Remember Mr. Wizard? Bill Nye, the Science Guy? They made science interesting (and fun)… and it still is. And relevant. Theoretical advances are being made at an increasing pace in all fields and are almost as rapidly turned into practical applications. It is hard for anyone to keep up. One very helpful, readily available source is a weekly feature in the New York Times, called Science Times. This provides succinct and very readable descriptions of recent interesting and important findings in all areas of science, medicine, engineering, technology, and the societal implications of such developments.

A few recent examples are A Furious Debate Over Autism’s Causes Leaves Parents Grasping for Answers; Sea Otters Are Stealing Surfboards in California, Again; In Ancient Spain, a Nail Through the Skull Could Mean Enmity, or Honor; How Bees, Beer Cans and Big Data all Solve the Same Problem: Not Enough Space.

Format: Class members will choose one or several related articles published within the last year in the Science Times that are of interest to them and lead a class discussion of the advances described, their significance, and the social issues they might raise. This is a hybrid class held in-person and on Zoom Videoconference.

Resources/Expenses: Science Times is available in the Tuesday edition of the New York Times either on paper or online.