How On Earth is a 25-minute news magazine about science, environment, technology, and more. The show is produced by volunteers at KGNU community radio in the Boulder-Denver area. We collect fascinating science headlines from around the world, produce features about the exciting research being done in our region, and interview the many accomplished scientists that make Colorado their home. How On Earth is also broadcast live at 8:35am (Mountain Time) every Tuesday morning in the Boulder-Denver area on KGNU: 88.5 FM / 1390 AM / Streaming on KGNU.org
Wildfire Mushrooms for Wildfire Mitigation
Wild, local mushrooms can break down deadwood into healthy soil, and they can do this surprisingly fast. Used correctly, fungi are an emerging way to reduce the forest tinder that makes mega-wildfires more likely. But there’s a wrong way and a right way to use mushrooms for mitigation Our experts today will talk about the … Continue reading "Wildfire Mushrooms for Wildfire Mitigation"
10/22/2024 • 26 minutes, 11 seconds
CU Boulder Nobel Prize Winner Tom Cech & “The Catalyst”
CU Boulder Nobel Prize Winner Tom Cech discusses his new book, The Catalyst, RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets Tom Cech is our featured interview for the KGNU Fall Membership Drive. Thank you to listeners who are contributing funds to help our volunteer powered, noncommercial, community radio station. If you like what … Continue reading "CU Boulder Nobel Prize Winner Tom Cech & “The Catalyst”"
10/15/2024 • 27 minutes, 46 seconds
Emotions, Beliefs, Politics
Beliefs, Perceptions, Decision-making (start time: 4:37) For many people if feels like our society, and our beliefs, have never been as polarized as they are now. Indeed, we are living in a politically polarized society. But it’s not as unique, or as extreme, as many think. In this week’s show we look behind the curtain … Continue reading "Emotions, Beliefs, Politics"
10/8/2024 • 26 minutes, 39 seconds
Eight-Legged Wonders: The Surprising Lives of Spiders
Local Science/Nature Calendar (starts 1:00) We share news about the Marshall Mesa Trailhead Closure to eliminate burning underground coal, CSU Professor Mark Easter talks about the Blue Plate Book Launch, THIS THURSDAY at Boulder’s Patagonia Store, and a Hiking Song:Vocal Improvisation in the Wild, NEXT THURSDAY October 9th. EIGHT-LEGGED WONDERS: The Surprising Lives of Spiders … Continue reading "Eight-Legged Wonders: The Surprising Lives of Spiders"
10/1/2024 • 26 minutes, 50 seconds
The Carbon Footprint of Food
The Blue Plate in a Red-hot World (start time: 7:46) While adding cream to your morning cup of coffee, or digesting the hamburger that you grilled last night, you might not have been asking yourself, What’s the carbon footprint of these ingredients and meals? Understandable. Our guest today, ecologist Mark Easter, however, has pondered this … Continue reading "The Carbon Footprint of Food"
9/24/2024 • 27 minutes, 46 seconds
Hoofbeats – Horses & Human History//Colorado Wolf Family ReCaptured
Wolf Family Recaptured (Starts 1:40) Colorado Parks & Wildlife did not reply to our request for an update on the fate of Colorado’s newly captured wild wolf family. CU Boulder Professor Marc Bekoff did, offering suggestions for how to improve human-wolf interactions under the voter mandate to reintroduce wolves to Colorado. Go here for … Continue reading "Hoofbeats – Horses & Human History//Colorado Wolf Family ReCaptured"
9/17/2024 • 23 minutes, 54 seconds
Colorado Wolves Recapture – Marc Bekoff Extended Interview
This is an extended interview with CU Boulder Wildlife Expert Marc Bekoff about challenges and possibilities with Colorado Wolf Reintroduction. For the broadcast interview, GO Here. And here is an AI-generated written transcipt.
9/17/2024 • 51 minutes, 38 seconds
The Emotional Lives of Animals
In this week’s show Beth spoke with Marc Bekoff, well known and loved for his decades of research into animal behavior, emotion and cognition, about the new edition of his classic book, The Emotional Lives of Animals. Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. For decades … Continue reading "The Emotional Lives of Animals"
9/17/2024 • 25 minutes, 23 seconds
SOLO: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own – Peter McGraw
SOLO: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own. CU Boulder Professor, Behavioral Economist and book author Peter McGraw uses statistical data and personal anecdotes to explain the growing worldwide trend for adults to live “Solo.” (for Cat Ladies song, go here) Show Producer and Host: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Susan Moran
9/3/2024 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Science from The Moon
When people talk about going to the Moon, it is often in terms of establishing a station there, or finding water, or doing science about the Moon such as studying moon rocks. But we can do interesting science from the Moon that can’t be done on Earth, which is our topic today with guest Dr. … Continue reading "Science from The Moon"
8/27/2024 • 27 minutes
Invasive Weed Management in Boulder County
On this week’s show Beth speaks with Joe Swanson and Laura Backus to discuss some of the invasive weeds that are plaguing Boulder County. Joe is the County Weed Coordinator for Boulder County Parks & Open Space. Joe has worked for over 17 years in rangeland and natural areas management and has been on the … Continue reading "Invasive Weed Management in Boulder County"
8/19/2024 • 25 minutes, 59 seconds
Why Do Animals Talk?
Animal Communication Science (start time: 2:57) Whether you own a dog or horse, or have listened to dolphins, wolves, chimpanzees or other wild animals, you’ve probably wondered what they’re saying when they communicate vocally – and why do they communicate the way they do? Our guest, zoologist Arik Kershenbaum, explores recent scientific discoveries in animal vocal … Continue reading "Why Do Animals Talk?"
