Beyond Einstein
This is part 1 of 4. Click here for the rest of the event
Albert Einstein spent his last thirty years unsuccessfully searching for a 'unified theory' - a single master principle to describe everything in the universe, from tiny subatomic particles to immense clusters of galaxies. In the decades since, generations of researchers have continued working toward Einstein's dream.
Renowned physicists Leonard Susskind and Jim Gates, and prominent historian Peter Galison discussed what's been achieved and tackled pivotal questions. Would a unified theory reveal why there is a universe at all? Would it tell us why mathematics is adept at unraveling nature's mysteries? Might it imply we are one universe of many, and what would that mean for our sense of how we fit into the cosmos? Moderated by Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse.
Echoes from the Beginning
This is part 1 of 4. Click here for the rest of the event. In what many call a "golden age of cosmology", astronomers can now observe the universe with unprecedented precision, resulting in spectacular progress in the search for the origin of the universe. Yet, for all the impressive progress, fundamental questions remain. What is the mysterious "dark energy" driving space to rapidly expand? What existed before the big bang? Is there an origin of time? Do we live in a multiverse? Our audience joined Science Friday’s Ira Flatow in conversation with leading cosmologists Lawrence Krauss, Paul Steinhardt, and Lyman Page, and historian of science Helge Kragh as they discussed and debated new advances that are shaping our understanding of the cosmic order and our place within it.
Faith & Science
This is part 1 of 5. Click here for the full event. Prominent clashes — both historical and contemporary — have led to the widely held conclusion that science and religion are fundamentally incompatible. Yet, many scientists practice a traditional faith, having found a way to accommodate both scientific inquiry and religious teaching in their belief system. Other scientists are bringing science to bear on the phenomenon of religion and spiritual belief — neuroscientists are studying what happens in the brain during religious experiences, while anthropologists are investigating how religion is linked to cooperation and community. This program provided an intimate look at what scientists have to say about their religious beliefs and what might be revealed by scientific studies of spirituality.
What It Means To Be Human
This is Part 1 of 5. Click here for the rest of the event Drawing on a range of disciplines, this provocative program looked at how discoveries in areas like fundamental physics, anthropology, and genomics are influencing our understanding of uniquely human characteristics. As science increasingly tests these boundaries — from the roots of morality and our capacity to contemplate our own existence to the emergence of artificial intelligence — what will it mean to be human? The event was moderated by Charlie Rose. Participants include philosopher Daniel Dennett, artist Jonathan Harris, anthropologist Ian Tattersall, geneticist Francis Collins, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, philosopher Patricia Churchland, sociologist Nikolas Rose, embryonic stem cell biologist Renee Reijo Pera, and Nobel Laureates Harold Varmus and Paul Nurse.
2008 Festival Highlights
The inaugural 2008 World Science Festival attracted over 120,000 people to
the Festival's 44 events at 22 venues located throughout New York City. More
than 130 participants, speakers, and performers, including 11 Nobel
Laureates, guided a large, diverse audience-students to adults, novices to
professionals, the merely curious to science enthusiasts-to experience
science as never before, making the esoteric understandable and the familiar
fascinating. Through a series of gripping debates, captivating performances
and interactive events, the Festival showcased cutting- edge ideas and
discoveries, revealed science's pivotal role in addressing critical global
issues, and explored how it profoundly shapes modern life.
Beyond Einstein
Albert Einstein spent his last thirty years unsuccessfully searching for a 'unified theory' - a single master principle to describe everything in the universe, from tiny subatomic particles to immense clusters of galaxies. In the decades since, generations of researchers have continued working toward Einstein's dream. Renowned physicists Leonard Susskind and Jim Gates, and prominent historian Peter Galison discussed what's been achieved and tackled pivotal questions. Would a unified theory reveal why there is a universe at all? Would it tell us why mathematics is adept at unraveling nature's mysteries? Might it imply we are one universe of many, and what would that mean for our sense of how we fit into the cosmos? Moderated by Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse.
Cool Jobs
This multi-media event for curious minds of all ages invited our audience to meet scientists with some of the coolest jobs in the world — from crime scene investigator and space explorer to oceanographer and Disney Imagineer. Laurie Santos is a cognitive psychologist who studies monkeys' capacity for learning and the evolution of the human mind. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology and director of the Comparative Cognition Laboratory at Yale University, and was named one of Popular Science Magazine's "Brilliant 10" for 2007.
Echoes from the Beginning
In what many call a "golden age of cosmology", astronomers can now observe the universe with unprecedented precision, resulting in spectacular progress in the search for the origin of the universe. Yet, for all the impressive progress, fundamental questions remain. What is the mysterious "dark energy" driving space to rapidly expand? What existed before the big bang? Is there an origin of time? Do we live in a multiverse? Our audience joined Science Friday's Ira Flatow in conversation with leading cosmologists Lawrence Krauss, Paul Steinhardt, and Lyman Page, and historian of science Helge Kragh as they discussed and debated new advances that are shaping our understanding of the cosmic order and our place within it.
