Science & the City

Cryogen-etics

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0500

The National Park Service is now giving all endangered species tissue samples it collects to the cryogenic frozen tissue lab at the AMNH. Hear what liquid nitrogen, DNA, and threatened species have to do with each other.

Seismic Climate Change

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Seismic records from ocean wave patterns and iceberg behavior around the world are being analyzed for the first time. Geophysicist Rick Aster describes what his data can tell us about our warming planet.

Painting the Genome

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Genetic research fuses with fine art when the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard brings Daniel Kohn, a Brooklyn-based painter, into their lab for a residency.

From Animal to Person

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:00:00 -0500

In a re-broadcast from 2007, philosopher and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, Daniel Dennett, describes the evolution of human culture, which he says is a "second information highway," swifter and more reliable than genetic transmission.

Bridging Science and the Humanties

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:06:45 -0500

The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner delivers his keynote address at Science and the City's Two Cultures in the 21st Century symposium held in May.

The ScentOpera

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:57:10 -0500

Smells and sounds collide for the world premiere of "Green Aria," a synesthetic art and science fusion at the Guggenheim.

The Science of H1N1

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:24:47 -0500

An in-depth look at the science behind the current influenza pandemic, plus some of the work research being done to keep us healthy.

Inventing Scientists

Fri, 29 May 2009 10:37:24 -0500

One of the country's biggest inventors (think the Segway, iBot, and portable dialysis machine), talks about his FIRST program aimed to get high schoolers onto the path to become scientists.

Go Fly a Kite

Fri, 22 May 2009 11:08:34 -0500

Check out one of New York's kite flying showdowns and the science, design, and history behind our earliest flying machines.

Taking Science to Congress

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:10:59 -0500

A former Congressman gives scientists concrete suggestions on how to get government thinking science, in one of the keynote lectures of the Two Cultures conference.

The Sweetest Sounds: What is Music to Your Ears?

Fri, 08 May 2009 10:15:03 -0500

A perception expert teams up with a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter to explore our sense of hearing, with a little musical accompaniment, of course.

The Circuits of Life's Program

Fri, 01 May 2009 10:51:48 -0500

An NYU scientist delves into the complex interactions in biological systems - using the genome as his map.

Go Green Solutions

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:12:06 -0500

We take you through NYC's Go Green Expo and find 5 easy ways for New Yorkers to green up.

Back Me Up

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:11:14 -0500

New discoveries in spinal nerve regeneration are giving researchers hope in the race to cure spinal cord injuries.

Teaching Robots to See

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:07:58 -0500

An NYU computer scientist looks to biological models to create vision systems, and artificial intelligence in machines.

Our Toxic World?

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:40:58 -0500

The Experimental Man and a NYAS toxicologist delve into the dangers (and myths) of toxins in our everyday environment.

From Planets to Plutoids

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:20:45 -0500

Six leading planetary scientists debate whether Pluto is a planet in a broadcast of the Hayden Planetarium's 2009 Isaac Asimov lecture.

Naturally Obsessed

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:08:48 -0500

A look at Carole and Richard Rifkind's lastest documentary film on life in a crystallography lab. Learn the science and meet the characters.

Forget Me Not

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:14:47 -0500

A Columbia University neurologist uses fMRI imaging on mice to research our aging brains. Turns out, you've got some control over how sharp you stay.

The Psychobiology of Genocide

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:35:00 -0500

A multidisciplinary panel examine the psychobiology of human aggression and genocide at a recent roundtable at the Philoctetes Centre.

Gold Medal Glory

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:41:17 -0500

When it comes to Olympic gold medal times, humans have been improving steadily over the past 100 years. But is there a limit to how good we can get? Learn about the technology, technique, and doping that keeps athletes improving.

Test Your Tongue: The Science of Taste

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:20:39 -0500

Two taste gurus deconstruct our sense of taste -- from the molecules that give us flavor to the mystery of the fifth taste.

An AMNH PhD?

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:08:28 -0500

Meet the first 5 students at the new graduate school at the American Museum of Natural History -- the first museum in America awarding PhDs.

Getting Cellular

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:15:13 -0500

A Nobel Laureate delves into what we know about our cells - from their 4.5 billion year history, to modern-day mutations, and protein zip codes (cellular love letters).

Egg and Nest

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:07:50 -0500

Explore the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology's extraordinary collection of eggs and nests with two scientists from the foundation and the photographer for their new book, Egg and Nest.

See What You've Been Missing

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:03:53 -0500

There's a lot more to vision than first meets the eye. An ex-magician and cognitive neuroscientist team and tackle the science of sight.

Playing Science

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:29:42 -0500

Take a look at the Ensemble Studio Theatre Sloan Project, which aims to bring science stories and playwrights together, and preview their science festival, on now.

A Pianocktail, Anyone?

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:33:34 -0500

Take a tour of the Interactive Telecommunications Program's wacky and inventive Winter thesis show at NYU.

Carl Sagan's Search for God

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:38:23 -0500

Hayden Planetarium director Tyson, Carl Sagan's widow, and Sagan's former colleague discuss the astrobiologist's perspective on science, the spiritual experience, and the search for God.

Gifting Science

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:05:08 -0500

From eBay meteorites to DNA artwork, Science and the City gives you quirky science gift options for the holiday season.

The Science of Smell

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:08:53 -0500

Two smell scientists tackle the biology, genetics, and psychology behind our noses.

Genes and Jazz

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:31:01 -0500

A Nobel Laureate and his son, a jazz musician, team up to fuse art and science, (cancer cell biology and jazz), at the Guggenheim's Works and Process program.