8/13/2024 • 26 minutes, 18 seconds
Fire Resistant Homes
In this fire prone season, we talk with experts about an ancient building technique that might reduce the chance that a building’s going to burn. Unfired, compressed earth blocks are a building material that involves clay, sand and lime. Our guests are architect-engineer Lisa Morey and one of her clients, Matteo Rabescini, who had such … Continue reading "Fire Resistant Homes"
8/6/2024 • 26 minutes, 54 seconds
Wildfires & Smokey Skies
Wildfire smoke has marred the Front Range in recent weeks, due to Megafires that are likely to become more frequent. And more smoke is likely. Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World (Starts 00:00) Beth Bennett speaks with author John Vaillant about the Canadian firestorm that forced 100,000 people to run for their … Continue reading "Wildfires & Smokey Skies"
7/30/2024 • 26 minutes, 59 seconds
Curious Patterns of Chickadees
Clever Chickadees on the Front Range (start time: 4:20) Many of us wake up these days to a chorus of songbirds, including mountain and black-capped chickadees. Host Susan Moran interviews Scott Taylor, an ecologist at CU Boulder and director of the Mountain Research Station near the Continental Divide, about a multi-year study, the Boulder Chickadee … Continue reading "Curious Patterns of Chickadees"
7/23/2024 • 29 minutes, 14 seconds
Rangeland Restoration – A Science Moab Show
On this week’s How on Earth we’re airing a show produced by Science Moab’s Peggy Hodgkins. She speaks with Professor Kari Veblen, who is currently a professor of rangeland ecology at Utah State University. Her research focuses on the ecology and management of rangelands, including questions related to restoration, plant community dynamics, grazing and unraveling … Continue reading "Rangeland Restoration – A Science Moab Show"
7/15/2024 • 27 minutes, 41 seconds
Our Moon
In this episode, we talk with journalist and author Rebecca Boyle about her book Our Moon – How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are. We discuss how the Moon impacts all aspects of our lives including the creation of life. It is a key component to philosophy and … Continue reading "Our Moon"
7/12/2024 • 36 minutes, 51 seconds
“Compostable” Product Truths & Lies
Making “Compostable” Products Truly Compostable (start time: 0:56) You’ve probably wracked your brain at some point trying to figure out whether the compostable-labelled clamshell or the green-tinted plastic cup you got at a restaurant is truly compostable. Many products contain misleading and outright false claims, leaving consumers confused about how to do good by the … Continue reading "“Compostable” Product Truths & Lies"
7/2/2024 • 26 minutes, 24 seconds
The Ins and Outs of Cheese
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with author and cheesemaker extraordinaire and author, David Asher, about his book Milk Into Cheese: The Foundations of Natural Cheesemaking. The science and art of cheese. David Asher has a long career as an educator, activist, and celebrated natural cheesemaker. In our conversation, you’ll hear about the … Continue reading "The Ins and Outs of Cheese"
6/27/2024 • 26 minutes, 50 seconds
Green Power for when the Power Goes Out
Matt Johnson of Namaste Solar and Stu Cummings of Go Electric Colorado share climate friendly ways to keep your home power going, even if power from your utility suddenly goes out. It’s a discussion spurred by April’s massive power outages, when Xcel Energy Colorado abruptly shut off power to over 150,000 Denver Metro homes, citing … Continue reading "Green Power for when the Power Goes Out"
6/18/2024 • 27 minutes, 58 seconds
The Dirt on Composting
Composting for Human, Soil and Climate Health (start time: 4:39) It’s late spring, when many people are out gardening, planting vegetables, and spreading compost on the soil to give those veggies a leg up. Composting also benefits the planet. If dumped into landfills, organic waste breaks down and releases methane, a greenhouse gas far more … Continue reading "The Dirt on Composting"
6/11/2024 • 26 minutes, 31 seconds
Why a Parliament of Owls?
On this week’s show, Beth speaks with Jennifer Ackerman, about her new book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds. In a writing career spanning over three decades, Jennifer has covered many aspects of science and nature but recently has focused on birds. In the book she regales the … Continue reading "Why a Parliament of Owls?"
