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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Science for the Public

Science for the Public is a grassroots nonprofit organization committed to the promotion of adult science literacy. The organization hosts public presentations by scientists at Boston Public Library, a community science TV series, and online science resources. Citizen participation is actively encouraged in the development of our programs and resources. Today, many of the most pressing issues of modern life require the expertise of scientists. Citizens must therefore have a reasonable understanding of science in order to function as responsible members of society. Further, as the pace of scientific discovery accelerates, modern citizens must be able to grasp new concepts and information that are reshaping our perspectives. Although the issue of science literacy is now being addressed at the K-12 level, there is no science curriculum for the adult population. And it is the adult population that votes, pays taxes and raises children.

http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/

  • Mapping the Milky Way

    Wed, Feb 13, 2013
    "Radio astronomy can unmask structures in the universe that are otherwise invisible. And the discoveries are spectacular. One of the most ambitious projects has been the mapping of the structures of the Milky Way, an immense task that has taken decades. Using small radio telescopes in the US and Chile, Thomas Dame's team has made a series of great discoveries, including the identification of two previously unknown spiral arms in the Milky Way. In this lecture, Dr. Dame explains how radio telescopes reveal the invisible, why mapping the structure of our own galaxy is so difficult, and how the famous discoveries of this project were made. Thomas Dame, PhD, Director, Radio Telescope Data Center, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Lecturer on Astronomy at Harvard University"
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  • Microbe Evolution

    Tue, Feb 12, 2013
    "The Marx Lab at Harvard University investigates the mechanisms of microbe evolution under carefully controlled conditions in the lab. Dr. Marx and his colleagues have demonstrated how genetic modifications within one microbe species can influence modifications in a neighboring species. The Marx lab is providing a wealth of new information about a very complex process. Christopher Marx, PhD, Associate Professor of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University "
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  • The Role of the Ocean in the Global Carbon Cycle

    Tue, Jan 22, 2013
    Dr. Follows explains how ocean circulation, seawater chemistry and marine biology combine to shape the complex system known as the ocean carbon cycle. Life on Earth depends on the viability of this cycle, which regulates the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Dr. Follows describes how the system works and also the biological consequences when the CO2 balance is seriously disrupted by excess atmospheric CO2. Understanding the dynamics of the carbon cycle requires the skills of many scientists representing different fields: geology, biology, chemistry, physics, among others. The Follows group participates in a major interdisciplinary effort, the Darwin Project, which is unraveling how the carbon cycle works, how it becomes destabilized, and what it takes to recover its stability. Mick Follows, PhD, Senior Research Scientist Earth, Atmosphere, & Planetary Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology "
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  • Solar Magnetic Storms and Space Weather

    Wed, Mar 13, 2013
    This year we're hearing a lot about coronal mass ejections (CMEs), the spectacular explosions of solar particles that are spewed far into space. Although Earth's magnetic barrier prevents most CME penetration, CMEs can cause extensive damage to electronic communications and to power grids. For this reason, scientists monitor the solar cycles very closely. Dr. Hughes explains how solar cycles and these enormous storms occur, the effect of these ejections on Earth's magnetic field, and a number of other features of space weather. W. Jeffrey Hughes, PhD., Professor of Astronomy and Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Boston University. Dr. Hughes is Director of the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM), an NSF Science and Technology Center. He is an international expert on the dynamics of the Earth's magnetosphere and its interactions with the solar wind and the ionosphere.
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  • Brain Map: How the Brain Orchestrates Motion

    Tue, Apr 9, 2013
    "Scientists have worked for decades to decipher how the brain controls movement. Their discoveries are being applied to rehabilitation and to advanced robotics engineering. Tamar Flash of the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and Emilio Bizzi of the McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explain how the brain converts the mental intention into actual motion. Tamar Flash, Ph.D., is the Dr. Hymie Moross Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute, Israel. Professor Flash received her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983. After postdoctoral studies at MIT she joined the Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. She was appointed full professor there in 1998 and served as Chair of the department in 2004-2007. She is a 2012-2013 Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Research. Emilio Bizzi, M.D., Ph.D., is an MIT Institute Professor, Principal Investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and the Eugene McDermott Professor in the Brain Sciences and Human Behavior (MIT). He received his M.D. from the University of Rome in 1958 and his Ph.D. from the University of Pisa in 1968 and joined the MIT faculty in the same year. He served as director of the Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology from 1983 to 1989, and chaired the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences from 1986 to 1997. He was appointed Investigator at the McGovern Institute in 2001. Among many other honors, Dr. Bizzi became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1968 and the Institute of Medicine in 2005. He received the President of Italy's Gold Medal for Scientific Contributions in 2005 and in 2006 was elected President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences."
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  • Two Paul Steinhardt Projects: The "Cyclic Universe" and "Quasicrystals"

