Is Science Fiction Science?
A salon with celebrated inventors of alternative futures [more].

Can We Believe in Both Science and Religion?
A skeptic takes on a scientist and a theologian [more].

How Does the Autistic Brain Work?
An autistic teen helps brain researchers unravel the mysteries of the mind [more].

How Weird is the Cosmos?
Even astronomers can hardly believe it! [more]

Testing New Drugs: Are People Guinea Pigs?
Experts wrestle with the ethics of clinical trials [more].

How Does Order Arise in the Universe?
Two Nobel laureates - a biologist and a physicist - take on the big questions [more].

Why is Music So Significant?
From brain development to culture, music pervades the human psyche [more].

Will Computers Take a Quantum Leap?
Weird physics may spawn the next high tech [more].

Does Psychiatry Have a Split Personality?
Drugs and talking cures: why both may be good medicine [more].

How Does Basic Science Defend America?
A physicist, a defense contractor, and a general link laboratories and battlefields [more].

Who Gets to Validate Alternative Medicine?
Champions and critics debate the standards of proof [more].

Is Consciousness Definable?
Four brain scientists and four different answers [more].

Is the Universe Full of Life?
Finally, the search gets scientific [more].

Can Religion Withstand Technology?
A social scientist, an expert on science and Islam, and a card-carrying skeptic discuss how the clash between technology and religion reshapes our search for meaning [more].

Microbes - Friend or Foe?
They're both and more [more].

Science fiction is really a look at human history, society, and even human nature. Three authors of popular science fiction spar over exactly how science fiction is constrained by known science and then question the value of science fiction. The authors describe the way in which science fiction can inspire scientific research and at the same time serve as a warning against our potential misuse of the awesome power of science (citing the novels Soylent Green and On the Beach). They also good-naturedly point out its limitations – e.g., no science fiction author predicted the personal computer – and wonder why its appeal is not as strong in some countries as in others.

A skeptic duels with a Christian theologian and a scientist who is a devout Muslim on whether or not belief in an all-powerful, eternal deity is truly compatible with scientific principles and discoveries. For the theologian and the Islamic scientist, the antipathy between science and religion has been overplayed. They make the case that science and religion can coexist peacefully, even productively. The skeptic counters that conflict is inevitable in the face of our growing knowledge base and the total absence of any kind of rational proof of a deity’s existence. They all agree that recent discoveries in cosmology and neuroscience have cast doubt on beliefs central to most of the world’s major religions, such as a deity created the universe and that humans possess an immortal soul.

A skeptic duels with a Christian theologian and a scientist who is a devout Muslim on whether or not belief in an all-powerful, eternal deity is truly compatible with scientific principles and discoveries. For the theologian and the Islamic scientist, the antipathy between science and religion has been overplayed. They make the case that science and religion can coexist peacefully, even productively. The skeptic counters that conflict is inevitable in the face of our growing knowledge base and the total absence of any kind of rational proof of a deity’s existence. They all agree that recent discoveries in cosmology and neuroscience have cast doubt on beliefs central to most of the world’s major religions, such as a deity created the universe and that humans possess an immortal soul.

A group of distinguished physicists and astrophysicists outline the latest discoveries of how our universe began and continues to function, and marvel at how quickly the exotic and unusual can become commonplace. Not so long ago black holes were fantasy; now they are a given. They debate what could be behind the accelerating expansion of the universe: is there a new kind of energy, dubbed “dark energy,” that permeates empty space? They also explain current methods for measuring that expansion. The guests finish their discussion by contemplating how a new generation of powerful telescopes and a digitized mapping of the universe could potentially alter our theories about the universe’s fundamental laws and transform the future of cosmic exploration in surprising ways.

A doctor specializing in HIV medicine, a lawyer, and an official from the Food & Drug Administration outline the complex issues surrounding the development and testing of new drugs. They explain the standards now in place for conducting clinical trials and the exceptionally difficult task of conducting placebo control trials that are fair to all the participants. The guests touch on the role of drug companies, consent issues, and the need for a rigorous accreditation program for institutions conducting the trials. There is also a spirited call for more scrutiny of drug testing in the less-developed world, and they suggest that drug companies have an obligation to educate local medical professionals about western practices and to leave behind a solid infrastructure of medical facilities and equipment.

This episode explores one of the greatest challenges facing science at the beginning of the 21st century: How do we account for the evolution of the universe, an evolution that includes the appearance of life on earth, when we know that the universe relentlessly moves towards a state of disorder? Both guests, each a Nobel laureate, contend that with so much knowledge being uncovered today, we should be prepared to develop a new way to explore this crucial question. They suggest we unify the sciences through the creation of a new set of trans-disciplinary skills. A potential positive outcome of this integration could lead, they posit, to more practical problem solving, such as the search for a cure for AIDS.

Three musicians – a neuroscientist, a manager of a fine arts academic program, and an education innovator – discuss music’s universal appeal and its importance to the development of human society. One panelist asserts music could have easily predated human language, and all concur its inherent symmetry and organizational principles tap into a deep human need to order, or manage, our environment. They investigate how music may affect brain development, whether or not listening to classical music can make us smarter, and music’s possible role in the development of cooperative action.

