Lamenting Pluto’s Demise at the Free Library (central)

Neil DeGrasse Tyson will be in town Tuesday night at the Free Library of Philadelphia (1901 Vine Street) for a free talk about:
The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet

The event is free — and the snow wasn’t that bad — so you should go.
Named the “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by [...]

Year of Evolution: “The Origin of Humanness” at the Wagner, 2/26

“THE ORIGIN OF HUMANNESS”
An illustrated presentation by Princeton University anthropologist, Dr. Alan Mann
Weeknights at the Wagner, Thursday, February 26th, 4-7 PM, Lecture at 5:30 PM
Celebrating the Year of Evolution
Charles Darwin, observing the babbling of babies, realized that humans have “an instinctive tendency to speak.” From birth we are programmed to learn language. Humans can combine [...]

J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Play (Two plays, actually) 2/24 7:30

[ February 24, 2009; 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. ] Local science writer, dramtist and bon vivant Mark Wolverton wants to let you know that he has two plays premiering at The Painted Bride (next door to Konak, where you really should eat beforehand) based on his recent book, A Life in Twilight: The Final Years of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

If you’re not otherwise engaged [...]

The Bicentennial Moon Tree

If you didn’t already know, a space traveler is on permanent display in Washington Square. A sycamore seed that traveled along with Apollo XIV was grown into a wee sapling and given to the citizens of Philadelphia, not terribly far from where the first hot air balloon was launched in the US.
Astronaut Stuart Roosa [...]

Penn Science Café: Race and the Presidential Election 10/21

[ October 21, 2008; 6:00 pm; ] Looks like the cafe is now at La Terasse! Next Tuesday at 6pm.

WHO:
Dr. Rogers Smith, professor of political science and chair of the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship and Constitutionalism, will discuss the 2008 presidential election and the role race plays in American politics.

WHAT:
The Penn Science Café lecture series is free and open [...]

All the Pirates for half the Dubloons at the Franklin

If you’ve been holding off on taking in the Real Pirates exhibit at the Franklin Institute, you might just want to reconsider. The Franklin is excited to slash prices like a cutlass through a doughy landlubber. How excited?
Well, just check out these exclamation points…
DON’T MISS OUT!
FINAL WEEKS! REAL PIRATES AT THE FRANKLIN:
HALF-OFF TICKETS AVAILABLE [...]

Origins of Modern Terrorism at the Chemical Heritage Foundation 9/16

[ September 16, 2008; 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. ] Fear not, cheapskates, the CHF is still hosting free lectures (unlike the series I just posted about).

The Chemical Heritage Foundation’s venerable Brown Bag noontime series returns on Sept. 16th with a bang (Ha! Inappropriate!) with Mats Fridlund, who will discuss the “Materialist Origins of Modern Terrorism.”

Presumably he’s not referring “materialism” in the [...]