Sometimes journalists don’t have the time, space or skills to thoroughly explain complex scientific topics. So, a group of Ph.D students at Harvard is on a “mission” to fill in the gaps. Their project is called Science in the News:

Our mission is to examine the science behind the media reports we hear every day, to delve a little deeper into the science and bring that information to you so you might better distinguish scientific fact from pure speculation.

This week’s topic: dogs. Specifically — The Science of Dogs: History, Psychology, and Genetics of Man’s Best Friend

The group also has a Facebook page and a related blog called “”https://masticatedscience.wordpress.com/“>Masticated Science:The Latest Science in Digestible Pieces.”

If you’re reading this page, you probably don’t need thier help. But, if you’re tired of answering dumb questions at parties, you can direct your friends to this site. Or, if you’re a science teacher in the Boston-area public schools, they’ll come in and help out.

This week’s talk is on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Armenise Ampitheatrem, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston. Next Wednesday, same time, same place: Star Power: New Ways to Harvest Energy from our Sun.

Or check out their reports on previous fall seminars in their archive.

September 22 Evidence-based Medicine: A Case Study of Vaccines and Autism

September 29 Bots That Mimic Bugs: Flying, Crawling, and Squishy Robots

October 6 You Are What Your Mother Ate: The New Science of Epigenetics

October 13 Beyond Agribusiness: New and Old Ways to Grow Food

October 20 The Laser Turns 50: A Brief History and New Frontiers

October 27 Forget-Me-Not: How Memories Are Formed and Lost

November 3 Our Microbial Organ: The Good and Bad Bugs of the Human Gut