Fearful Brains in an Anxious World

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:13:16 -0500

An NYU neuroscientist reveals what his research tells us about how our brains process fear and anxiety.

Hooked on a Feeling: The Science of Touch

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:04:23 -0500

A neurophysiologist and a filmmaker team up to talk about somatosensory research.

Our Brain, the Kluge

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:30:16 -0500

Think you've got a supercomputer for a brain? Think again. An NYU psychologist argues we've got kluges for brains and evolution to blame.

Paraphilias: Does Sex Need Science?

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:09:43 -0500

Two psychiatrists, a philosopher, and an ex dominatrix debate the definition of paraphilias and discuss whether science has a place between the sheets.

Science in Fiction on the Big Screen

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:28:32 -0500

The Imagine Science Film Festival kicks off with a discussion on the key to making a successful science movie - without compromising the story or the science.

The Neuroscience of Elections

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:11:39 -0500

Three NYU scientists describe some of the research into why we vote the way we do.

The Science of Getting a Grip

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:06:11 -0500

Psychologist Ekman discusses how 40 hours of conversation with the Dalai Lama changed his views on our ability to be emotionally aware.

The Time Paradox

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:51:03 -0500

A renowned psychologist describes how our individual perception of time shapes the choices we make.

The LHC: Physics' New Golden Age

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:44:05 -0500

A Nobel Laureate explains the Large Hadron Collider and its potential to revolutionize the field of physics.

New York's Paper Solutions

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:24:41 -0500

From your old magazines to a brand new recycled paper pizza box, we take a trip to Pratt Industry's Staten Island paper recycling facility to see how NYC's paper is reused.

Bat-tastic

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:12:25 -0500

Follow Paul Keim and his echolocator as he leads a fact-packed tour of Central Park's bat population. And no, they're not blind.

Ferocious Beauty: Genome

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:35:13 -0500

Human genetics and multi-media dance meet onstage in this true fusion of art and science.

Fuel Cell Future

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:13:48 -0500

Get behind the wheel of some of the world's most advanced hydrogen-powered vehicles and learn about the technology, timeline, and real-life potential for H2.

The Sex Lives of Animals

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:07:08 -0500

Think sex for animals is all about mating? You're wrong. Learn about the diversity and biology behind the sex lives of animals at the Museum of Sex's new exhibit.
Warning: Explicit Content

Back to Black

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:51:51 -0500

Go behind the scenes at the Guggenheim's "Imageless" exhibit, where one of Ad Reinhardt's black paintings gets some major laser restoration treatment.

Madagascar (...and Not the Movie)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:35:52 -0500

A conservation biologist describes the unique animals and conservation programs in Madagascar while touring the new Bronx Zoo Madagascar exhibit.
Sponsor: Science & the City

What the Nose Knows

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:24:57 -0500

This week, learn about the science of smelling and scent from Gilbert and check out his latest book. For more on the science of senses, check out Joanne Chen's "The Taste of Sweet."
Sponsor: Science & the City

The Science Barge

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:52:08 -0500

Check out New York Sun Works' floating sustainable greenhouse, The Science Barge, and learn some ecological science and energy solutions for growing green in a concrete city.
Sponsor: Science & the City

Experimental Cuisine Collective

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:34:59 -0500

Hear the story of the Experimental Cuisine Collective, a program created to make polymer science accessible to the average person.
Sponsor: Science & the City

Artscience: Creativity in the Post-Google Generation

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:21:20 -0500

Learn about new fusions of art and science, and the creation of a unique innovation space in Paris.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

Buckminster Fuller

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:11:51 -0500

Hear the story of one of the greatest innovators of the 20th century - the man behind the geodesic dome, Dymaxion Car and Dwelling Machine, and other inventive ideas.
Sponsor: Stanford University Libraries

One Bryant Park

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:52:05 -0500

Take a tour of the new Bank of America building at One Bryant Park - now the greenest office tower in New York City, with a Platinum LEED ranking. The building's lead architect and mechanical engineer join to give context to this skyscraper's ultra-sustainable features.
Sponsor: Science & the City

Science in the Middle East

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:26:58 -0500

A geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey discusses the challenges he's faced when doing science in the Middle East, and his research on the Dead Sea basin.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

The Elegant Universe

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:49:43 -0500

A New York-based choreographer teams up with a composer and a leading theoretical physicist to produce a ballet based on The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene. Hear what happens when string theory meets the stage and get an exclusive look at a not-yet-finished project.

Project Walkway

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:58:39 -0500

Eight teenage girls learn to mix technology with fashion at Eyebeam, a center for art and technology located in Manhattan. Hear their story of the Girls Eye View program, an experience which aims to get young women interested in science.
Sponsor: Science & the City

The Science of Scotch

Fri, 30 May 2008 16:10:30 -0500

Learn all that goes into making Scotland's traditional drink, which turns out to be a lot of culture, a bit of science, and just a pinch of art.
Sponsor: Science & the City Food Series
Multimedia: Science of Scotch Slideshow

Mixing Science and Policy

Fri, 23 May 2008 13:43:34 -0500

Three experts in science and policy discuss their thoughts on the best way for scientists to communicate with governments, and vice versa - in the effort to create a more open and productive national dialogue on science.
Sponsor: Science Communication Consortium

The Science of Champagne

Fri, 16 May 2008 16:13:28 -0500

Gerard Liger-Belair has been studying the science of champagne bubbles for 10 years. Learn just how important bubbles are to the taste this celebratory drink - and find out the science behind it.
Sponsor: Science & the City Food Series

Sundance-Sloan Film Awards

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:54:21 -0500

Meet this year's winner of the Sundance Institute's Sloan Fellowship and the 2008 Sundance-Sloan Grant recipient - both unique screenwriters with a serious science focus.
Sponsor: Science & the City

Food Foraging in Central Park

Fri, 2 May 2008 16:54:15 -0500

Join a New York naturalist as he leads a spring food foraging tour in Central Park. Learn the history, science, and folklore behind foraging for your own food. www.wildmanstevebrill.com.

