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.
05-20-25 For individuals paralyzed by injury, stroke or ALS, brain-computer-interface (BCI) devices can enable movement and even speech. However, there are concerns: specifically, that such technology could be developed for mind control. Lukas Meier
05/27/25 (rescheduled) Thousands of satellites orbit Earth. At the end of their missions, they drop into and burn up in the stratosphere, depositing ash that contains oxides and pollutants that are affecting both the ozone layer and the planet's climate. Atmospheric scientists are working to analyze the aerosols and their worrisome impact. Daniel Cziczo
04/08/25 Numerous types of cancer are increasing today and scientists are trying to identify the causes. That's why cancer research is one of the most important concerns of modern science. We learn how the research is done and also why federal funding for this work is essential. Gerald Denis
03/11/25 Due mainly to climate change and wasteful agricultural practices, the supply of freshwater is rapidly diminishing across the globe. To provide water for the world’s huge population, governments must quickly develop advanced conservation and sustainability policies. Jay Famiglietti
02/18/25 Is there life beyond Earth? So far, despite the discovery that there are billions of planets in our galaxy, and our increasingly sophisticated probes for life, we still don’t know. Life and the conditions for its emergence are both very complex phenomena. Mario Livio
Stellar death explosions produce massive gas and dust clouds, and some of that detritus becomes solar systems ...
The notion that invisible organisms cause disease was very difficult to accept
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?
The long reign of bacteria, the eventual branching and diversification, symbiogenesis, the dramatic mass extinctions and resurgence of life...
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
10-17-23 WGBH Forum Network webinar PFAS, a group of chemicals added to many everyday products, became a concern years ago among medical researchers, but governmental agencies were slow to impose regulations. Philippe Grandjean
10/29/24 A collaborative study by HSPH epidemiologist Joel Schwartz and British colleagues has revealed a much greater impact of fossil fuel pollution on health and on worldwide mortality rates than previously thought. Joel Schwartz
03/13/13 How the Sun's magnetic storms can affect electric grids and electronic communications. Jeffrey Hughes
03/08/21 Gravitational waves produced by colliding neutron stars are providing unique information about the universe. Edo Berger
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
04/25/17 What an atmosphere is, what it does, how it changes --on Earth, elsewhere in our solar system and beyond. Daniel Cziczo
04/12/21 The accelerating Arctic and Antarctic glacial melts will affect sea levels and land masses in different areas of the globe --often far from the polar regions. Natalya Gomez
08/21/12 Endocrine disruptors such as BPA cause developmental problems and disease. How does this damage occur? Ana Soto and Carlos Sonnenschein
05/08/18 Truly innovative research: nano-tech devices for medicine and environment. Sameer Sonkusale
12/20/11 Desalination offers a solution to the water shortage problem... John Lienhard V
11/25/19 How the world-class Sustainable Design Lab at MIT combines architecture, engineering, physics --and creative genius-- to design the optimal urban environment. Christoph Reinhart
This book is essential reading for a real understanding of the relationship between our economic system and the global climate crisis.
An outstanding scientist reveals how the "anti-freeze" adaptations in Antarctic icefish can shed light on the relationship between climate and evolution and also on resistance to disease