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.
05-06-24 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
05/14/24 Our universe is expanding because of dark energy --one of the greatest mysteries in science. The major project devoted to understanding that expansion and dark energy is the target of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). DESI has produced the largest and most precise 3D map of our cosmos ever constructed. And the first results of the survey are amazing. Paul Martini
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
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
Most of the mass of the universe is invisible and undetectable and is known only by its effects....
Bruno was burned at the stake for asserting that the Sun was one of countless stars in an infinite universe
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 discovery of organisms thriving in extreme temperatures and conditions deep undersea, deep in the Earth, deep in the ice suggests that life, once it emerges, is extraordinarily resilient..
07/18/23 The actual nutritional value of our food depends on the quality of soil in which it is grown. Healthy soil, healthy people, healthy planet. David R. Montgomery & Anne Biklé
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
02/21/23 There is increasing concern about the impact of social media on mental health, especially among young people. What causes this problem and how should it be addressed? Jacqueline Sperling
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11/07/19 Science for the Public mini-series : They Didn't Believe It! Brief stories about science discoveries that were very slow to be accepted
11/13/18 Structures and motions are governed by geometric rules. Ileana Streinu and Ciprian S. Borcea
04/09/10 Molecules in meteorites met with an optimal chemical environment on Earth. Alonso Ricardo
02/23/16 Tracing ancient genetic changes through extinctions and speciation events to reconstruct our DNA history. Betul Kacar
12/22/15 Can the great Himalaya ecosystem adapt to the dual assault of rapid development and climate change? Maharaj Pandit
12/09/21 A distinguished geologist compares the human impact on our planet with the impacts of natural catastrophes over billions of years. Based on his book, A Brief History of Earth, this discussion is a sequel to an earlier conversation. Andrew Knoll
07/2014 The Connor Lab at Boston University is a leader in the effort to understand how viruses infect and how cells learn how to block infection. John Connor
06/12/12 ew understanding of the complex relationship between genes and the epigenome. Mary Gehring
07/19/21 A carbon capture innovation that can produce useful, products, including non-polluting transportation fuels. Sami Khan
12/20/11 Desalination offers a solution to the water shortage problem... John Lienhard V
A leading theoretical physicist introduces the public to the mathematical universe
An expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists who calculates how individuals can contribute to energy efficiency