What matters to you.
Sign Out
Play Live Radio
0:00
0:00
NEXT UP:
 
Top

Forum Network

Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

Funding provided by:
sftp_logo.png

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/

  • matthew-powner-320x240.jpg

    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.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Science for the Public

  • 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.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Science for the Public

  • 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?
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Science for the Public

  • The Youth Pill

    Fri, Sep 10, 2010
    David Stipp discusses his new book on the scientific and medical discoveries that will lead to greater longevity with good health. The author is critical of bogus remedies and promises of extended youth. He emphasizes instead the promising research, especially in genetics, that suggests the possibility of extending life without the decline in health and mental acuity. This lecture is a valuable resource in our era of aging populations.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    Science for the Public