6/2/2024 • 26 minutes, 51 seconds
Bees and Other Bugs
This week on How on Earth, we revisit bees and pollination biology. Beth spoke with Professor Michael Breed about honeybees and other pollinators. These insects provide crucial service to our agricultural systems by pollinating flowers whose seeds and fruit produce our foods. But many of us ignore or take them for granted. The Colorado State … Continue reading "Bees and Other Bugs"
5/28/2024 • 26 minutes, 55 seconds
Birds & Habitat Preservation
Birds of Spring, Habitat Preservation (start time: 3:08) It’s springtime, when many of us are woken up at the crack of dawn by a chorus of chickadees or other songbirds outside. To celebrate these emblems of spring, and World Migratory Bird Day (May 18), How On Earth’s Susan Moran interviews two bird/nature experts about the state … Continue reading "Birds & Habitat Preservation"
Gold Lab Symposium on Science and Health. (starts 6:40) Boulder scientist and entrepreneur, Larry Gold, shares a sneak preview of this year’s Gold Lab Symposium at CU-Boulder Muenzinger Auditorium this Thursday and Friday. This year’s symposium focuses on Pain, Culture and Intelligence. The symposium includes discussion of the paper, Organ aging signatures in the plasma … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium – 2024 – Health, Intelligence & Culture"
5/14/2024 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Indigenous + Ingenuity = Indigenuity
Rising Voices Changing Coasts – Indigenuity Science leader Daniel Wildcat, talks about the Rising Voices/Changing Coasts symposium taking place this week Boulder. The symposium connects Indigenous Leaders with climate scientists to solve pressing climate and environmental challenges.. Science Moab – Our “sister science program” features two Native American students, who tap the wisdom of … Continue reading "Indigenous + Ingenuity = Indigenuity"
5/7/2024 • 26 minutes, 54 seconds
The Curious World of Seahorses
Seahorses (starts 4:10) Science Writer Till Hein explains his new book, The Curious World of Seahorses: The Life and Lore of a Marine Marvel. Also in this episode, we share this week’s DomeFest West at CU-Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium (starts 2:00). And we share congratulations to three new CU-Boulder members of the American Academy of Arts … Continue reading "The Curious World of Seahorses"
4/30/2024 • 26 minutes, 59 seconds
A History of Wolves
In this week’s show, Beth speaks with rewilder Derek Gow about his new book, Hunt for the Shadow Wolf, in which he explores the mythology, mystery and history of wolves in Europe, and their speckled history with our species. Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Esther Franke, Joel Parker Engineer: Sam … Continue reading "A History of Wolves"
4/23/2024 • 27 minutes
Science of Deathbed Visions
The Science of Deathbed Visions Many people have visions and dreams as they near the end of their life in which they reunite with loved ones who have gone before them. What can science tell us about these mysterious and common experiences? And how do they affect those who have them? These are questions that … Continue reading "Science of Deathbed Visions"
4/16/2024 • 26 minutes, 14 seconds
Colorado – The Quantum State
Colorado – The Quantum State: We speak with Corban Tillemann-Dick about how Colorado has emerged as a world leader in Quantum Technologies. Tillemann-Dick will speak at CU-Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs, Thursday, 10:30, at the UMC Central Ballroom. Tillemann-Dick heads up Elevate Quantum, a consortium of over 85 quantum-focused organizations in Colorado and the Mountain … Continue reading "Colorado – The Quantum State"
4/9/2024 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
Solar Eclipse 2024!
In this episode of How on Earth, we talk about the upcoming 2024 April 8th solar eclipse. Our guests are science writer David Baron, author of American Eclipse, and Dr. Doug Duncan, served as Director of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium. Show Producer and Host: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to … Continue reading "Solar Eclipse 2024!"
4/2/2024 • 27 minutes
Colorado River: new deals, old tensions
Colorado River: Promise and Peril (start time: 6:28) For more than two decades the Colorado River has been shrinking, afflicted by climate change-induced drought, population growth, and water politics. Some 40 million people living in seven states, and 30 tribes, depend on the river. The Upper Basin — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico– have been … Continue reading "Colorado River: new deals, old tensions"
This is the third and final episode of a series where we hear about recent research presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) January 2024 meeting. Habitable Worlds Observatory (starts at 5:15) Dr. Megan Ansdell, Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in the Astrophysics Division and the Planetary Science Division, talks about the Habitable Worlds Observatory, … Continue reading "Astronomy Highlights: Habitable Worlds Observatory, Impostor Phenomenon"
3/19/2024 • 27 minutes
SOLO: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own
In this Spring Pledge Drive show, we talk with CU-Boulder professor and behavioral economist Peter McGraw about his new book, Solo: Building a Remarkable Life of your own. The book is also available through KGNU for listeners who give a donation to support this non-commercial, community radio station. Executive Producer: Joel Parker Show Producer/Engineer: Shelley … Continue reading "SOLO: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own"
3/13/2024 • 28 minutes, 15 seconds
Astronomy Highlights: 3D Astronomy, AI in Astrophysics
This is the second episode of a series where we hear about recent research presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) January 2024 meeting. 3D Astronomy (starts at 3:08) Dr. Nicole Karnath, Research Scientist, at Space Science Institute, talks about using the Hubble Space Telescope and the airborne SOFIA telescope to explore the wondrous 3D world … Continue reading "Astronomy Highlights: 3D Astronomy, AI in Astrophysics"
3/5/2024 • 27 minutes
Deep-sea Coral Reefs//Mineral-Mining
This week’s How On Earth offers two features: Deep-sea coral reef discovery (start time: 0:58) Scientists recently discovered and mapped the largest known deep-sea coral reef in the world. It’s located up to 200 miles off the U.S. Atlantic Coast, and it’s larger than Vermont. The news comes as a bright spot for oceans and … Continue reading "Deep-sea Coral Reefs//Mineral-Mining"