Sponsor: Science & the City

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Distortions of Memory

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:47:15 -0500

Experts in language, literature, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychoanalysis discuss what is known about how we store and subsequently recall the past.
Sponsor: The Philoctetes Center

Physics of the Impossible

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:46:33 -0500

The cofounder of string field theory offers a scientific exploration of the world of phasers, force fields, teleportation, and time travel.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

Future of the Stockmarket

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:00:14 -0500

Investors, economists, and quantitative finance experts discuss how technological innovations have hastened the growth of the markets.
Sponsor: Philoctetes Center

Humans, Apes, and Whales: the Origin of Brain Degenerative Disorders

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:39:20 -0500

The Vice Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine explains the morpho-molecular features that render certain neuronal populations of the brain selectively vulnerable to degenerative processes in humans.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Your Inner Fish

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:39:50 -0500

The University of Chicago's Associate Dean of Organismal Biology and Anatomy speaks about his new book, which gives the 3.5 billion year history of the human body.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

The Rapidly Changing Climate System

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:45:20 -0500

A Princeton geosciences and international affairs professor, and a leader of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, gives a global warming overview.
Sponsor: Green Science and Environmental Systems, a NYAS PS&E program

The Neuroscience of Fair Play

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:34:00 -0500

The head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at Rockefeller University describes how ethics may be a hardwired function of the human brain.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

Biology of Freedom

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:16:14 -0500

Psychoanalysts and neuroscientists discuss the effect of the environment on brain activity and micro-anatomy.
Sponsor: Philoctetes Center

Science of Chocolate

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:56:42 -0500

A nutrition scientist from Tufts University gives an overview of the health benefits of chocolate.
Sponsor: Chocolate Manufacturers Association

A Life Decoded

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:22:34 -0500

The leader of the private-sector human genome project has published an autobiography.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Fueling the Car of the Future

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:47:48 -0500

The Global Environment and Energy Correspondent for the Economist takes an up close look at global warming, the auto industry, and government.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

Unbowed

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:35:52 -0500

The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner and leader of the Pan African Green Belt Movement introduces her new autobiography.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Perception through the Five Senses

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:42:57 -0500

A perfumer, a chef, a neurologist, a sound engineer, and a painter discuss how we take in the world.
Sponsor: Philoctetes Center

The Mind of the Market

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:32:00 -0500

The author, publisher, and founder of the International Skeptics Society shares neuroeconomic insights into human behavior.
Sponsor: New York City Skeptics Society

Childhood Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:40:34 -0500

An internationally recognized expert in the pharmacological treatment for childhood mood and anxiety disorders offers insights about depression and bipolar disorder at the 19th Annual New York City Mental Health Symposium.
Sponsor: NARSAD

Life in the Valley of Death

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:52:25 -0500

Executive Director for science and exploration at the Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo discusses his new book which details his efforts to create the world's largest tiger reserve in Myanmar's Hukaung Valley.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

The Science of Coffee

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:15:54 -0500

The Chairman of illycaffe S.p.A. discusses the chemistry and technology that produce a great cup of coffee.
Sponsor: Science & the City Food Series

Mood Disorders and the Brain's Perception of Danger

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:02:07 -0500

The Chief of Child and Adolescent Research in the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program of the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program talks about child and adult mood and anxiety disorders.
Sponsor: NARSAD

Daydreaming and Night-Dreaming

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:25:11 -0500

A roundtable discussion of stimulus-independent thought, including review of data from neuroscience imaging and clinical applications of research on human fantasy.
Sponsor: Philoctetes Center

The Secret History of the War on Cancer

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:12:17 -0500

A new book from the director of the Center on Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute exposes a muddled century-long research effort.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

New York Goes Green

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:02:08 -0500

The President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority shares details of how the Spitzer team is tackling New York's environmental, energy, and climate changes.
Sponsor: NYAS Green Science and Environmental Systems Series

An Evening with Oliver Sacks

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:24:44 -0500

The famed author and physician introduces ideas from his new book, Musicophilia, to a sold-out crowd at the New York Academy of Sciences.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

Climate Change

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:08:24 -0500

Oceanographer Richard Feely, geochemist W. Berry Lyons, and biologist Margaret Lowman discuss factors that govern the process of climate change based on their field research.
Sponsor: The Explorers Club

The Stuff of Thought

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:37:04 -0500

The Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University speaks about language and cognition, what swearing reveals about our emotions, and the way innuendo discloses something about relationships.
Warning: Explicit Language.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

The Unnatural History of the Sea

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:21:28 -0500

A marine conservation biologist shares details from his new book about the human exploitations of the ocean's bounty and our shifting environmental baselines.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

BLAST

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:07:59 -0500

The documentary filmmaker speaks about his experiences following a close-knit team of international scientists as they attempt to launch a multi-million dollar telescope on a NASA high-altitude balloon.

Beneath Mount Everest

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:33:58 -0500

A seismologist from the University of Colorado, Boulder, shares research she conducted in the Himalayas throughout eastern Nepal and southern Tibet, an area she calls a breeding ground of destructive earthquakes.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Body Adornment

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:46:26 -0500

The director of NYU's Institute for Ice Age Studies tells what we can learn about a culture from the personal ornamentation it used.
Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Polyhedron Man

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:48:34 -0500

The artist, mathematician, and computer scientist talks about his geometric sculptures.

