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
Stars formed in clusters in the huge clouds that became the early galaxies...
What is so obvious to us was not understood until Ben Franklin's famous 1752 demonstration.
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 basic chemical elements of life on Earth are the most abundant elements in the universe...Are the conditions right elsewhere?
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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12/11/18 The 2018 update on the work at the Large Hadron Collider. Markus Klute
12/02/14 How do scientists investigate exoplanet atmospheres --and what are they discovering? Mercedes Lopez-Morales
08/30/18 Boston-area artists Susan Heideman and Michelle Lougee discuss their fascinating exhibit, "The Life of Forms."
12/14/20 Ecological systems are the archetypal complex systems. And regardless of scale and diversity --from microbial systems to rain forests—they share common patterns and dynamics. James O'Dwyer
06/16/15 A visit to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to learn how researchers investigate the dynamic relationship between oceans and climate. Amala Mahadevan
07/31/20 Rising seas are already affecting many coastal cities and communities. How can we best prepare, and how fast? Erika Spanger-Siegfried
06/12/14 Many nations prohibit GMO foods, but the US doesn't even require labeling. What can science tell us about GMOs? Sheldon Krimsky
06/07/22 An increasing percentage of the Food and Drug Agency's funding comes from the pharmaceutical industry. How does this arrangement affect the agency in general and the approval of new medications in particular? Aaron Kesselheim
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
05/21/15 Conversion to wind and solar power is entirely possible now in the U.S. Mara Prentiss
An international expert on the mechanisms of antibiotics resistance and a leader in creating public awareness
A paleoceanographer who uses the ocean's historical climate markers to compare with contemporary data for the development of more accurate climate models.