arboretum’s bonsai curator, and Ann McClellan, author of Bonsai and Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace and Beauty, for an illustrated talk about the Arboretum’s National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and its unique collections. They share stories about how the diminutive trees were created and came to Washington plus a few tips on how to care for these living works of art. The Zoom presentation is sponsored by Smithsonian Associates on August 23 at noon Eastern, and is $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org

  • Thursday, August 17, 6:45 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – The Deep Ocean: A Mysterious World Beneath the Waves, Online

    For all human history, the deep ocean has been a source of wonder and terror, an unknown realm that evoked the question: What’s down there?

    Unable to answer this question for centuries, people believed the deep was a sinister realm of fiendish creatures and deadly peril. But as cutting-edge technologies have allowed scientists and explorers to dive miles beneath the surface, we are beginning to understand this exotic underworld: It’s a place of soaring mountains, smoldering volcanoes, and valleys 7,000 feet deeper than Mount Everest is high, where tectonic plates collide and separate. The deep also is home to pink gelatinous predators, shimmering creatures that are 100 feet long, ancient animals with glass-like skeletons, and sharks that live for half a millennium.

    Join Smithsonian Associates and award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Susan Casey for a journey through the history of deep-sea exploration and a look at the mind-blowing complexity and ecological importance of the myriad creatures who live in realms long thought to be devoid of life. She also addresses how vital the deep is to the future of the planet and how urgent it is that we understand it in a time of increasing threats from climate change, industrial fishing, pollution, and the mining companies that are exploring this world. The live stream will take place August 17 at 6:45 pm Eastern, and is $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Discounted books are also available for purchase. Visit www.smithsonianassociates.org to register and for complete details.

  • Wednesday, July 19, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – Food from the Forest: Shopping at Nature’s Grocery, Online

    Our native forests, meadows, and wetlands are nature’s grocery store, chock-full of enticing raw ingredients just ready for the picking. Join naturalist and educator at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary Liana Vitali and Anne Arundel County Park Ranger Victor Jones as they explore the makings of foraged feasts that can be found in the mid-Atlantic region. From fresh, cucumber-like cattail shoots to spicy garlic-mustard pesto (Yes, eat the invasive plants!), Vitali and Jones lead an evening that serves up video vignettes that include cooking demonstrations of their favorite natural edible treats as well as go-to recipes for noshing on nature—ethically and sustainably of course. This Smithsonian Associates Zoom presentation will take place July 19 from 6:45 – 8:15, and is $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/food-from-forest

    Maryland’s Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, operated by the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks, lies just 12 miles outside Washington, D.C. and is the jewel of the Patuxent River. Its 1,700 acres of open water, tidal freshwater marshes, forested wetlands, upland and riparian forest, creeks, meadows, pine and sand barrens, and fields along the eastern shore of the Patuxent River contain multitudes of welcoming habitats for a true diversity of wildlife.

  • Thursday, June 15, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, Online

    From the creation of the planet billions of years ago to the present day, water has always been central to existence on Earth. And since long before the mythical Great Flood, it has been a defining force in the story of humanity.

    Leading scientist and water expert Peter Gleick traces the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource. Water has shaped civilizations and empires and driven centuries of advances in science and technology—from agriculture to aqueducts, steam power to space exploration—as well as progress in health and medicine. The Smithsonian Associates Zoom will take place June 15 at 6:45 pm.

    But the achievements that propelled humanity forward also brought consequences: unsustainable water use, ecological destruction, and global climate change. Gleick outlines how the lessons of the past can be the foundation of action designed to support a sustainable future for water and the planet.

    Gleick’s book, The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (PublicAffairs), is available for purchase. For details on that, and to register ($20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers), visit https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/three-ages-of-water

  • Thursday, June 15, 6:45 – 8:00 pm Eastern – The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, Online

    From the creation of the planet billions of years ago to the present day, water has always been central to existence on Earth. And since long before the mythical Great Flood, it has been a defining force in the story of humanity.