Sponsor: CUNY Graduate Center, Science & the Arts

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Mummy Genetics

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:32:23 -0500

A biological anthropologist at the Knowledge Horizons Center for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester, who stars in an IMAX documentary currently showing at the Liberty Science Center, speaks about her work using genetic data to study the genealogy of ancient mummies and the past, present, and future ecology of parasitic infectious diseases.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Cats of Africa

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:39:59 -0500

Conservation biologists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the AMNH Center for Conservation Genetics discuss the behavior of wild cats and how new techniques in molecular genetics are helping conserve endangered cats across the globe.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The Mind and Music

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:12:21 -0500

Physician, neurologist, and author Oliver Sacks speaks about his new book, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Mind.
Sponsor: Science & the City Author Series

Acting and Mirror Neurons

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:02:24 -0500

A discussion drawing on the perspectives of neuroscience, drama therapy, kinesiology, and acting technique to address the mechanisms that allow an actor to emotionally move an audience.
Sponsor: Philoctetes Center

Framing Science

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:04:56 -0500

A science journalist and a professor of communications show scientists how they can help reeducate the public about science policy.

Sponsor: Science Alliance.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The Man Who Saved Geometry

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:40:06 -0500

The author of a recent biography about the greatest classical geometer of the last century talks about the late mathematician Donald Coxeter and his influence on mathematics and the arts.

Sponsor: CUNY Graduate Center, Science & the Arts.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The Search for "The Missing Link"

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:18:05 -0500

The Evan Pugh Professor of Biological Anthropology and Biology at Penn State discusses the fossil evidence of our earliest human ancestor.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Modern Cosmology Roundtable

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:28:35 -0500

Astrophysicists and a philosopher discuss recent, data-driven, explanations for the appearance and evolution of our universe and how our new views on the universe have informed our every-day lives and beliefs.

Sponsor: Philoctetes Center.

Jim Gates

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:27:34 -0500

Without getting bogged down in the math, the John S. Toll Professor in Physics at the University of Maryland explains the beautiful set of equations which may or may not describe our universe.

Sponsor: CUNY Graduate Center, Science & the Arts.

The Science of Happiness

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:23:20 -0500

The popular Spanish science journalist and television host offers insights and a formula from his book, "The Happiness Trip: A Scientific Journey," a bestseller in Spain and newly released in the U.S.

Remembering Silent Spring

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 16:40:35 -0500

On the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, three scientists present current research on the presence of DDT in nature and its consequences for birds, breast cancer rates and malaria.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Vittorio Gallese

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:56:54 -0500

The scientist who discovered mirror neurons engages in a roundtable discussion with artists and art historians about how neuroscientific discoveries can influence our understanding of how we perceive art.

Sponsor: Philoctetes Center.

Biblical Natural History

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:04:56 -0500

An ecologist and soil physics expert who has consulted globally to the U.N. and the World Bank describes how the natural environment in the Middle East has changed since biblical times.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Blame It on My Genes!

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:33:59 -0500

The Columbia University psychiatrist, ethicist, and legal scholar explores behavioral genetics and the causes of crime.

Sponsor: Wiley-Blackwell and NYAS

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

From Animal to Person

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:10:15 -0500

Philosopher and codirector of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, Dennett describes the evolution of human culture, which he says is a "second information highway," swifter and more reliable than genetic transmission.

Sponsor: Wiley-Blackwell and NYAS.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Say Cheese

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:46:38 -0500

The author of American Farmstead Cheese: The Complete Guide to Making and Selling Artisan Cheese talks about the history of cheese making in America and the art and science of making cheese.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Einstein: His Life and Universe

Thu, 24 May 2007 13:00:00 EST

The author of the new biography of history's most famous genius discusses his work in advance of his June 12th appearance at the Academy.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Intellectual Polygamy

Fri, 18 May 2007 22:55:06 -0500

Chemist Carl Djerassi, the "father" of the birth control pill, discusses art, science, and his new play, Phallacy, which is about to have its New York premiere.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The Antikythera Mechanism

Fri, 11 May 2007 16:24:01 -0500

An exhibit opening May 25 in NYC, Gods, Myths, and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece, showcases a new reconstruction model of the world's first computer, a 2,000+ year-old geared navigation instrument.

Sponsor: The Children's Museum of Manhattan

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Bomb Scare

Fri, 04 May 2007 13:14:16 -0500

Learn why this leading weapons expert, VP for National Security at the Center for American Progress, considers Pakistan the most dangerous country on the planet.

Sponsor: NYAS Readers & Writers Series

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Cosmic Jackpot

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:17:00 -0500

Physicist and cosmologist Paul Davies, who will speak at the Academy on May 9, 2007, discusses the big questions of existence and his new book, Cosmic Jackpot, Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Dinner: The Final Frontier

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:00:00 EST

Hervé This is a physical chemist, popular author, and television personality in France. He is also the only person to hold a Ph.D. in molecular gastronomy, the application of science to culinary art and practice.