2/27/2024 • 26 minutes, 19 seconds
Sleepless not just in Seattle
In this week’s show Beth speaks with author Annabel Abbs-Streets about her new book, SLEEPLESS: Unleashing the Subversive Power of the Night Self, in which she dives into both the science of sleep and sleeplessness, and a new perspective on life after midnight. Executive Producer: Joel Parker Show Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:
2/20/2024 • 26 minutes, 43 seconds
Myths and Facts about Plastic Recycling
This week on How on Earth Beth speaks with Mattie Matsch, deputy director of Boulder’s Eco-Cycle. We spoke about the challenges of recycling plastics. As consumers, it’s vital to be aware of these challenges and the limitations they impose on the types of plastic we can toss in the barrel for pickup. Executive Producer: Joel … Continue reading "Myths and Facts about Plastic Recycling"
2/14/2024 • 27 minutes, 22 seconds
John Weller – Saving Antarctica
Boulder native and wildlife photographer John Weller talks about his efforts to save The Ross Sea in Antarctica. The Ross Sea is the world’s largest Marine Protected Area. Weller’s photobooks and documentary films have been a big part of explaining why this area is special, and why protecting it is a crucial part of … Continue reading "John Weller – Saving Antarctica"
2/6/2024 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Air Pollution+Maternal Health
This week’s How On Earth features the following: How Environmental Toxins Harm Maternal Health (start time: 1:30) Being exposed to wildfires and other forms of air pollution can wreak havoc on anyone’s health. If you’re pregnant, or socioeconomically disadvantaged, you are particularly susceptible to the negative effects of airborne contaminants. How On Earth’s Susan Moran, … Continue reading "Air Pollution+Maternal Health"
1/30/2024 • 27 minutes, 17 seconds
Astronomy Highlights: Stellar Magnetic Fields, Zooniverse
This is the first episode of a series where we hear about recent research presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) January 2024 meeting. Magnetic Braking in Old Stars (starts at 3:13) Dr. Travis Metcalfe from the White Dwarf Research Corporation talks about studies of one particular star, 51 Peg, that has gone through magnetic … Continue reading "Astronomy Highlights: Stellar Magnetic Fields, Zooniverse"
1/23/2024 • 27 minutes, 15 seconds
Traumatic Brain Injury & Ibogaine – Andrew Linares
Ibogaine for Traumatic Brain Injury – The Science journal Nature has published a small case study about Special Forces veterans who suffer from traumatic brain injury . . . they report good results from one single dose of the illegal psychedelic Ibogaine . . . with careful supervision. Ibogaine – Huberman Lab discussion with Nolan … Continue reading "Traumatic Brain Injury & Ibogaine – Andrew Linares"
1/16/2024 • 27 minutes, 3 seconds
A New Year and the Same Old Environmental Issues
On this week’s show, we focus on the ongoing challenge of climate change. In addition to headlines about this issue, we replay an interview with author John Vaillant, who has written extensively about the natural world over his long career. In his new book, Fire Weather:A True Story from a Hotter World, he explores the … Continue reading "A New Year and the Same Old Environmental Issues"
1/9/2024 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
Science Stories from 2023
We share the How on Earth team’s picks for of science stories of 2023: Superconductor Hopes And Failures (starts at 1:47) New Weight Loss Drugs (starts at 5:56) Hot Temperatures (starts at 9:27) Asteroid Autumn (starts at 12:29) Bird Population Decline (starts at 16:51) Sickle Cell Disease Treatment (starts at 22:29) Executive Producer: Joel … Continue reading "Science Stories from 2023"
1/2/2024 • 26 minutes, 43 seconds
STEM Ed: Improving access for the blind, etc.
STEM ed accessibility (start time: 2:03): It’s challenging enough learning science, technology, engineering and math when you can clearly see the physical models or images of neurons on a screen. So, imagine the hurdles faced by students who are blind or otherwise visually impaired? In this week’s show, host Susan Moran interviews two chemists who … Continue reading "STEM Ed: Improving access for the blind, etc."
12/19/2023 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
Chronic Pain: A New Approach
On this week’s show, Beth speaks with Dr Afton Hassett, psychologist and pain researcher about her book, Chronic Pain Reset: 30 Days of Activities, Practices, and Skills to Help You Thrive. Not just a guide for evaluating pain and its triggers, her book offers straightforward and often fun strategies to move past chronic pain. Dr. … Continue reading "Chronic Pain: A New Approach"
12/10/2023 • 28 minutes, 2 seconds
COP28 Climate Summit: Pledges & Realities
Climate Change & COP28 (start time: 1:30) A major global climate conference is taking place now in Dubai, amidst a year of record-breaking heat, wildfires, floods and more around the world. COP28 is short for the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The aim of the conference … Continue reading "COP28 Climate Summit: Pledges & Realities"
12/5/2023 • 26 minutes, 44 seconds
Teen Raptor Survey//Gaia Theory for 21st Century
Soccer Headers and Brain Damage (starts 1:00) New research about long term effects of soccer heading — the practice of hitting a soccer ball with the head, indicates a brain damage risk, even without “official” concussions. Teen Raptor Survey (starts 3:00) Naturalists Steve Jones and Elena Klaver lead the Boulder Teen Naturalists on a survey … Continue reading "Teen Raptor Survey//Gaia Theory for 21st Century"
11/28/2023 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past
In addition to recent news about possible therapies to restore lost sense of smell due to COVID, we do a deep dive into the How on Earth archives to bring you some still-relevant stories from past Thanksgiving episodes: Start with some happiness (2015 Nov 24) A main course wild turkeys in North America… (2011 Nov … Continue reading "Ghosts of Thanksgiving Past"
11/21/2023 • 26 minutes, 51 seconds
From Sewage to Planet Savior?
The Power of Poop (start time: 5:41) This potent byproduct of our digestive system holds the promise of being a big part of the solution to several public health and environmental challenges of our time, such as drinking water scarcity and degraded cropland. In this week’s show, How On Earth’s Susan Moran interviews Dr. Bryn … Continue reading "From Sewage to Planet Savior?"