    Tue, Apr 30, 2013
    "One of the greatest theoretical physicists of our time, Paul Steinhardt is extraordinary in terms of his range and depth. In this program he discusses two of his best known research projects: first, the theory of a cyclic universe; and second, his prediction and later actual discovery of an entity thought not to occur naturally, the quasicrystal. Both of these projects are changing our view of Nature. Paul Steinhardt, Ph.D., The Albert Einstein Professor in Science at Princeton University, and Director of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science. Professor Steinhardt is a faculty member of both the Department of Physics and Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton."
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  • Antarctic Fishes: Models for Climate Change and Human Disease

    Tue, Jul 9, 2013
    The notothenioid icefishes of Antarctica are among the most interesting examples of evolution. When the Southern Ocean formed, the blood of the icefish evolved unique 'antifreeze' properties that enabled them to survive the extreme cold of the Southern Ocean (temperatures of '1.8 to +1°C). In addition, the icefish skeletal structure changed, becoming much lighter in weight. These two adaptations ensured the survival of icefish while many other organisms became extinct at the time of the ocean temperature change. Dr. Detrich explains why the icefish were able to adapt while most other organisms in the Antarctic area became extinct when the Southern Ocean formed. He also discusses how blood and skeletal changes that were survival features for the icefish are features of disease 'anemia and osteoporosis' in humans. Professor Detrich brings to his research a broad and deep background in biochemistry, molecular biology and genomics. His work is providing significant insights into both climate change biology and medicine. Dr. Detrich has spent more than twelve field seasons in Antarctica, at Palmer Station and McMurdo Station and he describes, in this lecture, the excitement of 'research on the ice' and the climate changes in Antarctica he has witnessed over two decades. H. William Detrich, III, Ph.D., Professor, Marine Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Northeastern University; Principal Investigator for the United States Antarctic Program since 1984.
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  • Environmental Contaminants and Autism

    Tue, Jul 23, 2013
    "Environmental epidemiology is among the most exciting fields in modern science, in part because of the great range of neuro-cognitive impairments the research covers, the possibility of preventive efforts to protect neurological function, as well as understanding the etiology of these conditions with an eye toward cures. Dr. Weisskopf's work is also particularly important because of the need to understand how environmental contaminants of many sorts are affecting the brain across generations. Marc Weisskopf, Ph.D., ScD., Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health. Professor Weisskopf investigates the epidemiology of a range of neurological disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, and autism. He focuses on the effects of exposures to environmental toxicants in the environment."
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  • Power Plants and the Freshwater Crisis

    Tue, Jun 25, 2013
    Freshwater is a critical resource and the supply is rapidly dwindling in an era of climate change. The demand for water far exceeds the rate of natural replenishment, leaving a seriously depleted water table and increased conflict over water rights in many regions. The bulk of our freshwater use is for cooling in power plants and irrigation in large-scale agriculture. In this discussion, John Rogers focuses especially on the problem of power plants. In the United States, 90 percent of electricity comes from conventional thermoelectric power plants' coal, nuclear, natural gas, and oil, and such technologies depend on freshwater cooling. Much of that freshwater is wasted. In a time of critical loss of freshwater, the deployment of alternative energy systems cannot be postponed.
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  • The Widespread Resistance to Antibiotics

    Tue, Aug 13, 2013
    "Dr. Stuart B. Levy is Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology and of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine; Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance; and President of the International Alliance for Prudent Use of Antibiotics. He is a past President of the American Society for Microbiology. In this recording, Dr. Levy discusses the crisis of widespread ineffectiveness of antibiotics that were originally considered miracle drugs. Dr. Levy was one of the first medical researchers to alert the international scientific community and the public about the dangerous consequences of the misuse and over-prescribing of antibiotics. Because bacteria are able to mutate rapidly to evade the effects of antibiotics, many bacterial diseases and infections now fail to respond to antibiotics. The threat extends to our food because livestock are given antibiotics to ensure rapid growth and weight gain. And because livestock waste from industrial farms penetrates soil and water, antibiotic residuals are pervasive in the environment. Dr. Levy led the first, and perhaps only, prospective farm study showing that feed containing low-dose antibiotics led to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in animals and people. He has published over 300 papers, edited four books and two special journal editions devoted to antibiotic use and resistance. His 1992 book, The Antibiotic Paradox: How Miracle Drugs Are Destroying the Miracle, now in its second edition, has been translated into four languages."
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