To learn more about the Science of Food, visit www.nyas.org/food.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Death by Blackhole

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:16:57 -0500

The Nova ScienceNow host, Hayden Planetarium director, and eminently entertaining astrophysicist discusses his new book.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Steven Pinker

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:27:52 -0500

On April 18, Harvard Psychology Professor Steven J. Pinker will host a discussion on how the physiology of the brain gives rise to our experience of mind. Pinker explains why he tapped young neuroscience investigators Bruce Lahn, and Rebecca Saxe, to be the evening's featured speakers.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

High School Research

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 18:24:34 -0500

From neural networks to traffic patterns, New York City's youngest investigators describe their research at the NYC Science and Engineering Fair, a program of the NYC Department of Education, coordinated by the New York Academy of Sciences in partnership with Polytechnic University.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Aglow in the Dark

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:43:15 -0500

WNYC Studio 360 executive producer Julie Burstein moderates a panel discussion on the ways bioluminescence has inspired art, architecture, and scientific research.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Elephant Voices

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:17:44 -0500

The research director of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project at the Amboseli Trust for Elephants and founder of Elephant Voices shares observations from nearly 30 years of field research.

Sponsor: The Explorers Club

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Mystery of the Mind

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:02:11 -0500

Renowned NYU neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux joins a psychologist, a philosopher, an author, and a psychotherapist to debate and define the meaning of consciousness.

Sponsor: Philoctetes Center

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Science of Beer

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:24:03 -0500

The Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, Davis, chats about malting, fermenting, and imbibing!

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Neanderthal Brains

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:02:01 -0500

Lahn, whose lab in the Human Genetics Department at the University of Chicago researches human brain evolution, explains the genetic link he has discovered between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Urban Sustainability

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:19:35 -0500

A senior fellow at the CUNY Institute for Urban Systems and former Director of the New York City Water and Sewer System discusses some principles of sustainability and presents a regional perspective on biodiversity.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Medical Apartheid

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:33:57 -0500

A New York science journalist, who has written the first full history of the shocking mistreatment that black Americans have suffered as unwilling and unwitting experimental subjects, will discuss her research at the Academy on February 15.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Skyscraper Science

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:39:06 -0500

The founder, director, and curator of the Skyscraper Museum in lower Manhattan explains some of the science behind the current exhibit, Giants: The Twin Towers and the 20th Century.

Sponsor: Skyscraper Museum

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

I, WOZ

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:21:55 -0500

Steve Wozniak, cofounder and inventor of Apple computers, describes his childhood, his sources of inspiration, and the offbeat thinking that led to the Apple II computer.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Moral Minds

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:24:29 -0500

Harvard professor Marc Hauser says a radical rethinking about our ideas on morality is long overdue. In his book Moral Minds, he argues that the human brain evolved an inherent ethical instinct that forms the basis of our moral systems.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

David Botstein

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:17:13 -0500

Genetic mapping pioneer David Botstein, director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, will host an exploration of systems biology at the Academy on January 24.

For more information about the New Vistas series, please visit: www.nyas.org/vistas.

Shaping the Future

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 09:37:08 -0500

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of New Scientist magazine, three world-renowned thinkers considered our changing relationships with science and technology that will shape the magazine's stories of tomorrow.

Sponsor: New Scientist.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Gold! Exhibitcast

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:22:06 -0500

A dazzling new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History explains the scientific, historical, cultural and financial significance of one of the world's most rare and highly prized metals. Download the podcast, and take your iPod to the museum for a guided tour with the co-curator.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Creatures of Accident

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:23:30 -0500

Zoologist Wallace Arthur explains how simple creatures evolved into complex ones via the accidental processes of duplication and divergence.

Sponsor: American Museum of Natural History

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

A Toast to Tannins

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 13:01:53 -0500

Wine scientist James Kennedy explains how organic compounds called tannins play a role in creating an exceptional glass of wine, and sheds light on some of the other chemistry happening inside a carafe.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The Physics of Superheroes

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 11:01:05 -0500

Physics professor James Kakalios investigates the death of Spiderman's girlfriend, the Atom's shrinking ability, and the specifics of superhero science, in this phone interview with Science & the City.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Raising the Environmental IQ of America

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 11:28:08 -0500

In this lecture, former NBC TV meteorologist Dave Jones stresses the media's responsibility—and unique opportunity—to engage the public in science; and explains how his company StormCenter creates interactive science information products to assist news organizations in this endeavor.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Carl Sagan: Science and the Search for God

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 08:46:56 -0500

In this panel discussion with Hayden Planetarium director Tyson, Carl Sagan's widow and former colleague discuss the astrobiologist's perspective on science, the spiritual experience, and the search for God.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Mind Wars

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 13:42:35 -0500

A new book by the Director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Virginia investigates the complicated relationship between neuroscience researchers and the national defense agencies that increasingly fund them.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Snake Venoms

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:06:57 -0500

In this lecture at the AMNH, herpetologist Zoltan Takacs dives into the world of venomous snakes—their variety, their venom, and their potential medicinal value. To see photos and descriptions of Zoltan's work, visit zoltantakacs.com.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

From Bunsen Burners to Baked Alaska

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 12:01:20 -0500

Biochemist Shirley Corriher turned her scientific know-how into a career as a culinary consultant who troubleshoots in some of the world's finest kitchens. In this interview, the author of CookWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking, shares some scientifically sound kitchen tips.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

How Human Brains are Wired to Connect

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 14:58:37 -0500

In Social Intelligence, psychologist and science writer Daniel Goleman, known for his 1995 bestseller Emotional Intelligence, introduces new concepts in neuroscience that reveal how human brains are designed to connect.