11/14/2023 • 27 minutes, 55 seconds
Naming Birds – with Boulder Naturalist Steve Jones
Bird Feather Fossils (starts 1:00) give new evidence about what we know, and don’t know, about how flying feathers evolved. Boulder Naturalist Steve Jones talks about the movement to stop naming birds after people. (starts 2:30) Host/Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Susan Moran Headline contributors: Beth Bennett
11/7/2023 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
The Little Book of Aliens
In this Halloween episode, we talk with Dr. Adam Frank, an astrophysicst/astrobiologist at the University of Rochester, about his recent book: The Little Book of Aliens. We hear some of the stories and learn about the science of life “out there” – astrobiology – and the past, present, and future search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Host/Producer/Engineer: Joel … Continue reading "The Little Book of Aliens"
11/1/2023 • 27 minutes, 57 seconds
Climate Change Maladaptations
Over the Seawall (start time: 7:33): One of the key things that makes us human is our ability to problem-solve. But often our engineered fixes backfire and even make the problem we’re trying to solve much worse. How On Earth host Susan Moran interviews journalist Stephen Robert Miller about how this applies to massive seawalls, … Continue reading "Climate Change Maladaptations"
10/24/2023 • 27 minutes, 15 seconds
Convalescence: The Art of Recovery
In this episode of How on Earth we hear the full interview Beth did with physician and author Gavin Frances. They spoke about his book, RECOVERY: The Lost Art of Convalescence. He emphasizes the importance of taking an active role in one’s recovery and outlines many paths one can take in doing so. It is … Continue reading "Convalescence: The Art of Recovery"
10/18/2023 • 28 minutes, 32 seconds
Recovery – The Lost Art of Convalescence / Fund Drive
As part of the KGNU Fund Drive, this episode of How on Earth features excerpts of Beth Bennett’s interview of Dr. Gavin Francis about his book Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence. We explore the difference between sickness and health, and the gap between them: Recovery. Based on decades of treating disease and injury, Dr … Continue reading "Recovery – The Lost Art of Convalescence / Fund Drive"
10/13/2023 • 27 minutes, 50 seconds
BirdCast Bird Migration Forecasting
Fall bird migration is reaching its peak, with billions of birds traveling thousands of miles, mostly at night. We talk with Kyle Horton, director of Colorado State University’s AEROECO Lab, and a key member of BirdCast, which is a collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Kyle Horton shares the history of “weather radar” use … Continue reading "BirdCast Bird Migration Forecasting"
9/26/2023 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
Tackling Plastic Pollution
Plastics: From Pollution to Solutions (start time: 0:58) We all want to think that the yogurt tubs, takeout containers and other plastic products that we toss into our kitchen recycling bin will actually get recycled. Chances are, they won’t. Plastic product makers have for many years been deceptively applying the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol on … Continue reading "Tackling Plastic Pollution"
9/19/2023 • 27 minutes, 28 seconds
Artificial Intelligence for Police Body Cameras
AI for Police Worn Body Cameras (Starts 3:45) Body Cam AI uses artificial intelligence analysis for body cam transcripts. Can this new tech reduce excessive use of force and help restore public trust in policing? To learn more, we talk with Anthony Tassone, CEO of Truleo. Truleo is an AI system for analyzing body cam … Continue reading "Artificial Intelligence for Police Body Cameras"
9/12/2023 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Road Ecology // Wildlife Crossings
Wildlife Crossings (start time: 0:58) In this week’s show, host Susan Moran interviews journalist Ben Goldfarb about his new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. It’s hard imagine modern human society without roads, be they interstate highways or county dirt roads. Love them or hate them, roads make our … Continue reading "Road Ecology // Wildlife Crossings"
9/5/2023 • 27 minutes, 4 seconds
Hummingbirds and Master Bander Steve Bouricius
Master Hummingbird bander Steve Bouricius does workshops about hummingbirds. Today, Boulder Naturalists Scott Severs and Ruth Carol Cushman join Steve Bouricius to see the thousands of hummingbirds that visit his mountain cabin, and to talk about their lives and migration. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shannon Young
8/29/2023 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
This week on How on Earth, Beth speaks with Robert Crifasi about his new book, Western Water A to Z: The History, Nature, and Culture of a Vanishing Resource. This book is the first ever field guide to Western water. Organized as a collection of terms, the book addresses the most salient water issues and … Continue reading ""
8/15/2023 • 26 minutes, 8 seconds
West Nile Virus // Mosquito Borne Diseases
West Nile Virus and other Mosquito Borne Diseases (Starts 4:45) Colorado’s case count from West Nile Virus is starting to rise, with state health officials predicting a histoically high season ahead for West Nile Virus. How on Earth’s Panisara Jaijongkit explains the origins of mosquito borne diseases, how, even in Colorado, people have stories of … Continue reading "West Nile Virus // Mosquito Borne Diseases"
8/8/2023 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
Welcoming Biodiversity Back To Cities
In this week’s How on Earth, we focus on how cities can foster biodiversity in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. First, we speak with author and journalist Tony Hiss (4:29), who says that while the Earth is rapidly losing species, we can still do something about it. In his latest book, … Continue reading "Welcoming Biodiversity Back To Cities"
8/2/2023 • 32 minutes, 7 seconds
Memory-boosting via Multivitamins?
Multivitamins help prevent memory loss (start time: 8:02) In this week’s show, How On Earth host/producer Susan Moran interviews Dr. Adam Brickman, a neuropsychologist at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, about a large new study that shows how taking multivitamins can prevent memory loss in older adults. Memory decline is an inevitable, … Continue reading "Memory-boosting via Multivitamins?"
