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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Museum of Science, Boston

One of the world's largest science centers, the Museum of Science, Boston attracts 1.6 million visitors a year through vibrant programs and over 550 interactive exhibits. Its mission is to stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and society. Other features include the Thomson Theater of Electricity; Current Science & Technology Center; Charles Hayden Planetarium; Gilliland Observatory; and Mugar Omni Theater. The Museum's exhibit plan, Science Is an Activity, has been awarded several National Science Foundation grants and profoundly influenced exhibit development at other major science centers.

http://www.mos.org

Monsters, Dwarfs, and Everything in Between

Wed, Apr 20, 2005

Sally Baliunas discusses how physics enables us to study rare and distant stars, from monsters 100 times heavier than the sun, to white dwarfs no larger than Earth but more than 100,000 times more dense. Baliunas explains that inside the nucleus of an atom, the laws of quantum mechanics successfully describe the domain of the incredibly small; yet the same laws influence the very large, including such objects as stars.

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Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World

Fri, Dec 1, 2006

Andrew Revkin details his fascinating adventure to the icy outer limits of earth with a team of scientists whose task was to determine the natural and man-made causes of dramatic climate changes in the Arctic. The award-winning *New York Times* journalist discusses his new book, *The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World*. Revkin's talk is moderated by Christopher Lydon of *Open Source*, and produced in association with the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

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Museum of Science, Boston
Wild Trees: Uncharted Canopy Biosphere of Redwoods

Wed, May 9, 2007

Richard Preston, author of *The Hot Zone*, tells the story of Steve Sillett and Marie Antoine and a group of botanists and amateur naturalists who discovered a mysterious world hidden above California. *The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring* is the tale of their adventures exploring the uncharted canopy biosphere of the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained, the coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens).

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Unexpected Interface: Proteins and Evolutionary Change

Tue, Mar 20, 2007

Susan Lindquist describes protein folding, and how this phenomenon allows orgnisms to evolve rapidly in response to new environmental conditions. All proteins start out as long strings of amino acids. Before a protein can function, it must fold into an extremely precise, highly complex structure. This is a difficult feat in the highly concentrated environment of the cell. Protein folding is facilitated by helper proteins called molecular chaperones. Lindquist's recent work suggests that the forces that govern protein folding exert a profound effect in determining how the genes encoded by an organism's DNA are translated into phenotypic traits. The folding mechanisms of molecular chaperone proteins can allow organisms to reveal accumulated-but-hidden genetic variation in times of stress.

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A Sustainable Transportation Vision for New England

Sun, Sep 17, 2006

Chella Rajan moderates a panel discussion on the important stakes that cities, states, employers, the environment, and the public have in future patterns and costs of transportation. Ideas contributing to a sustainable transportation vision in New England are considered, including new technology, smart land use, mixed-use land development, access to appropriate transport services, thoughtful urban design, and personal behavior.

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Museum of Science, Boston
Art of Living a Second Life

Wed, Apr 25, 2007

Eric Gordon moderates a panel discussion about art practice in *Second Life*, an 3-D online world where real business is conducted using virtual dollars that can then be traded in the real world. Called "the biggest digital art installation in the world" by Warren Ellis, *Second Life* is a highly imaginative, online, 3-D rendered environment populated with avatars (graphic representations of people). In *Second Life* you can teleport, fly, do not age, live in a house, go to clubs, take classes, make and view art, or just "hang out." Spanning more than 42,000 acres in real-world scale, *Second Life* is second home to over 2 million "residents," many of whom collaboratively create its content. This lecture is a part of the 2007 Boston Cyberarts Festival and produced in partnership with Emerson College and Turbulence.org's "OurFloatingPoints 4: Participatory Media" series.

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Soft Car: Human-Friendly Car Design

Sun, Sep 17, 2006

Mitchell Joachim shares some of his 'out of this world' thinking regarding the future of automobile design. Joachim's work is to rethink car design based upon more humanistic principles. From the history of alternative urban design to his own work with Frank Gehry on a Soft Car with omnidirectional wheels and human friendly design, Joachim peers into a future very different from today's SUV-filled one.

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Art, Gender, and Politics in Egypt: Queen Hapshepsut

Fri, Dec 6, 2002

Chahinda Karim discusses how art can mirror society and how Ancient Egypt's surviving artistic tradition can throw light on the life and times of Thutmosides. Before Catherine the Great of Russia, Joan of Arc of France, or Empress Wu Zetian of China, Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt left her mark as one of history's most significant female rulers. Her story is told through archeological evidence, including mummy markings, pottery, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. The art and architecture of the time paints a picture of Hatshepsut as a master politician, pioneering expedition sponsor, and assiduous promoter of the arts. Despite her successes, there is doubt about her effectiveness as a leader. Attempts by her nephew and successor, Thutmose III, to destroy all references to Hatshepsut leave holes in the history and add fuel to the debate.

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Human Genome and Beyond

Fri, Feb 16, 2001

Dr. Eric Lander, director of genome research at the Whitehead/MIT Institute, talks about the tools of modern genome research that he and his research group have developed, including genomic maps of the human, mouse and rat genomes in connection with the Human Genome Project and techniques for genetic analyses of complex, multigenic traits. He has applied these techniques to the understanding of cancer, diabetes, hypertension, renal failure and dwarfism.

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Transit of Venus: Passing the Sun

Wed, Apr 7, 2004

David A. Aguilar and Jay M. Pasachoff discuss June 8th, 2004, when we on Earth will witness Venus passing in front of the Sun for the first time in 122 years. This phenomenon, known as the transit of Venus, is one of the rarest of planetary alignments. The transit lasts about 6 hours and is visible from most of Europe, Africa, and Asia though, similar to an eclipse, it cannot be witnessed without a sun filter. Observations of the transit were used in the 18th and 19th centuries to determine the size of the solar system. That method has since been dismissed for its impracticality, but the transit will provide much opportunity to develop and test new techniques for the study of planets outside our solar system.

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