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
Huge regions of apparent nothingness throughout the universe are full of surprises....
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 long reign of bacteria, the eventual branching and diversification, symbiogenesis, the dramatic mass extinctions and resurgence of life...
01-17-23 Coastal wetlands and salt marshes absorb huge amounts of CO2. Scientists are working to understand this complex process when such ecosystems are especially stressed by climate change. Robinson Fulweiler
09/12/23 The breaching of most of the Earth system boundaries (ESBs) is destroying the planet and the crisis must be addressed immediately. Solutions must include justice for those who suffer displacement, health and economic impacts of the crisis. Diana Liverman
11-28-23 GBH Forum Network webinar: 12 Noon (EST) Our planet is subject to more than 50 earthquakes a day. How do scientists analyze this activity and can they predict the most threatening quakes? Brendan Meade
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03/11/14 Astronomer Joan Najita explains the challenge of understanding how planetary systems are created.
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
04/19/22 Because of a special biological feature called magnetoreception, migratory birds and other creatures are able to navigate enormous distances without getting lost. How does this capacity to “read” Earth’s magnetic field work, and is that the only map to aid migration? Charles Walcott
10/05/17 A tour of the fascinating world of mushrooms. This is way beyond the supermarket. David Hibbett
01/15/20 The detailed study of New England forests helps to predict the impact of decreasing snowpacks and rising temperatures ecosystems.. Pamela Templer
02/08/17 An important new book connects the dots between the role of microbes in healthy soil and in human health. David Montgomery and Anne Biklé
08/13/13 Exploring the "antibiotic paradox" and the decades-long efforts of Dr. Stuart Levy to avert the danger we have created
11/08/22. Can corrective nutrition prevent or reverse cognitive decline among older adults with bad diets? Here's a forthcoming study. Susan Roberts
05/21/15 Conversion to wind and solar power is entirely possible now in the U.S. Mara Prentiss
04/05/22 How can we distinguish scientific facts from disinformation? This Union of Concerned Scientists writer battles distortion on a regular basis. Elliott Negin
Professor Primack's innovative textbooks incorporate information relevant to specific regions where the texts are used
An early voice, and a persistent one, in warnings of the impact of climate change on ocean ecology