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.
Stellar death explosions produce massive gas and dust clouds, and some of that detritus becomes solar systems ...
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 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..
10/24/23 Imagine a future world in which clean electricity is available anywhere you go. The generic Air-gen effect innovation means that this future world can become a reality. Jun Yao
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.
10/11/22 Geothermal energy is an ideal source of renewable energy, but it can be hard to access. Here's a plan. Paul Woskov
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
03/15/18 How realistic is the time-travel concept and how would time machines work? David Toomey
12/17/15 The compelling search for entirely new forms of life elsewhere in our solar system and the universe. David Toomey
08/05/13 A visit to the Barabási Lab at Northeastern University to learn how scale-free complex networks affect scientific perspectives
12/17/14 An international expert explains how coastal ecosystems function and how they are adjusting to current stresses. Brian Helmuth
06/03/14 A major authority on ocean sediments discusses what these deposits tell us about past and present climate. Richard Murray
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
05/29/13 The award-winning D-Lab's unique approach to improving lives in the poorest nations. Amy Smith
11/12/13 A panel of experts presents the known scientific, health and environmental facts about fracking. Phartiyal_Pallavi, Aaron Bernstein, William Moomaw, Andrew Rosenberg
A handbook for public officials and the general public on contamination of land and water -and how some areas can be revived
A leading physicist explains how to implement renewable energy in the US --now!