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August 2011
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Questions about the
Multiverse What lies beyond the cosmic horizon of 42 billion light-years
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The Science of Better Learning Evolution
The Rise of Longevity
JANUARY 14–21, 2012
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BRIGHT HORIZONS 11 EAST CARIBBEAN
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www.InsightCruises.com/sciam11
sun can bend light, now called gravitational lensing. Dr. Marc Davis will present the basics on gravitational lenses, relate the discoveries they’ve facilitated and show some fabulous examples of this phenomenon.
PRIMATOLOGY Speaker: Frans B.M. de Waal, Ph.D. A Darwinian View of the Moral Emotions in Man and Animals Thomas Huxley held that we are born nasty and selfish. Charles Darwin differed, believing in continuity between animals’social instincts and human morality. Learn how modern psychology and neuroscience support Darwin’s view. Join Dr. de Waal and review the evidence supporting the view that the building blocks of morality are older than humanity.
Arecibo Observatory
Exercise your science curiosity in the surprisingly suitable Caribbean. Cast off on Bright Horizons 11 and explore a slate of science topics inspired by the islands. Based on Holland America Line’s m.s. Eurodam, our community of science experts and science buffs head for tropical climes, January 14–21, 2012, round-trip Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Take a cue from our island journey and delve into the form and function of flowers and plant evolution on islands with Dr. Spencer Barrett. Open a door to thought-provoking developments in primatology with Dr. Frans de Waal. Enjoy the fruit of crossdisciplinary work in bioarchaeology when Dr. Patrick McGovern details discoveries about ancient fermented beverages. Dr. Marc Davis guides us through physical cosmology and the latest on the search for exoplanets. Explore sun science and energy futures, and grasp “Einstein in a Nutshell” through Dr. Richard Wolfson’s sessions. We’ll go behind the scenes at the Arecibo radio telescope on an optional excursion with briefings on the radio astronomy, planetary radar and climatology research there. Plus, we’ll boldly go where ordinary visitors are not permitted at the telescope, using the password “Scientific American”. See what’s brewing in astrophysics and climatology, primatology, botany, and bioarchaeology. Add vivid colors and beautiful beaches, elegant dining and gracious service, sunsets and fun with friends, and you have the Bright Horizons 11 picture. Please join us! For full details, email
[email protected] or call (650) 787-5665.
CST# 2065380-40 ™Scientific American, Inc.
Cruise prices vary from $699 for an Interior Stateroom to $2,699 for a Deluxe Suite, per person. For those attending our program, there is a $1,475 fee. Government taxes, port fees, and InSight Cruises’ service charge are $183.80 per person. For more info please call 650-787-5665 or email us at
[email protected]
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On the Possibility of Animal Empathy Learn about expressions of empathy in animals. Dr. de Waal will present a “Russian doll” model of how animals perceive others. This model permits responses to be geared specifically to the other’s situation, thus increasing the effectiveness of sympathetic support, care, and reassurance, as observed in dolphins, apes, and elephants. Absorb primatology’s observations of emotionally mediated interactions, and explore the latest thinking on animal empathy. What Prim