Science touches so many aspects of modern life that it's hard to keep up. Through our programs and this website, Science for the Public provides up-to-date information about scientific innovations, discoveries, and issues that are shaping modern knowledge.
04/23/24 Promoted for years as a means to strengthen bones and lower risk of multiple diseases, improved studies by JoAnn Manson and others revealed that Vitamin D supplements were not very effective at all. Natural sources, including sunshine, are much better. It’s important to understand why. JoAnn Manson
05-06-24 WGBH Forum Network webinar, 12:30 PM EDT. All sorts of animals engage in imaginative types of play. Is this behavior just creature-entertainment, or is it important for development and bonding? David Toomey
03/19/24 A prominent biologist explains the crucial importance of biodiversity for life on Earth, and how the sixth mass extinction fractures that stability. Michael Reed.
02/09/24 GBH Forum Network webinar (noon ET) The extreme level of atmospheric CO2 is well beyond a “capture and storage/sequestration” solution, yet the hype persists that some clever extraction innovation will resolve the problem. Charles Harvey
01-23-24 GBH Forum Network webinar (1 PM ET). In his newest book, Sandro Galea emphasizes that the field of public health is committed as much to preventing disease as to treating it. Public health includes the social factors that frame our lives. To develop a foundation for better health requires a rational policy dialogue. Sandro Galea
Most of the mass of the universe is invisible and undetectable and is known only by its effects....
The correct interpretation of light spectra from stars was presented by a young researcher whose evidence was initially rejected.
Mounting evidence suggests a link between chemicals in consumer products and breast cancer.
What's so important about an atmosphere? Find out here.
Many of the most important advances in scientific understanding were initially rejected or ignored.
In an era of global science, other nations are increasing their science budgets. Why aren't we?
Partly in order to understand its amazing complexity, and partly in order to advance medical therapies. So, how do you create a viable cell?
09/19/23 WGBH Forum Network webinar 11:30 EDT There is plenty of hype about space travel and even colonizing planets like Mars. We might need to know about the effects of zero-gravity on the human body. James Lackner
07/25/23 For centuries, we Earthlings have considered ourselves unique in the universe. Scientists today, however, tend to doubt our exceptionalism. But just how common might intelligent life be? Mario Livio
10/04/22 The most sophisticated telescope ever created is now producing its first deep-space images, revealing an astonishing universe. Silas Laycock
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05/20/14 Max Tegmark discusses the topic of his book: the multiverse and the mathematical nature of reality.
05/09/12 Did the ancient moon have a magnetic field like Earth's? And why do scientists need to know? Benjamin Weiss
03/27/18 The "mind" is not an isolated entity; it is connected to a physical-social environment. Alan Jasanoff
11/13/13 Ancient infant teeth reveal the importance of weaning patterns in human evolution. Tanya Smith
09/13/16 An international authority on the dual impacts of climate change and environmental destruction discusses the urgent need for a restorative development policy. William Moomaw
11-28-23 GBH Forum Network webinar: 12 Noon (EST) Our planet is subject to more than 50 earthquakes a day. How do scientists analyze this activity and can they predict the most threatening quakes? Brendan Meade
08/21/18 Producers of perfluorinated alkylate substances (PFAS) withheld for decades the facts about the health and environmental threats of these ubiquitous toxins. Philippe Grandjean
02/14/23 Viruses must appropriate the DNA/RNA of living cells in order to survive. The battle between viruses and cell defenses is a classic example of the epic struggles that characterize Nature. John Connor
02/04/14 Materials scientist Javier Fernandez discusses the "plastisphere" crisis and how it motivated the development of biodegradable "shrilk."
03/29/22 An innovation attracting great interest: an abundant, inexpensive clay might be used to remove the greenhouse gas methane from the atmosphere. Desiree Plata
An interdisciplinary perspective on the biogeochemical relationships of ocean cycles
