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.
Section #1 explains the AI basics: GenAI, AGI, ASI; GPT; how AI is "trained"; AI errors, AI "consciousness"; and AI hype
Section #2 explains the multiple impacts of AI: AI databases; copyright; jobs; cognition
Section 3 discusses important AI threats: AI deceptions; political AI; military AI; and AI disobedience
Section 4 describes the warnings of many AI leaders and experts: that the potential damage of AI is very real, and that governmental controls are absolutely necessary.
Most of the mass of the universe is invisible and undetectable and is known only by its effects....
The concept that all matter is composed of an invisible but fundamental entity was resisted for a very long time.
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 necessary ingredients and conditions; formation of life's molecules; Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) ....
01/14/21 Mathematics is the foundation of everything in Nature: structures, dynamics, processes. Understanding that foundation changes our perception of Nature. Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan
06/18/24 WGBH Forum Network webinar. CERN’s Large Hadron Collider has made very significant discoveries (including the Higgs boson), but physicists now need to expand the probe. Tulika Bose
07/16/19 The destabilization of Earth's complex carbon cycle is associated with past mass extinctions. This mathematical model predicts a coming sixth mass extinction. Daniel Rothman
09/15/15 How stars and their planetary systems form, and what the New Horizons mission to Pluto will reveal about the "fossil record" of our own solar system. Scott J. Kenyon
08/28/20 The universe is expanding at an incredible rate, and dark energy is thought to be the cause. Astronomers observe and measure this mystery with very sophisticated equipment. Paul Martini
02/12/13 How microbes and their communities evolve and what the process means for us. Christopher Marx
04/22/15 A toxicologist explains why some organisms thrive in an environment that endangers most species. Emily Monosson
04/26/16 Scientists are now able to study in detail the dynamic volcanic activity of the deep ocean ridges. Here are some amazing discoveries. Daniel Fornari
09/20/21 The distinguished scientist and author of "Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life" explains the destructiveness of industrialized agriculture and shows how to feed the world while restoring the soil and environment. David Montgomery
05/04/10 Medications that are effective initially can cause very serious problems later. Robert Whitaker
01/09/24 GBH Forum Network Webinar. Innovations in bio-engineering are revolutionizing medicine. Preservation of tissues, organs, sperm/eggs can be preserved in several different ways for future use. It's a real challenge, but the methods are improving quickly. Mehmet Toner.
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
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
An acclaimed scientist and award-winning author, whose books on the relationship between geology, environment and evolution are both brilliant and accessible.
A leader in research on magnetoreception and numerous other unique animal features and capacities.