7/25/2023 • 27 minutes, 13 seconds
The Science of Sex in Sports – Women Athletes
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Christine Yu – an award-winning journalist who has turned her reporting on women athletes and the relationship between science and athletic performance into a comprehensive book on the subject. In UP TO SPEED:The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes, she covers topics ranging from a historical overview … Continue reading "The Science of Sex in Sports – Women Athletes"
7/17/2023 • 26 minutes, 29 seconds
Bears: Beloved & Imperiled
Of Bears & Humans (start time: 1:34) If you live on the Front Range or in the mountains, you’ve probably seen a black bear while hiking or in your neighborhood. Black bears are thriving, but most of the other eight remaining bear species are struggling to survive. How On Earth host Susan Moran interviews journalist … Continue reading "Bears: Beloved & Imperiled"
7/12/2023 • 26 minutes, 39 seconds
Superconductors for Better Energy
Room Temperature Superconductors (starts 1:00) Backyard tinkerer, Joe Eck, maintains a popular website that explains the limitations of “Low Temperature” supeconductors that must be cooled by liquid helium to almost absolute zero. He describes the benefits that would come from “Room Temperature” superconductors, which he searches for with equipment that includes a table top kiln. … Continue reading "Superconductors for Better Energy"
7/4/2023 • 27 minutes
Biomechanics for Dummies
On today’s show Beth speaks with biomechanics Katy Bowman about her new book, Rethink Your POsition. Are you a fitness fanatic? Or a couch potato? Whichever, there’s something for you here. Katy’s biomechanics background, allows her to assess the movements of everyday life and describe how to perform them correctly, based on human anatomy. Moving … Continue reading "Biomechanics for Dummies"
6/29/2023 • 27 minutes, 2 seconds
Race Science: Then & Now
Race Science’s Legacy (start time: 0.57): We like to think of science as neutral, beyond politics. But of course it isn’t. After all, science is a product of the political landscape in which it arises. Despite the fact that decades ago the United Nations declared that race has no biological basis, science has continued to … Continue reading "Race Science: Then & Now"
6/20/2023 • 27 minutes, 31 seconds
Boulder Society for Scientific Exploration
NCAR and NOAA open for visitors (Starts 1:00) COVID pandemic rules were lifted earlier this year, so Boulder’s National Center for Atmospheric Research and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are once again open for public tours. LASP Artist in Residence Applications due July 21 (starts 2:12) CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics is accepting … Continue reading "Boulder Society for Scientific Exploration"
6/13/2023 • 26 minutes, 46 seconds
Fire in a Hotter World
In this week’s How on Earth, Beth speaks with author John Vaillant about his new book, Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World. He explores the phenomena of fire, the wildland urban interface, and climate change in the context of a precedent-shattering combustion in a modern city.This colossal wildfire in Alberta in 2016 … Continue reading "Fire in a Hotter World"
6/6/2023 • 26 minutes, 11 seconds
2023 Graduation Special (part 2)
With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school … Continue reading "2023 Graduation Special (part 2)"
5/30/2023 • 29 minutes, 6 seconds
Honeybee Trials and Tribulations
This week on How on Earth, Beth replays in interview with Professor Mike Breed, who has been studying social insects, including ants and bees, at the University of Colorado here in Boulder, for decades. She spoke with him last year about the fascinating biology of these important pollinators, in an interview that is still timely, … Continue reading "Honeybee Trials and Tribulations"
5/23/2023 • 27 minutes, 24 seconds
Gold Lab Symposium on Science and Health
CU-Boulder’s 14th annual Gold Lab Symposium on the Science of Health takes place this Thursday and Friday at CU-Boulder’s Muenzinger Auditorium and on line. You can sign up for the symposium here. In today’s show, Larry Gold, founder, scientist and entrepreneur, talks about some key scientific discoveries being discussed at this year’s symposium, along … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium on Science and Health"
5/16/2023 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
2023 Graduation Special (part 1)
With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 1 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school … Continue reading "2023 Graduation Special (part 1)"
5/2/2023 • 27 minutes
Chasing Heirloom Seeds with the Seed Detective
In this week’s show Beth speaks with Adam Alexander, author of The Seed Detective, a treasure trove of stories about heirloom seeds and the plants they grow into. Not only does he entertain with his adventures in exotic places, but he also takes the reader on a journey through the history of many common cultivated … Continue reading "Chasing Heirloom Seeds with the Seed Detective"
4/25/2023 • 27 minutes, 21 seconds
Future of Green Energy & Nuclear Power
Energy Technology that will Power the World (Entire Show) We look at a climate change discussion from CU-Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs about our Energy Future – where the panelists included ideas about hydrogen, geothermal and nuclear power . . . and we get audience reaction both pro . . and con. Go here for … Continue reading "Future of Green Energy & Nuclear Power"
4/18/2023 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Your Brain On (and off) Chronic Pain: Part I
Chronic pain science and treatments (start time: 4:27) In this week’s show host Susan Moran interviews two experts on the emerging neuroscience of and mind-body treatments for chronic pain, which is a leading cause of disability in the U.S. As many as one in five Americans suffer from chronic pain. The problem has cost the … Continue reading "Your Brain On (and off) Chronic Pain: Part I"
4/11/2023 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
Easter Candy Risks & Real Easter Daisies
We share news about upcoming science events, cancer-causing additives in Easter candy, and we hunt for Colorado’s native Easter Daisies. Tibetan Watershed in Danger (Starts 1:00) Lobsang Yangtso speaks 11 AM Wednesday at CU Boulder about the crucial need to protect Tibet’s “Roof of the World” and its role in the world water supply. Wednesday’s … Continue reading "Easter Candy Risks & Real Easter Daisies"
4/4/2023 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
How to Make STEM Better
Today on How on Earth, Beth speaks with William Penuel, faculty in the School of Education at CU Boulder, and part of the Renee Crown Wellness Institute. He designs and studies curriculum materials, assessments, and professional learning experiences for teachers in STEM education, especially in science. His work is beginning to focus more on cultivating … Continue reading "How to Make STEM Better"
3/29/2023 • 26 minutes, 10 seconds
Water Reuse for the Arid West
Water Recycling for Climate Resilience (start time: 7:54) When you poured tap water into your coffee maker this morning, or flushed the toilet, you may not have been thinking about where that water came from, or where it flowed to next. Pegged to World Water Week, on this week’s How On Earth host Susan Moran … Continue reading "Water Reuse for the Arid West"
3/21/2023 • 26 minutes, 51 seconds
Mankind Owes Its Success on Earth to Decimated Forests
On today’s show, Benita speaks with author John Perlin about his book, A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization. The book follows the rise and fall of human civilizations as they fuel their success and reap their downfall by using trees as a key resource. Published by Patagonia, Perlin revised this … Continue reading "Mankind Owes Its Success on Earth to Decimated Forests"
3/15/2023 • 28 minutes, 54 seconds
A Less Stressful Life- in Seven Days?