Three accomplished scientists who research the peculiar and tantalizing world of quantum computing speculate about how the fundamentals of quantum mechanics will revolutionize computing and thereby transform our lives. Using atomic and subatomic particles to store, retrieve, and manipulate data promises more than a new way to miniaturize computing. This segment’s guests review several highly anticipated applications of quantum computing, including communications systems that are impervious to spying, atomic clocks, and global positioning systems that offer a degree of precision heretofore unimagined, and an opportunity to understand more fully the physics or chemistry of complex systems

A psychiatrist and two psychologists debate the extent to which psychoanalysis, or “talk therapy,” has been supplanted by pharmaceutical solutions in treating most psychiatric problems, including depression and anxiety. All express concern about ignoring the benefits of talk therapy, especially at a time when depression is on the rise and has a ten percent suicide rate. They also highlight the causes for this trend, from HMOs’ desire to keep treatment costs down to the pharmaceutical industry’s need to generate profits. The outlook is hopeful that new brain imaging techniques will lead to a greater understanding of mental illnesses yielding more comprehensive, sophisticated, and effective therapies.

Three experts from different areas in the national defense establishment take turns offering perspectives on the importance of basic science for safeguarding our nation, especially in the absence of a large standing army. People need to be trained, especially for complex systems, and the technology has to be practical in warfare. They worry that “anti-science” in the form of religious fundamentalism and a growing misunderstanding about science threatens the goodwill that has existed between the American public and the scientific community since World War II. They all enthusiastically endorse greater funding for scientific research and proclaim our open, democratic society as our greatest defense of all.

As two advocates for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) square off with two traditionally-trained medical doctors, their strongly-felt disagreements center on a question of proof: how do you tell what works and what doesn’t? All bemoan the disturbing number of bogus therapies being peddled on the Internet to desperate people, the lack of safe manufacturing for many alternative medicines, and the instances where certain natural approaches cause real harm. Yet the two sides remain adamantly opposed over whether or not CAM can ever do any good; even the issue of licensing for CAM practitioners becomes a point of contention as they debate what guidelines should be used to determine who would qualify. For CAM’s critics, most alternative medicine is at best “self-delusion” foisted on a gullible public with misleading advertising and misguided legislation by Congress. For its advocates, it holds the key to a better understanding of the “mind-body continuum” and more effective treatment for a wide range of disorders.

In this episode four renowned brain scientists tackle the conundrum of how to define, let alone study, consciousness. Their differences are immediately apparent as they attempt to describe consciousness and determine why it should include our sensory inputs, our experiences and our inner lives. They introduce the concept of zombie consciousness – where a patient is capable of performing certain tasks while remaining unaware of the surrounding environment – as one pathway to understanding. They all agree that other productive areas of study focus on how exactly the brain reacts to anesthesia or how it enables the process of making choices. The episode concludes with a lively exchange of ideas about how or even whether to measure nerve cell activity – if it involves quantum mechanics versus chemical reactions, or if molecular biology has advanced to a level that can make this kind of study feasible.

Two planetary scientists and an astrophysicist make the case that the search for life in other parts of our universe has been made all the more valid by two recent discoveries, one taking place at the bottom of our oceans and the other in the stars surrounding our galaxy. As it turns out, life thrives without benefit of any sunlight along mid-ocean ridges, one of earth’s most inhospitable places. And, improvements in telescope technology have revealed the presence of dozens of new planets circling stars similar to our own sun. The discussion then turns to the feasibility and value of finding proof that extraterrestrial life exists. All predict our inherent inquisitiveness and daring will lead to such an expedition into space within the next 15 years, providing the necessary funding is made available.

A skeptic, a devout Muslim scientist, and a professor of religion examine an intriguing paradox: in an age of ever-increasing scientific knowledge more people than ever before are devout, as measured by attendance to a house of worship. In the U.S. alone, three times more people attend a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque than did when the nation was founded. They discuss how technology, versus science, may drive this trend. From the alarm clock to 24 hour news to the cell phone, technology constantly disrupts us and, as a result, makes the inner contemplation necessary for a full spiritual life difficult if not impossible. The guests delve into the rise of fundamentalism – a reaction to modernity in general but also perhaps to Western rationalism – and agree that religion answers a deep human need for ritual, connection, and inspiration.

A skeptic, a devout Muslim scientist, and a professor of religion examine an intriguing paradox: in an age of ever-increasing scientific knowledge more people than ever before are devout, as measured by attendance to a house of worship. In the U.S. alone, three times more people attend a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque than did when the nation was founded. They discuss how technology, versus science, may drive this trend. From the alarm clock to 24 hour news to the cell phone, technology constantly disrupts us and, as a result, makes the inner contemplation necessary for a full spiritual life difficult if not impossible. The guests delve into the rise of fundamentalism – a reaction to modernity in general but also perhaps to Western rationalism – and agree that religion answers a deep human need for ritual, connection, and inspiration.