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.
10/29/24 A collaborative study by HSPH epidemiologist Joel Schwartz and British colleagues has revealed a much greater impact of fossil fuel pollution on health and on worldwide mortality rates than previously thought. Joel Schwartz
10/23/24 The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other advanced technologies are providing unprecedented data about the early universe. Astronomers are developing a new understanding of how the earliest stars and galaxies emerged. Julian Muñoz
09/24/24 WGBH Forum Network webinar, The alarming increase in global warming has stimulated interest in solar geoengineering, a means of shading the planet --but not a means of reducing the source of warming, the excessive CO2 and methane in the atmosphere. Daniel Cziczo
Most of the mass of the universe is invisible and undetectable and is known only by its effects....
Evidence for ancient glaciers and their rocky deposits conflicted with the 18th century's Biblical perspective
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...
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
06/11/24 WGBH Forum Network webinar. Industrial agriculture (“Big Ag”) is a major contributor to global warming, environmental destruction, and disruption of good farming traditions. There is a better way to feed the world without destroying the planet. Tim Wise
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
09/28/10 Some mysterious, invisible stuff is holding galaxies together. Peter Fisher
12/09/14 From the beginning of the universe to complex life: an explanation of the development of the cosmos. Eric Chaisson
09/20/11 The challenge for genomic studies today is how to manage the vast collection of data. John Quackenbush
05/06/24 WGBH Forum Network webinar. 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
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
05/16/17 An important explanation of the relationship between glacial cycles and climate change. Jack Ridge
12/12/19 Jonathan Levy of Boston University School of Public Health describes how urban air pollutants such as vehicle exhaust affect our health.
09/27/10 The effects of vehicle pollutants on the developing brain. Shakira Franco Suglia
11/27/18 The anti-science mentality and policies threaten public health, environment, and safety --and also our progress in many scientific fields. What we need to do. Andrew Rosenberg
05/18/22 Just how effective is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), the much-promoted solution to the excess atmospheric CO2 from fossil fuels? June Sekera and Neva Goodwin
An international spokesman for the environment, for alternative energy to replace fossil fuels, and a rational public policy
An innovative astronomer and developer of cutting-edge instruments for optical/infra-red astronomy