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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/

Kingdom of Play

Mon, May 6, 2024

There is much interest today in the purpose of play. For humans, it is widely considered important for development, but for animals the role of play is less certain. In this fascinating description of the imaginative and varied play habits of many species of animals, David Toomey considers the purpose of this behavior, and he explains the major views on the subject.

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Science for the Public
Will Carbon Capture and Storage Continue Its Failure to Reduce Global Warming?

Fri, Feb 9, 2024

The major cause of the global warming crisis is excess atmospheric CO2 emitted mainly by fossil fuels. The extreme level of atmospheric CO2 is well beyond a “capture and storage/sequestration” solution, yet the hype persists that some clever extraction innovation will resolve the problem. Dr. Charles Harvey, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT, has extensive experience with both CO2 capture/storage (CCS) engineering and the realization that CCS cannot reduce CO2 enough to reduce global warming. He argues instead for rational policy: drop fossil fuels and shift to renewables. Now. His expert advice is gaining a wide audience.

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Climate Change

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Science for the Public
Troubled Waters: Red Tides and Other Algae Blooms

Tue, Dec 12, 2023

Large-scale agriculture, factories and other sources produce chemical runoffs. These “nutrient loads”can accumulate in waters and cause harmful algae blooms (HABs), including the red tides that are increasingly common. Algal blooms are now occurring in every coastal state in the U.S., and are a major concern around the world. HABs affect the health of marine organisms and also people. Dr. Glibert explains the vital role of algae in marine ecosystems, how runoff toxins cause the unnatural algal blooms, and what must be done to stop the damage. She also discusses how ocean geoengineering can impact algae.

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Science for the Public
Real Public Health Is More Than Just Healthcare

Tue, Jan 23, 2024

In his newest book, Sandro Galea emphasizes that the field of public health is committed as much to preventing disease as to treating it. Public health includes the social factors that frame our lives: social inclusion, economic security, political stability, adequate diet, access to education, and other factors that affect well-being. Dr. Galea discusses the necessity of rational policies that create social stability and comfort. Developing the foundation for genuine public health requires more effective communication –and elimination of misinformation and vitriol-- in a process he calls radical incrementalism.

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Global Health

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Science for the Public
Frozen in Time: Preserving for Later Revival

Tue, Jan 9, 2024

Advances in the preservation of tissues, organs, sperm/eggs are revolutionizing medicine. Mehmet Toner is an international pioneer in this field. He describes the significance of the preservation-revival research, the different methods, and how the new breakthroughs will save lives and restore damaged tissue. Methods include specialized forms of supercooling and drying. Some of the models for these developments come from nature: organisms that transition to frozen or dehydrated states for extremely long periods –and then revive.

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Science for the Public
2000 Years of Oceans and Climate

Tue, Nov 14, 2023

The major ocean currents strongly influence regional climate stability. Today’s rapidly warming oceans will ultimately alter major currents such as the AMOC, with huge consequences for global climate. In order to predict when and where these climate shifts will occur, oceanographers gather data over a long period of time and compare that data with historical variations in ocean temperature and currents. Hali Kilbourne’s focus on 2000 years of the relationship between oceans and climate provides important data for accurate climate models.
In this discussion Dr. Kilbourne describes how scientists collect and analyze the data, and what oceanographers can predict regarding sea level changes, stability of major currents and the coming impact on global climate.

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Climate Change

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Science for the Public
The Urban Future: On Earth…and Elsewhere

Tue, Dec 5, 2023

Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities. By 2050, some 75 percent will be urbanites. Future urban design will emphasize not only innovative architecture and engineering, but the environmental, health, and social aspects of city dwelling also. And the plans anticipate potential settlements beyond Earth -- Mars in particular. Justin Hollander is an internationally recognized expert on urban planning, with many academic and media contributions. He discusses the evolving concern for healthy urban design and the numerous challenges involved in this transition. Dr. Hollander also discusses his recent book on the prospect of Mars colonization: The First City on Mars: An Urban Planner’s Guide to Settling the Red Planet

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Science for the Public
Harvesting Electricity Out of Thin Air

Tue, Oct 24, 2023

The air contains an enormous amount of electricity. Clouds are full of it. But how to actually capture it for a continuous energy resource? Dr. Jun Yao and his colleagues at UMass-Amherst have created a small-scale cloud they call the “generic Air-gen effect” that produces a reliable stream of electricity that can be harvested for general use. In this interview, Dr. Yao describes how the Air-gen innovation was developed, how the electricity is harvested from the air via a special material made of protein nanowires, and when the device can be scaled up for general use.

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Science for the Public
Our Shaking Earth: Understanding and Predicting Earthquakes

Tue, Nov 28, 2023

Our planet is subjected to more than 50 earthquakes a day. Fortunately, most do not cause significant damage. But some earthquakes are extremely destructive (as recent events in Turkey and Afghanistan demonstrate) The complexity of these tectonic plates shifts make prediction very challenging but fascinating work. Dr. Meade explains the importance of better prediction of earthquakes and the huge challenge of developing better prediction tools.

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Science for the Public
Analyzing Clouds and Climate Change

Tue, Sep 26, 2023

Clouds are an essential component of the climate. In normal circumstances, they stabilize Earth’s temperature, both by preserving the planet’s heat like a blanket and blocking excess solar radiation. But with prolonged accumulation of atmospheric CO2, the planet overheats, leading to dramatic effects, including massive wildfires –which release particles called “biomass aerosols.” Those particles seed clouds that affect the climate. In this program, Dr. Cziczo explains how these clouds form and why the excess of biomass particles concern climate scientists.

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Climate Change

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Science for the Public

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