How Effective Are Vitamin D Supplements? Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle strength, but the belief that it significantly reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer and numerous other conditions is questionable. Although Vitamin D supplements are

Biodiversity in the Sixth Mass Extinction. The sixth mass extinction currently underway is due to a combination of climate change and destruction of natural habitats. Both crises are the result of our energy, industrial, and food production systems that h

2000 Years of Oceans and Climate - 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

Harvesting Electricity Out Of Thin Air: 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

Analyzing Clouds and Climate Change: Clouds are an essential component of the climate; they stabilize Earth’s temperature, by preserving the planet’s heat like a blanket and blocking excess solar radiation. But with prolonged accumulation of atmospheric C

Addressing the Threat to Earth System Boundaries - Earth Commission, the prestigious international group of scientists, recently published a study that is receiving a great deal of attention. The study in Nature Journal indicates that we have now breached

"Are We Alone In The Universe?" Dr. Livio explains how developments in astronomy have altered our sense of human uniqueness. He describes the “Copernican Principle” that suggests that we humans are not especially unique. And scientific discoveries, includ

Unusual Brain Adaptations - Dr. Fedorenko's lab specializes in unusual language-related adaptations and capacities. She discusses a case of normal first language acquisition despite the absence of the left temporal lobe, a brain region necessary for langu

Microbial ecosystems sustain all forms of life -including humans—in all environments. However, there are many unknowns about how these diverse and complex communities form, evolve and survive. The study of microbial ecosystems requires biology –and a lot

How Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Fundamental Ecosystems

Why A.I. Can Seem Sentient. Guest: Nir Eisikovits, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy; Director, Applied Ethics Center, University of Massachusetts-Boston. The AIEX project at the Applied Ethics Center at UMass-Boston investigates our interactions with AI, es

About 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the dark universe cooled enough that particles were able to form the first atoms (hydrogen, helium), and then light. This is known as the “reionization” era. It is the most important period to astrophysicists becaus

"Nutrition for a Healthy Aging Brain". Dr. Susan B. Roberts is well known for her research on the relationship between nutrition and cognitive development. She is currently expanding that work to evaluate how nutrition affects the aging brain. in this dis

Harnessing Geothermal Energy: One of the most abundant sources of renewable energy is the heat deep in the earth. This geothermal energy could provide clean heat and energy to whole cities, and in some parts of the world, such as Iceland, it does. But acc

"The James Webb Space Telescope: A New Era for Astrophysics". Launched far from Earth in December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is the most sophisticated telescope ever created. It will reveal stars, galaxies and other objects in the very early uni

Why Are We Spending Billions on Carbon Capture & Storage? Despite the hype, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is not a solution to the CO2 problem that has caused climate warming. Taxpayers have paid billions of dollars for research and experimental projec

"Weighing In On Metabolism". Dr. Susan B. Roberts is a leader in the science of metabolism. She has concentrated a great deal of her research on the rise of obesity, especially in Western nations. In this program, she discusses how metabolism works under