On today’s show Beth talks with Dr Elissa Epel, about her book, The Stress Prescription,Seven Days to More Joy and Ease. As the director of UCSF’s Aging, Metabolism, and Emotion Center and associate director of its Center for Health and Community, she studies stress, aging, and obesity. Her book is quick and easy to read … Continue reading "A Less Stressful Life- in Seven Days?"
3/6/2023 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
AI or not AI, that is the question — ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Human World
We talk with Dr. Casey Fiesler, Associate Professor of Information Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder about “generative AI,” particularly regarding ChatGPT and DALL-E, which are topics of recent news stories expressing excitement and concern. We asked ChatGPT to write a description of what such an interview might be: Dr. Casey Fiesler joins Joel Parker on the … Continue reading "AI or not AI, that is the question — ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Human World"
2/28/2023 • 27 minutes
Colorado Environmental Film Festival
Colorado Environmental Film Festival is an annual event that takes place in Golden, at the American Mountaineering Center. This year’s festival starts Thursday Feb 23, 2023 and goes through Sun, Feb 26, 2023. Today, we talk with festival co-chair Dave Steinke and Environmental Filmmaker John DeGraff. We feature the films, Stewart Udall and the Politics … Continue reading "Colorado Environmental Film Festival"
2/21/2023 • 26 minutes, 54 seconds
Music on the Brain
Your Brain on Music (start time: 6:18): Most people love music, whether it’s opera music, jazz, rock-n-roll, gospel, nursery rhymes or another genre. Whether you’re a trained professional or someone who just likes to sing in the shower or listen to your favorite playlists, you’ve likely felt the power of music in shaping your thoughts, … Continue reading "Music on the Brain"
2/15/2023 • 26 minutes, 11 seconds
Mountain Lions in Northern Colorado
In this episode, Jill Sjong interviews Wild Nature Media‘s David Neils who has been studying mountain lions and other apex predators in Colorado’s wild lands for over 20 years using remote cameras. They visit one of the front range’s best habitats for mountain lions, the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, located near where the Big Thompson … Continue reading "Mountain Lions in Northern Colorado"
2/7/2023 • 26 minutes, 37 seconds
James Webb Space Telescope (Part 2)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – JWST – was launched on December 25th, 2021. We talked with scientists and engineers about JWST’s first year and some of the projects it is being used for. In this second part of our JWST special, our guests and their projects are: Dr. Imke de Pater (Distinguished Professor Emerita, … Continue reading "James Webb Space Telescope (Part 2)"
1/31/2023 • 27 minutes
Animal Creativity
This week on How on Earth, Beth speaks with Professor Carol Gigliotti about her new book, The Creative Lives of Animals. She provides a new perspective on animals as agents in their own lives, as valuable contributors to their world and ours, and as guides in understanding how creativity may contribute to conserving the natural … Continue reading "Animal Creativity"
1/24/2023 • 24 minutes, 26 seconds
New Alzheimer’s Drug . . . and Dale Bredesen Challenge
Various experts share pros and cons about Lecanemab (starts 1:00) the newly approved drug for Alzheimer’s. Dale Bredesen of Apollo HealthCo (starts 5:30) shares his criticisms of the new Alzheimer’s drug and gives recommendations for better ways to improve cognition. Links to topics mentioned in this show: American Alzheimer’s Association Statement urging Medicare and Medicaid … Continue reading "New Alzheimer’s Drug . . . and Dale Bredesen Challenge"
1/17/2023 • 26 minutes, 55 seconds
Colorado’s Solid Power Car Battery (and other Breakthrough Batteries)
Better Electric Car Batteries are a key to moving toward all-electric cars. While the standard liquid lithium ion/graphite battery is making advancements, this week’s show focuses batteries that add new materials to the mix for batteries that could be safer, faster charging and longer range. Featured are Colorado’s Solid Power solid state battery, the Sila … Continue reading "Colorado’s Solid Power Car Battery (and other Breakthrough Batteries)"
1/10/2023 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
The Health of the US Public Health System
On today’s show, Beth speaks with Michael Stein, primary care physician and researcher, who has been writing about medicine and public health for decades. In Me Vs Us, he instigates a conversation about how we might change the current situation in which public health loses out to individual medicine and how public health nevertheless holds … Continue reading "The Health of the US Public Health System"
1/4/2023 • 27 minutes, 31 seconds
Top Science Stories for 2022
We share the science team’s top science stories of 2022: DART Asteroid Deflection (Starts 1:00) mRNA Vaccine for RSV (starts 3:30) Bumblebees Like to Play (starts 6:00) Sexual Pleasure in Female Snakes (starts 8:30) Alphafold Protein Folding (starts 11:00) CU Boulder Scientists Make Graphyne (starts 13:30) Chatty Chatbots Can Backfire (starts 18:00) Ancient DNA Indicates … Continue reading "Top Science Stories for 2022"
12/27/2022 • 26 minutes, 50 seconds
James Webb Space Telescope (Part 1)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – JWST – was launched one year ago on December 25th, 2021. We talked with scientists and engineers about JWST’s first year and some of the projects it is being used for. In this first part of our JWST special, our guests are: Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney (Planetary Scientist Postdoctoral Researcher, … Continue reading "James Webb Space Telescope (Part 1)"
12/20/2022 • 27 minutes
Looking for a Good Night’s Sleep?
