Creativity is exciting, but also demanding, consuming, frustrating, and addicting. It’s inspiring, but also fickle, erratic, tricky, and risky. Experts gather to discuss this remarkable thing called creativity in a lively discussion that combines sweeping theories, fascinating stories, clever experiments and personal confessions. Find out where creativity comes from, how it’s applied, and why it…
Experts wrestle with the ethics of clinical trials. A doctor specializing in HIV medicine, a bioethics lawyer, and a top FDA official 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…
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. 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,…
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 around stars in our galaxy. As it turns out, life thrives without…
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 discuss the concept of “zombies” — where a mythical patient being is capable…
As two practitioners for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) square off with a traditionally-trained medical doctor and a leading public health advocate, 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…
A physicist, a defense contractor, and an air force general link laboratories and battlefields. 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 for complex systems,…
Drugs and talking cures: why both may be good medicine. 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…
Weird physics may spawn the next high tech. Three 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…
From brain development to culture, music pervades the human psyche. A neuroscientist, musicologist and an educator discuss music’s universal appeal and its importance to the development of human society. 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…
Two Nobel laureates – a biologist and a physicist – take on the big questions. One of the greatest challenges facing science at the beginning of the 21st century is 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…
A group of biologists examine the multitude of unseen bacteria and viruses that inhabit every part of the globe, as well as the distinct differences between “good” and “bad” microbes. The guests emphasize that the key to understanding microbes is their amazing evolutionary potential, or the ability to change properties quickly. The surprising element in…