American Scientist Pizza Lunches are informal lectures where scientists present new research to an audience of non-scientists.

The talks are hosted at the headquarters of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, publisher of American Scientist magazine, in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Originally intended to help inform local science communicators about current and controversial topics, the Pizza Lunch talks are now available to anyone online, and new talks are posted periodically during the academic year.

Download individual talks below, click here to subscribe in iTunes, or click a button below to receive automatic updates by RSS.

(Other RSS readers) 

Our Energy Future: Science and Technology Challenges for the 21st Century

Thomas Meyer, director, Solar Energy Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Meyer discusses the status of the world's energy supply. In particular, he presents the idea that the sun's energy could be used to make fuels from water and carbon dioxide for heating, transportation and energy storage. (September 24, 2009)

Everything Is Dangerous: A Controversy

S. Stanley Young, director of bioinformatics, National Institute of Statistical Sciences

Young critiques statistical analysis by some epidemiologists, especially their multiple testing of data sets obtained from observational studies. (April 22, 2009)

From Cloning to Stem Cells: How Can Pigs Help Us Solve Problems in Human Medicine?

Jorge Piedrahita, professor of genomics, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Piedrahita describes his research with cloned swine and how their abnormal growth provides insight into human placental defects, the ways transgenic pigs may help grow human tissue and how pigs could help advance stem cell therapies. (March 25, 2009)