Making of the Fittest

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 12:13:14 -0500

Sean Carroll is a professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and researcher for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His recent book, The Making of the Fittest, elucidates how DNA can provide a record of evolution by so-called "fossilized genes." In this talk at the American Museum of Natural History, he explains some of the material from the book, and how DNA can reveal the expressed traits that have been lost, gained, and modified throughout time. This lecture is part of the museum's fall programs schedule.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Tackling Treatment-Resistant Depression

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 15:10:30 -0500

Deep Brain Stimulation is a groundbreaking method for treating severe mental depression with electricity. Helen Mayberg, a Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, has lately gained attention from the popular press for her work in this area. For those interested in the scientific nitty gritty, "Defining Neurocircuits Mediating Treatments for Depression," is a lecture Mayberg gave recently to a professional audience at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Sponsored by: the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Dept. of Psychiatry, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The God Delusion

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 13:13:10 -0500

The British evolutionary biologist and popular science book author argues that a life of scientific truth precludes the belief in any divine power. Dawkins, the Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University, speaks at the Academy on October 18.

Napoleon on the Nile

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:28:25 -0500

When Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798, he not only brought soldiers, but a host of scholars and students. Bob Brier, Senior Research Fellow at C. W. Post/Long Island University and one of the world's foremost experts on mummies, tells the story of this invasion, and of the important discoveries and archeological establishments that resulted from it. The lecture was held in conjunction with the exhibit Napoleon on the Nile: Soldiers, Artists, and the Rediscovery of Egypt at the Dahesh Museum of Art.

Sponsored by: Dahesh Museum of Art.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

My Life As A Quant

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:51:26 -0500

In the late 1970s, Emanuel Derman left academia to put his background in theoretical physics to work on Wall Street. Derman, now director of Columbia University's program in financial engineering, spoke with Science & the City in a preview to his upcoming lecture at the New York Academy of Sciences on October 19.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Fantastic Realities

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:00:00 -0500

Frank Wilczek, a professor of physics at MIT, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004 for "the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction." His new book, "Fantastic realities; 49 mind journeys and a trip to Stockholm" expands on the recent discoveries in the decipherment of matter, revealing just how fantastic reality is.

He spoke recently as part of the Science and the Arts Series at the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The 1906 Earthquake: Lessons Learned, Lessons Forgotten, and Future Directions

Fri, 8 Sep 2006 11:00:00 -0500

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake was one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history, but it also gave birth to the modern discipline of earthquake science. In this American Museum of Natural History lecture, Mary Lou Zoback of the US Geological Survey details the progress made in the field since the great quake, and offers some insight into the likelihood and possible magnitude of future earthquakes.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Egypt, Cradle of Science

Fri, 1 Sep 2006 01:00:00 EST

Know what Cleopatra's contribution to science was? Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, opened the four-day international BioVision life sciences meeting there in April 2006 with a lecture tracing Egypt's contributions to scientific progress from ancient to modern times. In "Science in Egypt from Imhotep to Zewail," Serageldin describes how the foundations of medicine, dentistry, library science, astronomy, geography and more were laid in Egypt. Provided through a partnership between the New York Academy of Sciences and the Library of Alexandria.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

The Revenge of Gaia

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 01:00:00 EST

In a preview to his coming lecture at the New York Academy of Sciences on September 7, the originator of Gaia Theory discusses the ideas in his new book, which is a climate change wakeup call and an appeal for a global sustainable retreat from development.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Vietnam: A Natural History

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:10:00 EST

Experts from the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History explore Vietnam's evolutionary past.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Drosophila Tales: A behind-the-scenes look at a genome project

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 14:10:00 EST

Sequencing the DNA of the fruitfly, according to geneticist, biology professor, and author Michael Ashburner, was a good time had by all. His new book, Won For All, is a lively insider's account available from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Lessons of the Gecko

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 13:02:00 -0500

Adhesives researcher Kellar Autumn of Lewis & Clark College lectures at the American Museum of Natural History on how the millions of tiny hairs on the gecko footpad are being studied to develop synthetic, self-cleaning adhesives for potential uses ranging from nanosurgery to aerospace applications. The lecture is part of the museum's programming related to its special exhibition, Lizards & Snakes: Alive!, which showcases more than 60 live squamates from around the world in their re-created natural habitats through January 7, 2007.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Public Health Expert Seth Berkley: On the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:02:00 -0500

Science reporter Alan Dove spoke with Seth Berkley, an M.D. specializing in infectious disease epidemiology and international health who is the president and founder of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, an organization headquartered 7 blocks from the new home of the New York Academy of Sciences in lower Manhattan. Dr. Berkley explains IAVI's history and shares his vision for the organization's future.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

How I Became a Herpetologist

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:52:00 -0500

Darryl Frost, David Kizirian, and Jack L. Conrad tell how childhood experiences inspired them to become the scientists they are today. They're co-curators of the American Museum of Natural History's special exhibition, Lizards & Snakes: Alive! which showcases more than 60 live lizards and snakes from around the world in their re-created natural habitats, through January 7, 2007.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Coming to Life: How Genes Drive Development

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 13:12:00 -0500

S&C speaks with Nobel Laureate Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard about her book Coming to Life, in which she chronicles the astonishing progress scientists have made in understanding how genes drive the development of cells.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

An Evening with Edward O. Wilson

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:07:00 -0500

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson, an entomologist and biologist known for his pioneering work on evolution and sociobiology, converses with Michael Novacek, Senior Vice President and Provost of Science and curator in the division of paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History. The event, celebrating the recent publication of a collection of Wilson's writing, "Nature Revealed," was part of the museum's programming related to its Darwin Exhibition, which runs through August 20, 2006.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

How to Win a Nobel Prize

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 17:07:00 -0500

Immunologist and Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty shares his advice on succeeding in a career in science, and discusses the challenges facing young researchers today.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Biodiversity and the Evolutionary Roots of Beauty

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 15:07:00 -0500

Ecologist Gordon Orians discusses how our aesthetic responses to our environment are rooted in evolutionary history, and considers why cultures have been so captivated by the unusual and rare in nature, in his talk at the American Museum of Natural History.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Sex, Drugs & DNA: Science's Taboos Confronted

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 16:07:00 -0500

Science & the City speaks with scientist-turned-policy wonk Michael Stebbins about his new book, which takes the Bush administration to task for policies that Stebbins says mislead the public and are bad for science and scientists.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Coming Attractions! Cinematic Science

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 01:00:00 -0500

Mad scientists, intrepid space travelers, and ambitious automatons have starred on the silver screen since the beginning days of cinema. Curator Tony Stinkmetal tours an exhibit of international sci-fi movie posters in this S&C "exhibit-cast.".