Faith & Science
Prominent clashes - both historical and contemporary - have led to the widely held conclusion that science and religion are fundamentally incompatible. Yet, many scientists practice a traditional faith, having found a way to accommodate both scientific inquiry and religious teaching in their belief system. Other scientists are bringing science to bear on the phenomenon of religion and spiritual belief - neuroscientists are studying what happens in the brain during religious experiences, while anthropologists are investigating how religion is linked to cooperation and community. This program provided an intimate look at what scientists have to say about their religious beliefs and what might be revealed by scientific studies of spirituality.
Future Cities
We stand at a crossroads. Cities must change radically to achieve long-term sustainability. Energy, food and water sources, transportation systems and basic infrastructure, must all adapt to emerging pressures from climate change, dwindling resources and growing urban populations. Mitchell Joachim is an architect and urban designer as well as a partner in Terreform, a New York–based organization for philanthropic architecture and ecological design. His design of a compact, stackable “city car,” developed with the MIT Smart Cities Group, won the 2007 Time Magazine Best Invention of the Year.
Illuminating Genius
Blending live performances, personal accounts of the creative process, and state-of-the-art brain imaging, this program illuminated questions about whether creativity is innate or learned, whether the innovative brain has distinct structural or chemical features, and whether we can enhance our ability - and that of our children - to be creative. Choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones, actor Michael York, painter, sculptor and digital artist Matthew Ritchie, and 2007 MacArthur Fellow and "prodigy of invention" Saul Griffith joined neuroscientists V.S. Ramachandran, Nancy C. Andreasen, and David Eagleman to explore cutting edge research into the brain's creative impulses. The event was moderated by John Hockenberry.
Invisible Reality
Proposed a century ago to better explain the mind-bending behavior of the smallest constituents of the universe, quantum theory has implications far beyond the atom. This rich set of laws has applications both practical and extraordinary - from the technology that has revolutionized modern life to the possibility of parallel worlds. Our audience joined Alan Alda as he accompanied Brian Greene, Nobel Laureate William Phillips and other leading thinkers at the vanguard of quantum research on an accessible multimedia exploration of the astounding weirdness of the quantum world.
Science of Disney Imagineering
How can one person hear a sound that the person right next to them can't? Why are we tracking elephants and what are they saying to each other? What happens when you freeze air? Are you up to the challenge of our Roller Coaster simulation? This event offered a chance to find out all the answers, plus interact with Lucky the Dinosaur, ask Finding Nemo's Crush questions, and of course, meet the Imagineers, the scientists and engineers of Walt Disney Imagineering. The audience got a glimpse of "make-believe" Disney style as the scientists pulled back the curtain to reveal some of the chemistry, physics, biology and technology behind special effects, roller coasters, computer simulation, and animatronics!
Street Fair 2008
The World Science Festival took to the streets with a non-stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games, and shows that entertained and inspired.
Toil and Trouble
Stories of Experiments Gone Wrong. Throwing a uniquely personal and intimate spotlight on their relationship with science, renowned researchers, writers, and artists, including Sam Shepard, Jim Gates, Nathan Englander, Lucy Hawking, and Michael Turner, took to the stage to tell stories about heroic failures, miscalculations and experiments — scientific and otherwise — gone wrong. This captivating evening of live stories was presented in partnership with New York's extraordinary storytelling collective, The Moth. In keeping with Moth traditions, each story must be true, must be told live, and must be told in ten minutes. Sam Shepard is an Oscar-nominated actor, screenwriter, director, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. His best-known works include Buried Child, Curse of the Starving Class, and True West. He has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1986, and his plays are performed on and off Broadway, and in regional theaters across America.
Your Biological Biography
The advent of direct-to-consumer DNA testing means that anyone with cash and curiosity can now glimpse their molecular makeup. Personal genomics will soon be common currency. Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse, geneticist Francis Collins and other prominent researchers discussed how personal genomics will affect our lives. To what extent do our genes determine our health and who we are? What are the dangers and opportunities of viewing ourselves in molecular terms? If your DNA can hint at your future, will you read your biological biography?
Pioneers in Science
Students from New York City high schools describe their thoughts on science and how it can change the world. Schools represented include Brooklyn Tech, George Westinghouse, and New Exploration in Science, Technology & Math. Find out what other kids have to say about science: Pioneers in Science
World Science Series #1
In 2008 Professor Brian Greene visited with the New York Mets to discuss the science of baseball.
World Science Series #2
In 2008 Professor Brian Greene visited with the New York Mets to discuss the science of baseball.
