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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/

  • Long-Term Health Threats of BPA and Other Endocrine Disruptors

    Tue, Aug 21, 2012
    "BPA and other endocrine disruptors are used in plastics, can linings, and other products. These chemicals, which are now widespread in the environment, are implicated in cancer, reproduction problems, childhood obesity, and autism. Drs. Ana Soto and Carlos Sonnenschein are leading researchers in this field. They explain how endocrine disruptors affect living organisms over multiple generations and why the impact is so broad. And they discuss the urgent need to control the use of such chemicals. Ana Soto, M.D. Professor of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Tufts University Carlos Sonnenschein, M.D. Professor of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Tufts University "
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  • Update from the Large Hadron Collider: The Higgs?

    Tue, Sep 18, 2012
    "Professor Steven Nahn, who gave a very popular SftPublic lecture on the Large Hadron Collider in 2011 (Front Row Seat at the Big Bang) returns to tell us about the July discovery of the Higgs boson 'or something that satisfies the criteria. Finding the Higgs 'or Higgs-ish' is one of the greatest triumphs in the history of science. This is the source of mass that makes possible the existence of our familiar form of matter. Dr. Nahn explains what the Higgs boson is and why it is so important for a model of the structure of matter. He also describes the enormous challenge of finding the Higgs 'even with the power of the Large Hadron Collider' and the extreme requirements of scientific verification for this elusive particle. Dr. Nahn is involved in one of the two major projects at the LHC, the Compact Muon Solenoid. His research is concerned with major questions in particle physics today: the nature of the mass that makes atoms and molecules possible, asymmetry, dark energy and dark matter. Steven Nahn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"
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  • Jurassic Genome

    Wed, Dec 2, 2009
    Chris Organ, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, explains recent discoveries about the genomes of extinct animals, with emphasis on the relationship between birds and their dinosaur ancestors. Dr. Organ notes that most evidence for understanding the biology of extinct animals is absent from the fossil record. For example, evidence for behavior, genetics, and physiology rarely fossilize. Yet, as a primary research goal, paleontologists endeavor to reconstruct the biology of extinct organisms.
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    A Front-Row Seat at the Big Bang: The Large Hadron Collider at CERN

    Tue, Jan 25, 2011
    Dr. Nahn explains how the Large Hadron Collider probes the fundamental structure and forces of the universe. He describes the search for the Higgs Boson, extra dimensions, and mystery particles that might explain dark matter.
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    Eye-to-Eye with Climate Change in the Ocean

    Tue, Feb 15, 2011
    Dr. Kaufman describes the sweeping transformation in the world ocean, brought about by climate change and also by pollution and over-fishing. His examples are global: from the most remote coral atolls of the Pacific nation of Kiribati, to the threatened waterfronts and fisheries of Massachusetts.
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    Electric Eye: Creating a Visual Prosthesis for the Blind

    Tue, Oct 26, 2010
    The complexities of the human visual system present a daunting challenge for those who work to restore sight to the blind. Dr. Shawn Kelly describes how the he and the Boston Retinal Implant Project team have met that challenge. The "electric eye" created by this team represents the leading edge of electrical engineering today, and it was listed on *Time Magazine's* 50 Best Inventions List of 2009. This implant gives us an indication of the very promising future of medical technology.
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    Self-Defense Mechanisms of the Cell

    Tue, Dec 14, 2010
    The biological cell deploys an amazing self-repair kit against threats from all quarters: hereditary problems, environmental toxins, dietary inadequacies, diseases, and everyday survival stress. Dr. Alimchandani explains how cells deal with these challenges, and how increased scientific understanding of cell defenses leads to exciting new prospects for dealing with diseases and other threats.
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  • Evolution of Photosynthesis

    Tue, Oct 19, 2010
    Dr. Tanja Bosak and Alexander Petroff explain the advanced research that is decoding the parallel evolution of life and environment on the ancient Earth. They show how laboratory experiments on modern microbes repeat the patterns of rock formation by ancient microbes, and they explain why microbes produce unique polycyclic lipid compounds that can persist in sediments for billions of years.
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    Psychotropic Drugs and Children

    Tue, Jun 15, 2010
    Robert Whitaker, author of *Anatomy of an Epidemic*, discusses the disturbing effects of psychotropic drugs prescribed for children. Such medications, used for ADHD, depression, and anxiety, for example, have become commonplace over the past 30 years. This practice profoundly alters the lives of the children, and so now we, as a society, urgently need to address this question: do the medications help the children thrive and grow up into healthy adults? Or does this practice do more harm than good over the long term. Robert Whitaker emphasizes two things: first, the need for an objective, evidence-based approach to evaluating these drugs; and second, the need for better public understanding of how these medications work.
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  • Understanding How Life Began

    Fri, Apr 2, 2010
    Dr. Alonso Ricardo of the Szostak Lab at Harvard University explains how some of the molecules in our DNA are identical to molecules brought to Earth on meteorites, and he describes how elements in "stardust" may have met with conditions on Earth to lead to the emergence of life. Dr. Ricardo's lecture includes animations and other graphics that help to make clear the very complex chemistry involved in the emergence of life. He shows how scientists are unraveling the steps toward the development of the cell, and why scientists concerned with that mystery are also concerned with the creation of a synthetic cell. Both processes are of great importance to science and medicine today.
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