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.
From the first moments of the universe to the formation of atoms ...
Biologists disputed the classification of "extremophiles" for 20 years, despite the evidence.
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
09/17/24 How migratory creatures navigate so accurately to their seasonal destinations, sometimes thousands of miles away, is still often a mystery. What do scientists know, and what are they still trying to discover? Charles Walcott
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.
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
10/10/18 The acquisition of even one language is very complicated. But there are some --called hyperpolyglotals-- who learn dozens of languages. How does the brain do this? Evelina Fedorenko
04/29/15 At the Summons Lab at MIT, scientists probe soil and rock samples from both ancient Earth and --using remote instruments-- Mars for bio-molecules. Roger Summons
04/24/18 An important critique of geoengineering, including cautions about misinformation. Daniel Cziczo
10/09/12 Changes in habitat and breeding patterns due to rapid climate change.......... Richard Primack
01/27/12 vThe Neural Prosthesis Lab at Boston University demonstrates the Brain-Computer-Interface: a communication device for the severely impaired. Frank Guenther
05/24/12 Genomic medicine will revolutionize health care, but it also introduces a challenge for data management. John Quackenbush
10/19/20 The Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Lab produces cost-saving, practical innovations that make a real difference for developing nations: home-use desalination, drip irrigation -and many other solutions. Amos Winter
11/16/20 The structure of a humble marine organism inspires mechanical engineers and architects in the design of skyscrapers, massive bridges and other challenging projects. Matheus Fernandes
A leading theoretical physicist introduces the public to the mathematical universe
Author, lawyer and former director of the Conservation Law Foundation