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.
Most of the mass of the universe is invisible and undetectable and is known only by its effects....
The origin of the heavy elements was not understood until the 1950s
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...
01/14/21 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
07/16/19 The destabilization of Earth's complex carbon cycle is associated with past mass extinctions. This mathematical model predicts a coming sixth mass extinction. Daniel Rothman
12/06/22 The only way to understand the emergence of the earliest structures in the universe is through complex computer simulations. Here's how they are created and tested. Mark Vogelsberger
04/14/2014 The investigation of how super-galaxies form is expected to provide insight into other mysteries such as dark matter and dark energy. Arjun Dey
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
06/16/15 A visit to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to learn how researchers investigate the dynamic relationship between oceans and climate. Amala Mahadevan
07/31/20 Rising seas are already affecting many coastal cities and communities. How can we best prepare, and how fast? Erika Spanger-Siegfried
12/11/12 Visual representation is essential for the communication of science concepts and data. Bang Wong
09/10/10 What are the possibilities of extending human life and good health? David Stipp
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 handbook for public officials and the general public on contamination of land and water -and how some areas can be revived
A scientist who has developed methods for reconstructing the genomes of ancient dinosaurs