Download our audio guide, sync it with your iPod and go to the show.

Exhibit is at the New York Academy of Sciences and runs from May 5, 2006 - Jun 30, 2006.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Where Ecology Meets Art

Fri, 26 May 2006 13:07:00 -0500

Environmental artist Brandon Ballengee spoke at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City about the historical relationship between art and science, and discussed his projects including one that documents aquatic organisms found at local seafood markets and a webcast of a laboratory experiment.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Happiness: A Monk's Guide to Changing Your Mind

Fri, 19 May 2006 17:07:00 -0500

Matthieu Ricard, PhD, left his career as a cellular geneticist at Institut Pasteur in Paris more than 30 years ago to study Buddhism. Today he practices as a monk at the Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu and is engaged in the study of how meditation affects mental and physical health.

Ricard spoke at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in Manhattan about his new book, Happiness, a guide to developing "life's most important skill," and shared data from a study he and colleagues published in PNAS in 2004 suggesting that meditation can induce long-term neural changes.

Invited by: the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Dept. of Psychiatry, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Places & Spaces: Mapping Science

Fri, 12 May 2006 16:07:00 -0500

Cartographic maps have long guided human exploration, enabling discovery while marking the unknown. In an age when scholarly knowledge is stored in an exponentially increasing number of books, papers, emails, and other formats where it cannot be processed by man or machine, a new kind of map can guide scientific exploration.

An exhibit on display through August 31, 2006 at The New York Public Library's Science & Industry Business Library shows how maps can be used to keep track of mankind's expansive scientific knowledge.

Also see the exhibit's online counterpart at http://vw.indiana.edu/places&spaces which provides links to a selected series of maps and their makers along with detailed explanations of why these maps work.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Darwin in the 21st Century

Fri, 5 May 2006 17:15:00 -0500

This podcast is the first of a collaborative series between Science & the City and the American Museum of Natural History. At a recent panel discussion, museum researchers provided insights into the use of DNA sequencing to clarify evolutionary relationships.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Mind Versus Soul

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 18:15:00 -0500

Six scholars of psychology, neuroscience, and religion discuss the relationship between the brain, the mind, emotional consciousness, and the possibility of a higher functioning that might be called soul.

Hosted by The Philoctetes Center.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Genomics & Minorities

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 15:15:00 -0500

While many biologists view genomics as an unmitigated boon, social scientists remain wary of its potential for misuse. New York University sociologist Troy Duster discusses how some old concepts of race are quietly creeping back into genetics, with disturbing implications for medicine and forensics.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Father of String Theory Muses on the Megaverse

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 11:15:00 -0500

In his new book, The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design, physicist and "Father of String Theory" Leonard Susskind aims to debunk what he calls the narrow 20th century view of a unique universe. In this interview, Susskind describes a "megaverse" that is the result of a vast range of mathematical possibilities.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Birds Speak for Nature

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 13:15:00 -0500

Ornithologist John Fitzpatrick discusses how the messages birds carry can alert humans to environmental changes, and the active role that the public can play in the conservation of birds and their habitats. Sponsored by The New York Historical Society in cooperation with the NYC Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Linnaean Society of New York.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Eric Kandel

Fri, 24 Mar 2006 13:00:00 -0500

The new memoir of Nobel-prize winning neurobiologist Eric Kandel is an expansive history of neuroscience, as well as the tale of a great intellectual life that survived the Nazi occupation of Vienna, and McCarthy era restrictions on science in the US.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

V.S. Ramachandran

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 08:20:00 -0500

V.S. Ramachandran is a neuroscientist and Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego, and is an adjunct professor of biology at the Salk Institute. He is the author of Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind and most recently, A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness: From Imposter Poodles to Purple Numbers.

In this talk Ramachandran discusses the neurological underpinnings of why we enjoy creating and looking at art, and the phenomenon of synesthesia, a blending of the senses that he believes might result from a sort of neurological cross-wiring between sections of the brain.

Read the companion piece at www.scienceandthecity.org/brainart.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Phenomenon

Thu, 9 Mar 2006 18:00:00 -0500

When Alyse Rothman had the idea to stage a play about the 24 hours before the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helen's, she and playwright Gordon Cox consulted Richard Waitt, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survery's Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash. In this pre-show discussion, the three describe their collaborative effort to lend scientific accuracy to "Phenomenon," which features a character based on a geologist who died in the volcano. The play will be at the HERE Art Center through March 25.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Jeffrey Sachs

Fri, 3 Mar 2006 17:35:00 -0500

A conversation with economist Jeffrey Sachs.

