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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/

  • Revealing the Brain through States of Unconsciousness

    Tue, Nov 15, 2011
    Despite great progress in development of drugs and methods for general anesthesia, there are many unknowns about how anesthesia actually works, and about states of unconsciousness generally. A prominent researcher in this field, Emery Brown, explains how understanding the brain under general anesthesia is leading to an understanding of the other states of unconsciousness: sleep and coma. This area of research is beginning to offer significant insights into brain functions generally.
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  • The History of the Universe in One Hour

    Tue, Dec 13, 2011
    Max Tegmark, Professor of Physics at MIT, gives a grand tour of the universe, ending with a discussion of parallel universes. With the help of a cosmic flight simulator, he starts with a quick tour of our Milky Way galaxy, then moves back through space and time to the Big Bang beginning and the inflation. He then proceeds through the evolution of the universe, ending with a discussion of some of the big questions that concern modern astrophysics.
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  • Innovations in Clean Water Technology: Desalination

    Tue, Dec 20, 2011
    One of the leading solutions to the urgent need for drinkable water in many areas of the world is desalination. One of the leaders in this technology is the lab of John Lienhard V, Collins Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Lienhard explains the different types of desalination and the recent developments that make this technology so promising.
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  • Cracking the Neural Code for Speech

    Thu, Jan 26, 2012
    A Science for the Public visit to the Neural Prosthesis Lab of Frank Guenther at Boston University. Dr. Guenther, Co-Director Jon Brumberg, and other members explain the significance of their research on speech production processes and the great advances underway in making communication possible for people who are unable to speak: victims of stroke, ALS and locked-in syndrome, for example. Dr. Guenther and his colleagues demonstrate the now-famous Brain-Computer-Interface device. Additionally, the members of the lab discuss the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in this field.
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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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  • The Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in the US

    Tue, May 4, 2010
    Robert Whitaker shares the challenges he faced while writing his book *Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America*, which looks at the merits of psychiatric medications through the prism of long-term results. Since 1987, when Prozac was introduced, the number of adults in the United States on government disability due to mental illness has risen from 1.25 million people to more than four million today. In his book, *Anatomy of an Epidemic*, journalist Robert Whitaker explores this epidemic, and in so doing, raises this controversial question: Could our drug-based paradigm of care be fueling this modern-day plague? To answer that question, Whitaker looks at how psychiatric medications affect the long-term course of mental disorders, and he does so by tracking outcome studies from the 1960s until today. Do psychiatric medications help people get better and stay well? Function better? Enjoy good physical health? Or do they, for some paradoxical reason, increase the likelihood that people will become chronically ill, less able to function well, more prone to physical illness? When researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the World Organization, and other government agencies studied these questions, what did they find?
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    Groundbreaking Research on the Origins of Life

    Sat, May 1, 2010
    Two researchers at the famous Szostak Lab at Harvard University describe their respective contributions to scientific understanding of the emergence of life. Two essentials of life are (a) self-replication and (b) a membrane. Dr. Matthew W. Powner, a Research Fellow at the Szostak Lab, explains the breakthrough he and his colleagues made in the reconstruction of the origin of nucleotides, the basic material of self-replication. Itay Budin, a doctoral candidate in the Szostak Lab, explains the acclaimed model he devised for the development of lipid membranes on the early Earth. Both projects provide clues to the origins of the earliest stages of life.
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  • Dark Matter in the Universe

    Tue, Sep 28, 2010
    What is dark matter? Where is it? Do we need it? How much is there? Prof. Peter Fisher explains the problem of dark matter, the mysterious, invisible stuff that holds galaxies together. He also describes the current big hunt for dark matter and the unique project he and his collaborators have designed to identify it.
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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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    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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