The series features lectures by, and conversations with, authors of recently published books on science-related topics, written with a non-specialist audience in mind. Some of the authors we invite are academics or research scientists, while others are science writers and journalists. We are casting a wide net across areas of human endeavor which are grouped under the aegis of Science. We are interested in the history, philosophy, methodology, and cultures of the various science fields: their triumphs and failures, their controversies, biographies of the people involved, important discoveries, and great feats of human imagination and ingenuity. We are equally interested in in-depth explorations of various topics in a manner that makes science accessible to the curious non-specialist. Our goal is to inform, inspire, entertain, provide food for thought, and encourage audiences to engage in public discourse about science, the role that it can—and does—play in our society, and its potential for furthering human progress. |
NEXT TALK: February 15, 2021 |
The talks, held at Harvard Science Center, are followed by a small reception and book signing in Cabot Science Library. On rare occasions, we may also hold special, ticketed, events in other venues. For more information and to be added to our notification list, please contact us at science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu. |
Most talks are recorded: please go over to our YouTube channel or use the links, below.
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- Feb 15, 2021: Elizabeth Kolbert, "Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future" [information coming soon]
- Jan 5, 2021: Daniel Lieberman, "Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding" [more info]
- Dec 17, 2020: Katie Mack, in conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson, "The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)" [more info]
- Nov 10: Janna Levin, "Black Hole Survival Guide" [more info]
- Oct 20: James Rodger Fleming, "First Woman: Joanne Simpson and the Tropical Atmosphere" [more info]
- Oct 13: Christof Koch, in conversation with Gabriel Kreiman, "The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness Is Widespread but Can't Be Computed" [more info]
- Oct 6: Cumrun Vafa, "Puzzles to Unravel the Universe" [more info]
- Sep 30, Katia Moskvitch, in conversation with Dan Hooper, "Neutron Stars: The Quest to Understand the Zombies of the Cosmos" [this talk was canceled due to technical difficulties: we apologize for the inconvenience!]
- Sep 18: Edward D. Melillo, in conversation with Charles Mann, "The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the Making of the Modern World" [more info]
- Sep 4: Rita Colwell, "A Lab of One's Own: One Woman's Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science" [more info]
- July 23: Hope Jahren, in conversation with Barbara Kingsolver, "The Story of More" [more info]
- July 14: Sarah Stewart Johnson, in conversation with Deborah Blum, "The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World" [more info]
- June 29: P.J.E. Peebles, "Cosmology’s Century: An Inside History of Our Modern Understanding of the Universe" [more info]
- May 21: Mario Livio, "Galileo and the Science Deniers" [more info]
- May 6: Tom Gauld, "Department of Mind-Blowing Theories" [this talk was canceled due to Covid-19 restrictions]
- Apr 23: Rana el Kaliouby, "Girl Decoded: A Scientist's Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology." [this talk was canceled due to Covid-19 restrictions]
- Apr. 20: Neil Shubin, "Decoding Four Billion Years of Life." [more info]
- Mar 5: Paul J. Steinhardt, "The Second Kind of Impossible: The Extraordinary Quest for a New Form of Matter." [more info]
- Feb 26: Daniel L. Everett, "Homo Erectus and the Invention of Human Language." [more info]
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Feb 19: Brian Greene, "Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe." [more info]
Please note: this event was not recorded. - Jan. 30: Donna Jackson Nakazawa, in conversation with Beth Stevens, "The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine." [more info]
- Nov. 19: Naomi Oreskes, "Why Trust Science?" [more info]
- Nov. 13: Lee Smolin, "Einstein's Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum." [more info]
- Nov. 7: Karen Olsson, in conversation with Melissa Franklin, "The Weil Conjectures: On Math and the Pursuit of the Unknown." [more info]
- Oct. 30: S. James Gates, in conversation with Delilah Gates, "Proving Einstein Right: The Daring Expeditions that Changed How We Look at the Universe." [more info]
- Oct 23: Sean Carroll, "Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime." [more info]
- Sep 3: Randall Munroe, in conversation with Kate Darling, "How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems." Please note: this event was not recorded. [more info]
- June 5: Graham Farmelo in conversation with Jacob Barandes, "The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets." [more info]
- May 8: Venki Ramakrishnan, "The Quest for the Structure of the Biological Machine that Reads Our Genes." [more info]
- Mar 27: Felice Frankel, "Picturing Science and Engineering." [more info]
- Feb 27: David Reich, "A Tale of Two Subcontinents: The Parallel Prehistories of Europe and South Asia." [more info]
- Jan 30: Richard Wrangham, "Capital Punishment and the Origin of Homo Sapiens." [more info]
- Nov 15: Adam Becker, "The Trouble with Quantum Physics, and Why It Matters"[more info]
- Oct 17: Marcia Bartusiak, "Dispatches from Planet 3: Thirty-Two (Brief) Tales on the Solar System, the Milky Way, and Beyond"[more info]
- Apr 18: Stephanie Mohr, "The Fruit Fly as Human Disease Research Tool" [more info]
- Feb 21: Marcus du Sautoy, "The Great Unknown"[more info]