On March 28 and 29, the Earth Institute will host its fourth biennial State of the Planet Conference. The institute's director, Jeffrey Sachs, will give a keynote address addressing the conference's theme, "Is Sustainable Development Feasible?" Sachs explained in his 2005 bestseller, "The End of Poverty," how it could be. But, he says, it will only be possible if key actors commit to some significant changes.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Marc Kirschner

Fri, 3 Mar 2006 15:17:00 -0500

Darwin's theory of natural selection has never been very good at explaining novelty or complexity in living organisms. The new theory of "facilitated variation," however, promises to fill in the gaps.

Read the companion piece at www.nyas.org/kirschner.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

David Berreby

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 18:47:00 -0500

David Berreby is a journalist whose writing about science and culture has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, Slate and elsewhere. He spoke recently in the Academy's Readers & Writers' series about his new book, "Us and Them: Understanding your Tribal Mind," in which he explores what makes people group themselves, and others, into categories. Hear Berreby's ideas in Sheri Fink's podcast, and read Leslie Knowlton's report at http://www.nyas.org/allegiance.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Mikey Sklar

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:57:00 -0500

Mikey Sklar's Do It Yourself Guide.

For tracking and anti-theft purposes, RFID tags are becoming ubiquitous. Credit cards, cars, and even cats carry the miniature chips that broadcast data using radio waves. The news this week that the CEO of a Cincinnati surveillance company implanted himself and two volunteers from his workforce with tags has raised eyebrows. But, in fact, more than 20 people around the world had already embedded the $2 tags into their own bodies for fun. One of them showed a standing-room-only crowd of New York "nerds" how.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Helen Fisher

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 22:07:00 -0500

Anthropologist Helen Fisher has a new theory about the chemical roots of romance.

In a special Valentine's Day podcast, the Science & the City editors chat with renowned romance researcher, Dr. Helen Fisher. As the chief scientific advisor of Chemistry.com, she's applying 30 years of laboratory and field research to perfecting online matchmaking. Find out how a scientific approach can help you find the right mate, or rekindle the flame for the one you're with.

Read the companion piece at www.scienceandthecity.org/podcast.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Felice Frankel

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 20:15:00 -0500

Science photographer Felice Frankel exposes the beauty in lab research.

Who knew Scotch tape, yeast, and ferrofluid could look so cool? In our first "exhibit-cast" Science & the City wanders through an NYU art gallery with MIT science photographer and researcher Felice Frankel as she describes her work. Download the podcast and go to the show, or view the slides with our enhanced version.

Read the companion piece at www.scienceandthecity.org/podcast.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Alyce Santoro

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 18:03:00 -0500

Brooklyn based visual and sound artist Alyce Santoro weaves her passions into playable fabric. Santoro talks about one of her projects, sonic fabric, an audible textile woven from recyled, recorded audio cassette tapes .

She spoke at the monthly meeting of dorbot-nyc held on January 4, 2006.

Read the companion piece at www.scienceandthecity.org/podcast.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

James Ferris, Christian de Duve, Robert Pollack, Mark Norell & Colin McGinn

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 16:56:00 -0500

Five prominent scholars, hailing from various scientific and philosophical disciplines, engage in a roundtable discussion about the history and future of life on earth.

The panel is introduced by Edward Nersessian, director of the Philoctetes Center.

This event was held at the Philoctetes Center on December 8th, 2005.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Oliver Sacks

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 16:56:00 -0500

Neurologist and award-winning author Oliver Sacks describes how the spectroscope was used in the 19th century to discover new elements.

Read an excerpt of "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood," at www.scienceandthecity.org/podcast.

He is introduced by Entertaining Science host Roald Hoffmann, a poet and winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

To learn more about Dr. Sacks, please visit his site, www.oliversacks.com.

This podcast is hosted by the Cornelia Street Cafe.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Dava Sobel & Galileo's Daughters

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 16:51:00 -0500

Award-winning author Dava Sobel reads from her own writing and letters from the time of Galileo while accompanied by Galileo's Daughters, an ensemble who plays 17th-century music on period instruments. Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Marian Fontana and Sandro Galea

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:09:00 -0500

Marian Fontana, whose husband perished at the World Trade Center, was joined by Sandro Galea, a medical epidemiologist, to share their perspectives on the psychological effects of mass trauma.

Read the companion piece at www.nyas.org/widowswalk.

Held at the New York Academy of Sciences on September 12, 2005.

Visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Bob Park

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 18:52:00 -0500

Author and physicist Bob Park takes intelligent design, homeopathic medicine, and conspiracy theorists to task.

Read the companion piece at http://www.nyas.org/voodooscience.

This event, was sponsored by and held at The CUNY Graduate Center on October 31, 2005. Visit CUNY Science and the Arts at web.gc.cuny.edu/sciart/.

Podcast by Science & the City, visit us at www.scienceandthecity.org.

Michael Gazzaniga, Hank Greely and William Safire

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 10:52:00 -0500

Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga and lawyer Hank Greely debated the implications of neuroimaging, cognitive enhancers, stem cell research, improved medical diagnostic methods, and more in an animated conversation with journalist William Safire.

Read the companion piece at http://www.nyas.org/slipperyslope.

This event, sponsored by The Dana Foundation, Columbia University, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Library of Congress, was held at John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress on May 10, 2005.

To learn more, visit us at http://www.nyas.org.

Michael Gazzaniga and Tom Wolfe

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:02:00 -0500

Welcome to the premiere podcast of Science & the City. The prominent neuroscientist and the bestselling author discuss how knowledge of the brain can shed light on controversial issues and, perhaps surprisingly, bolster moral responsibility.

Read the companion piece at http://www.nyas.org/ethicalbrain.

This Readers & Writers event was held at the New York Academy of Sciences on June 16, 2005.

To learn more, visit us at http://www.nyas.org.