The New York Academy Of Sciences

In the world of online gaming, natural reality often blends and blurs with virtual reality. This November, anthropologist Thomas Malaby and game designer Lee T. Guzofski spoke at the Academy on "The Anthropology of Online Worlds." In this two-part series, we bring you that talk. Part 1: Lee T. Guzofski, CEO and Founder, G2G Enterprises Part 2: Thomas Malaby, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Image courtesy of rafeejewell via flickr.

In the world of online gaming, natural reality often blends and blurs with virtual reality. This November, anthropologist Thomas Malaby and game designer Lee T. Guzofski spoke at the Academy on "The Anthropology of Online Worlds." In this two-part series, we bring you that talk. Part 1: Lee T. Guzofski, CEO and Founder, G2G Enterprises Part 2: Thomas Malaby, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Cognitive neuroscientists are discovering new insights into how our brains learn all the time, but lab research doesn't always translate to real world of education. S and organizers of the Academy's Aspen Brain Forum about their own work and how it can be applied to the classroom. The 2011 Aspen Brain Forum, a collaboration between the New York Academy of Sciences and the Aspen Brain Forum Foundation, presented the "Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning: Implications for Education" September 22-24 in Aspen, CO. This podcast is brought to you by the Dana Foundation. We thank them for their generous support.

As a medium, film has the power to bring us into the inner world of science, breaking down misconceptions by creating an alternative narrative. Alexis Gambis, founder of the Imagine Science Film Festival, and filmmaker and scientist Valerie Weiss share their insights. This podcast is a preview of Science the City's upcoming event: "Celluloid Science: Humanizing Life in the Lab", which will take place Thursday, October 20, 2011. The discussion will feature Weiss among other prominent scientists and science filmmakers. Thanks to the Center for Inquiry for co-sponsoring this event.

This special podcast looks at the problem of folic acid delivery to women in the developing world, an issue the Academy's first annual Scientists Without Borders Nutrition Prize looked to solve. This podcast is made possible through the generous support of the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science. Learn more about Scientists Without Borders' Maternal Health and Nutrition Challenge and future initiatives here.

Heart disease is the leading death for Americans today. In this special edition of the Science Physician-in-Chief of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, director of the Wiener Cardiovascular Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and scientific organizer of the Academy's upcoming conference on cardiovascular health in Barcelona, Spain has to say about heart healthy behavior in children, youth, and adults. This podcast is brought to you by the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science and the Translational Medicine Initiative, sponsored by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation.

This year, the Academy launched its new "Summer Matters" mentoring program, which paired grad students with primary school kids for a hands-on brand of science-ed over the summer. S that is, Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math in the city. For more information on all of the Academy's education initiatives visit http://www.nyas.org/WhatWeDo/ScienceEd.aspx.

Physicist Brian Cox talks about his new TV show Wonders of the Universe and the future of physics as the search for the Higgs Boson heats up at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. You can download the full audio from Cox's July 26, 2011 Science the City event here. Thank you to Harper Design and Science, the channel, for supporting this event.

Professor Dickson Despommier talks to Science and the City about the city, climate change and how his "big idea", the Vertical Farm, is becoming a reality.

Two researchers talk to Science and the City about petroleum dependence and the future of the automobile in the 21st century - from the new electric car to advanced biofuels. In episode of our podcast, two researchers tell Science and the City about petroleum dependence and the future of the automobile in the 21st century. First, Ann Schlenker, section leader of the Vehicle Systems Group at Argonne National Laboratory, talks about the new electric car. Then, Dr. Bruce Bunting of the Fuels, Engines and Emissions Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, takes over and tells us how advanced biofuels could help wean the US off of its petroleum habit. We would like to thank the Rudin Center and their event sponsors, ConEdison and NYSERDA, for allowing us access to the AFV conference for this podcast.

Actor/director Alan Alda talks to us about problems in science communication today and why improv yes, improv can help scientists connect better with their audience. Physicist and World Science Festival co-founder Brian Greene joins in the conversation as Science

Two autism researchers offer a behind-the-scenes look at novel technologies and treatments that could redefine how we understand this developmental disorder. This podcast is produced in conjunction with the New York Academy of Sciences symposium "Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Genes to Targets to Treatments." It is made possible through the generous funding of Autism Speaks.

Oncologist and acclaimed author Siddhartha Mukherjee takes us on a journey through the long and complex history of cancer, and discusses what it took to bring his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, to life. Mukherjee spoke at the Academy on April 14, 2011 as part of the Science the City speakers series. The event was co-sponsored by the Farber Center for Radiation Oncology.

Good oral hygiene helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease, but the health of your mouth may have a big impact on the rest of your body too especially if you have diabetes. Find out more in this special edition podcast from The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science. Ira Lamster of Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, George W. Taylor of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, and endocrinologist Pamela Allweiss of the Centers for Disease Control discuss why diabetes increases the risk for gum disease and how gum disease makes it difficult to control diabetes in this special edition podcast, presented by The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Diabetes and Oral Disease: Implications for Health Professionals, a conference being held on May 4, 2011 at the New York Academy of Sciences. This podcast is also part of the Academy's Translational Medicine Initiative, sponsored by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation

Scientist and award-winning chef Nathan Myhrvold came to the Academy this March as part of a whirlwind tour for his much anticipated new cookbook Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. Find out what it took to bring this extraordinary work all six volumes and 2,400 pages of it to the public, and a pick up a few other tasty tid-bits from his conversation at NYAS with Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi. It may change the way you think about food, inside and out. Check out some of the stunning images from the book in this special slideshow.

Drawing on strange and thought-provoking case studies, eminent neurologist V. S. Ramachandran offers unprecedented insight into the evolution of the uniquely human brain in his new book, The Tell-Tale Brain. Ramachandran spoke at the Academy in February 2011, and now we're bringing you some of his most telling tales of the abnormal brain in this edition of our monthly podcast. Download the full lecture here.

Harvard science historian Steven Shapin discusses the history of food science and the human view of nutrition from dietetics to modern moderation in this podcast presented by The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences.

Carl Schoonover’s book Portraits of the Mind provides a stunning visual history of neuroscience through the ages, from the earliest, abstract concepts of the mind to modern-day, full-color imagery. He spoke at the Academy on December 15, 2010. We caught up with him for a brief interview, but you can download the full lecture and slides .

Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, presents a case for stepping away from your computer, now and then, if you can.

History professor David Christian's riveting account of the known world is acclaimed for synthesizing the history of everything, including the sciences, into one framework. So says Bill Gates. See accompanying slides.