Science Spotlights

Exoplanets: How the Milky Way is Surprising Scientists

Sep 13, 2011

Three prominent researchers discuss how recent findings from the Kepler mission are deepening our understanding of planets beyond our solar system, and expanding our view of where life may exist in the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Neuroscience of Decision Making

Aug 29, 2011

Researchers are beginning to decipher what exactly happens in our brains when we are making decisions. Three experts in the field describe the genesis of this cutting-edge field and how it evolved to incorporate several disciplines, as well as current driving questions and potential practical applications of this research.

Mountain Climbing Brain Scientist Sees Parallels Between His Two Passions

Aug 1, 2011

Rafael Yuste likens scientific research to mountain climbing. Assemble a skilled team, get the best equipment, map the route and proceed with slow, deliberate steps. “By walking up very securely, step by step, and not losing track of the summit, you can get there,” says the professor of biological sciences and co-director of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.

Turning Data Into Wild Rides Through Dark Domes

Aug 1, 2011

From their seats in the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, visitors swoop through a redwood forest, into a single redwood leaf and finally into an individual cell to watch photosynthesis take place. Then they travel back billions of years to watch the first stars wink on, heat up and explode, scattering into space many of life’s essential chemical elements.