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.
Huge regions of apparent nothingness throughout the universe are full of surprises....
A theory we acept today was originally rejected by most physicists
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 fine line between animate and inanimate, and between quasi-life and life. ....
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
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.
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
05/03/21 A warming climate led to the emergence of grasslands, which led to major evolutionary changes. Aly Baumgartner
07/14/20 The persistence of the international wildlife trade is destructive for wildlife, ecosystems, environment, and human health. Maria Ivanova and Candace Famiglietti
11/05/13 What modern seismologists are learning about the Earth's interior. Miaki Ishii
01/22/13 The complex relationship between marine life and the chemistry and circulation of oceans. Mick Follows
10/03/23 A distinguished pioneer in stem cell research for oral conditions, wound healing and diabetes explains the issues and the advances in this field, and the importance of science communication for the public. Jonathan Garlick
11/15/11 Important insights into the brain from research on anesthesia, coma and sleep. Emery N. Brown
06/26/16 An author-activist urges public engagement to ensure the transition to renewable energy. Philip Warburg
09/20/22 Despite the hype, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is not a solution to the CO2 problem. Charles Harvey
A well known astrophysicist who is also gifted at making science and mathematics accessible to the general public
A research physician who brings his combined medical and legal expertise to the evaluation of regulatory agencies