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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/

Is Earth Exceptional?

Tue, Feb 18, 2025

Mario Livio, the distinguished former astrophysicist at Hubble Space Telescope (until 2015) and best-selling science author, discusses his latest book, co-authored with Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak, 'Is Earth Exceptional'? One of the most fascinating questions is whether there is life -and especially intelligent life- beyond our planet.

This book provides the best information about the requirements for life and how scientists search for life in the cosmos. Dr. Livio explains the challenge of identifying life elsewhere when we have only the example of life’s emergence on Earth. Importantly, the book combines the unique expertise of astrophysics (Mario Livio) and geochemistry (Jack Szostak) in a very timely consideration of the possibility of life elsewhere.

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Using Gravitational Lensing to Detect Dark Matter

Tue, Jan 14, 2025

Dark matter accounts for some 27 percent of the universe but is invisible. One promising technique to reveal it is the analysis of gravitational lensing that very occasionally aligns galaxy clusters.

The much-noted “cosmic question mark” image for this event is the result of a rare alignment between two distant galaxies due to gravitational lensing. Professor Jacqueline McCleary explains how cosmologists use such examples of weak gravitational lensing between galaxy clusters to explore the nature of elusive dark matter and its interaction with galaxies. She discusses how cosmologists gather and analyze data from observatories on mountaintops, in the stratosphere, and in space.

Dr. McCleary is a collaborator in the Local Volume Complete Cluster Survey (LoVoCCS), the SuperpressureBalloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT), and COSMOS-Web (a JWST collaboration).

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Our Record-Breaking Global Heat

Tue, Jan 7, 2025

The record-breaking heat of the last few years is, climate scientists say, “not just summer.” Two distinguished researchers, Mathew Barlow and Jeffrey Basara, discuss their recent important article about the sudden uptick in global temperature, why is worrying climate experts, how they analyze the global heat patternsand what must be done to address the problem.

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Climate Change

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Let's Get Serious: Fossil Fuel Pollution's Impact on Health and Mortality Rate

Tue, Oct 29, 2024

Epidemiologist Joel Schwartz is noted for his work on the acute and chronic health effects of fossil fuel air pollution. One of his recent collaborative studies revealed that exposure to fine combustion particles in the air at concentrations well below current standards are associated with a range of conditions, including dementia, asthma, heart attacks, and lung cancer. The study indicated that the death rate from this pollution is almost 1 in 5 deaths worldwide, about twice the previous mortality estimate. Not surprisingly, the pollution impact falls disproportionately on poorer communities. This research is finally leading to tighter U.S. air quality standards. In this program, Dr. Schwartz discusses the wide health effects of fossil fuel pollution and why restrictions have been so lax.

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Elusive Dark Matter and the Earliest Galaxies

Wed, Oct 23, 2024

This is a most exciting period for cosmology, especially for scientists whose focus is the early universe. The James Webb Space Telescope and other advanced technologies are providing unprecedented new insights about the early universe, especially the emergence of the first stars and galaxies and the relationship between these formations and mysterious dark matter. Professor Julian Muñoz explains both the newest discoveries and the techiques he uses to investigate the very early universe.

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The Mystery of Animal Migration

Tue, Sep 17, 2024

Charles Walcott has been a leader in the research on migratory creatures, especially birds. He explains in this program what scientists presently know, and how scientists investigate the sensory maps of migratory creatures. For example, pigeons use both the sun and the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass to navigate long distances. But how pigeons know the direction toward home is still uncertain.

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Climate Change

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The Global Green New Deal

Tue, Sep 3, 2024

The 2020 book, Climate Crisis and The Global Green New Deal, by Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin is recognized as a major source of information about the climate change crisis and also the best solution, which involves science, politics and economics: "A survival manual for civilization" as Daniel Ellsberg called it. Dr. Pollin is an internationally recognized expert on the economics of the climate change crisis, the billions of people who will be affected, and the economic steps necessary for restoring our planet and civilization. Here, he explains in very accessible terms, the problem and the solution.

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Climate Change

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Solar Geoengineering: What You Need to Know

Tue, Sep 24, 2024

The alarming acceleration of global warming is a grave threat to all forms of life. The only viable solution is the reduction and removal of the excess greenhouse gases --atmospheric CO2 and methane-- produced chiefly by fossil fuels. This requires immediate transition to renewable energy, combined with removal of atmospheric CO2. But there is a move to delay that transition by means of solar geoengineering. This approach involves the release of chemical particles high in the atmosphere that will shade the Sun. It does not eliminate the CO2 buildup. Solar geoengineering introduces serious risks that must be explained by responsible scientists.

Daniel Cziczo, a prominent atmospheric scientist specializing in the vital role of clouds in climate dynamics, explains the global warming threat and the risks involved in solar geoengineering.

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The Battle for the Future of Food

Tue, Jun 11, 2024

Researcher and author Timothy A. Wise explains why industrial agriculture (Big Ag) is more a threat to the planet and humanity than a solution to hunger.
Based on his book Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food, he explains numerous issues associated with corporate agriculture, including the impact of excess fertilizers, pest toxins, and GMOs. He also describes the best farming strategies that will feed the planet and help to restore global environment, economies and health.

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Food and Wellness

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New Directions in Particle Physics

Tue, Jun 18, 2024

Our immense universe began at the unimaginably tiny quantum scale, and to understand the formation of matter, physicists collide subatomic particles. The Large Hadron Collider has produced many discoveries, but it has limitations in the range of data it can capture. Dr. Tulika Bose, who has been prominently involved in the work of the LHC, says “We really should be looking at new physics at a much higher scale. We need to go beyond the kind of energies we’ll have at the HL-LHC.” In this presentation, she explains the accomplishments of the LHC, its limitations, and the next exciting plans under consideration in this research.

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