    Leading scientist and water expert Peter Gleick traces the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource. Water has shaped civilizations and empires and driven centuries of advances in science and technology—from agriculture to aqueducts, steam power to space exploration—as well as progress in health and medicine.

    But the achievements that propelled humanity forward also brought consequences: unsustainable water use, ecological destruction, and global climate change. Gleick outlines how the lessons of the past can be the foundation of action designed to support a sustainable future for water and the planet.

    Gleick’s book, The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (PublicAffairs), is available for purchase upon registration for this Smithsonian Associates Zoom lecture on June 15 at 6:45 pm Eastern. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/three-ages-of-water $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers.

  • Wednesday, April 26, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm Eastern – Spices 101: Pepper, Online

    From the tangled jungles of Kerela, pepper spread around the globe and altered the course of history as it did. Peppercorns have been used since antiquity, both for flavor and as a traditional medicine. Black pepper is the world’s most-traded spice, beguiling cooks worldwide with its fragrant warmth. Its spiciness is due to the chemical compound piperine, which imparts a different kind of heat than the capsaicin characteristic of chili peppers. Pepper is ubiquitous in the Western world as a seasoning, and has a long partnership with salt on dining tables in shakers or mills.

    Black, green, pink, red pepper…Sichuan, cubeb, long, sansho, and more. Which are true peppercorns and which are pretenders? Eleanor Ford, award-winning author of The Nutmeg Trail, delves into the history, botany, lore, and culinary uses of the world’s favorite spice, then turns to the kitchen to explore flavor profiles, cooking tips, and recipes that put pepper to best use. This Smithsonian Associates webinar will take place Wednesday, April 26 at noon Eastern. $25 for Smithsonian members, $30 for non-members. Register HERE.

  • Thursday, April 27, 12:00 noon – 1:15 pm Eastern – Chasing Plants, Online

    Join Chris Thorogood, deputy director and head of science at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, for a glimpse into the exhilarating adventures of a field botanist. The Smithsonian Associates Program on April 27 at noon Eastern time is presented on Zoom, live from the UK.

    In his adventures across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Thorogood has clambered over cliffs and up erupting volcanoes and trekked through typhoons. Along the way, he’s encountered pitcher plants, irises, and orchids of unimaginable beauty. Thorogood brings his travels to life with his vivid paintings, shares details of hair-raising excursions, and explains the vital work he and other botanists are doing to protect the world’s plants.

    The lecture is $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Thorogood’s book Chasing Plants: Journeys with a Botanist Through Rainforests, Swamps and Mountains (University of Chicago Press) is available for purchase through the registration link.

  • Tuesday, April 18, 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm Eastern – The Sun: Front and Center, Online

    The Smithsonian’s Grand Tour of the Solar System, a three part Zoom lecture series, begins with the 4.5-billion-year-old star at the center of the solar system, the Sun. As the most massive object around, the sun’s gravity is the glue that holds the solar system together, keeping everything from the biggest planets to the smallest bits of debris in orbit around it. The sun’s activity, from powerful eruptions to the steady stream of charged particles it sends out, influences the nature of space throughout the solar system and provides a protective bubble that shields the planets from damaging galactic radiation. A hot, glowing ball of mostly hydrogen and helium, the Sun emits its own radiation—mainly visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, and infrared. It is the most important source of energy for life on Earth. George Mason University astrophysicist and cosmologist Hakeem Oluseyi shines a light on what astronomers already know about the sun and what they are still trying to understand.

    Each lecture may be purchased separately for $25 (Smithsonian members) or $30 (nonmembers). The Sun will be discussed on April 18 at 6:45 pm Eastern. Future episodes are Mercury, Small but Mighty Interesting (May 9) and Venus, Shrouded in Clouds (May 30). Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/solar-system-sun

    Photo: NASA/JPL