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.
Paradoxical objects that underscore the mystery of the universe, black holes seem the ultimate destructive force, but may be essential to the stability of galaxies...
The correct interpretation of light spectra from stars was presented by a young researcher whose evidence was initially rejected.
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 basic chemical elements of life on Earth are the most abundant elements in the universe...Are the conditions right elsewhere?
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
09/17/24 How migratory creatures navigate so accurately to their seasonal destinations, sometimes thousands of miles away, is still often a mystery. What do scientists know, and what are they still trying to discover? Charles Walcott
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.
03/17/15 Was there ever life on Mars? How do scientists search for and analyze possible clues? Roger Summons
09/15/15 How stars and their planetary systems form, and what the New Horizons mission to Pluto will reveal about the "fossil record" of our own solar system. Scott J. Kenyon
02/10/16 The author of "Our Robots, Ourselves" discusses the limits of robot autonomy. David Mindell
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.
06/18/15 A visit to the Helmuth Lab at NEU's Marine Science Center to learn how scientists investigate effects of changing climate on coastal ecosystems. Brian Helmuth
06/16/15 A visit to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to learn how researchers investigate the dynamic relationship between oceans and climate. Amala Mahadevan
12/10/13 TB cells do not all respond to antibiotics. Discovering why is the key to effective treatment. Bree Aldridge
01-23-24 GBH Forum Network webinar (1 PM ET). In his newest book, Sandro Galea emphasizes that the field of public health is committed as much to preventing disease as to treating it. Public health includes the social factors that frame our lives. To develop a foundation for better health requires a rational policy dialogue. Sandro Galea
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
A well known astrophysicist who is also gifted at making science and mathematics accessible to the general public
A paleoceanographer who uses the ocean's historical climate markers to compare with contemporary data for the development of more accurate climate models.