A growing body of research from the fields of physical anthropology, genetics, and genomics indicates that there’s no scientific justification for the concept of race. In this podcast from last fall, Museum curators Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle, who recently co-authored a book on the subject entitled Race? Debunking a Scientific Myth, explain why features that we consider markers of race are actually of recent biological origin or superficial. Their book recently made the longlist for this year’s prestigious Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, whose judges called it an “important subject ripe for discussion in a scientifically reputable way.”

This SciCafe took place at the Museum on October 5, 2011.

Podcast: Download | RSS | iTunes (1 hour, 4 mins, 77 MB)

Fear can take many forms, from minor phobias to life-altering conditions such as PTSD. Now, new research is shedding light on how these so-called fear memories could be changed. In this podcast, neuroscientist Daniela Schiller discusses the neural mechanisms of emotional control and potential ways to modify or “erase” fear memories.

Dr. Schiller’s talk was recorded at the Museum on June 6, 2012.

Podcast: Download | RSS | iTunes (56 mins, 67 MB)

Fear can take many forms, from minor phobias to life-altering conditions such as PTSD. Now, new research is shedding light on how these so-called fear memories could be changed. At the final SciCafe of the season on Wednesday, June 6,neuroscientist Daniela Schiller will discuss her work on the neural mechanisms of emotional control and potential ways to modify or “erase” fear memories. Schiller recently answered a few questions about how memories are created and lost.

How did you first become interested in studying emotional memories?

It wasn’t an explicit decision. I started with philosophy and psychology, and I was interested in the brain and the mind. And the combination is the neural basis of behavior, and within behavior, emotion is fascinating because it’s the least willful process we have. We think emotions just happen to us, but they don’t just pop out of the blue. It’s interesting to look at the mechanism and see that it’s a very distinct process in the brain that you can observe and counteract and modulate.

The effects of a parent’s bond with a child have been a popular topic in the news. But what does the science say? The Museum’s upcoming four-week course The Parent-Child Bond: Behind the Science of Attachment, which begins on April 17, will explore the latest psychology and neuroscience on attachment through expert guest speakers, online resources, documentary footage, and in-class projects. Howard Steele, a professor of psychology at The New School and founder of the journalAttachment & Human Development, will be a guest lecturer for the course and also appears in the Museum’s attachment-themed Science Bulletin, part of the Museum’s innovative exhibition and online media program. Below, Steele answers a few questions about the psychological effects of parent-child relationships.

The completion of the Human Genome Project 10 years ago promised a new era of disease treatment and personalized medicine. But have these hopes been realized? On Wednesday, November 30, a panel of experts that includes geneticists, an ethicist, and a legal scholar will engage in a lively discussion on the topic of The Human Genome and Human Health: Will the Promise Be Fulfilled? Discussing where genomics should go in the future, how it might change the doctor’s office in the next decade, and the disparities that exist in the developing world, the panelists will evaluate both the promises of sequencing the human genome and the reality. Below, Rob DeSalle, who curated the Museum’s exhibition The Genomic Revolution 10 years ago, addresses three common myths about genetics.