In today’s show Beth talks with Aric Prather, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, where he co-directs the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center. A licensed clinical psychologist, he has helped hundreds of patients improve their sleep. In his new book, The Sleep Prescription, Dr. Prather describes the … Continue reading "Looking for a Good Night’s Sleep?"
12/13/2022 • 26 minutes, 8 seconds
Finding Home in a Changing Climate
Unruly Planet (start time: 5:31) This week on How On Earth Susan Moran interviews science journalist Madeline Ostrander about her recently published book, At Home On An Unruly Planet: Finding Refuge On A Changed Earth. The author reflects on what it means to reimagine the concept of home, and to literally find a secure home, … Continue reading "Finding Home in a Changing Climate"
12/6/2022 • 26 minutes, 47 seconds
Can Your Microbiome Protect You Against Covid?
This week on How on Earth Beth talks to Dr. Robynne Chutkan, about her newest book, The Anti-Viral Gut, in which she describes research elucidating the protective role of the microbiome. Many studies have confirmed the link between the health of our microbiome—the trillions of bacteria that live in our digestive tract—and our likelihood of … Continue reading "Can Your Microbiome Protect You Against Covid?"
11/29/2022 • 24 minutes, 58 seconds
Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World
How on Earth’s Beth Bennett talks with authors Ridge Shinn and Lynne Pledger about how regenerative grazing can replace corn-based feedlots, which are responsible for significant climate emissions, nitrogen pollution, and animal suffering. Their book, Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World, outlines a hopeful path out of our broken food system via regional networks of regeneratively produced … Continue reading "Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World"
11/23/2022 • 27 minutes, 1 second
Recycling: Obstacles and Progress
Recycling: Obstacles and Progress (start time: 4:35): This week’s How On Earth focuses on the state of recycling and composting in Colorado and well beyond. A newly published report by Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG shows that Colorado ranks well below the national average, and below its own goals, on recycling and composting. But the report also … Continue reading "Recycling: Obstacles and Progress"
11/15/2022 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
Song of the Cell: Siddhartha Mukherjee’s New Book
Today on How on Earth, Beth talks with Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee. His first book, The Emperor of All Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2011. His new book, The Song of the Cell, explores our radical new ability to manipulate cells. Mukherjee tells the story of how scientists discovered cells, began to understand them, and … Continue reading "Song of the Cell: Siddhartha Mukherjee’s New Book"
11/7/2022 • 27 minutes, 25 seconds
Clean Water Act 50 years later
Clean Water Act, Then and Now (start time: 3:38): Two weeks ago was the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The landmark law set out to clean up the nation’s lakes, rivers and streams, and to safeguard the water supply for humans throughout the country. While there’s been some progress since the act was … Continue reading "Clean Water Act 50 years later"
11/1/2022 • 28 minutes, 6 seconds
Hearing & Hearing Aids
Starting this week, the FDA has approved the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids. In light of that, in today’s edition of How on Earth, we play an Encore Feature from February 2020 of an interview we did with David Owen about his book, Volume Control, in which he explores the surprising science of hearing and the … Continue reading "Hearing & Hearing Aids"
10/18/2022 • 27 minutes
Sweet in Tooth and Claw // Fund Drive Show
We talk with author Kristin Ohlson about her recent book: “Sweet in Tooth and Claw”. In it, Ohlson examines cooperative relationships found in the natural world and in human civilization. She says this view is missing from many of our cultural and scientific narratives because of a tendency to apply Darwin’s idea of survival of … Continue reading "Sweet in Tooth and Claw // Fund Drive Show"
10/11/2022 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
Pollution Impacts on Gut Microbiome // Folding Proteins
Pollution Impacts on Gut Microbiome (starts at 1:00) The Environmental Protection Agency has downgraded the air quality in the Denver Metro and Northern Front Range area to “severe” nonattainment for ground level ozone. Shannon Young talks with Dr. Tanya Alderete (University of Colorado Integrative Physiology Department) about a recent study showing how air pollution may also affect the … Continue reading "Pollution Impacts on Gut Microbiome // Folding Proteins"
9/27/2022 • 27 minutes
Beavers: Engineers for Our Planet
Today’s show features: Employing Beavers (start time: 11:12): Some consider them pests. Others praise them as saviors of the environment. Whatever your impression of these furry swimming rodents, beavers are gaining more proponents for their ability to make landscapes, and thus humans, more resilient to climate change. Through their dams and lodges, beavers raise water levels, … Continue reading "Beavers: Engineers for Our Planet"
9/20/2022 • 27 minutes, 13 seconds
The Amazing…Honeybee!
On today’s show Beth talks to Prof Michael Breed about honeybees. Sure, there is a little on their decline which is concerning to all of us, but we focus on many remarkable aspects of their biology. If you want to go deeper, you can visit Mike’s website or the book he mentions in the interview. … Continue reading "The Amazing…Honeybee!"
9/13/2022 • 24 minutes, 57 seconds
Nature Wants Us to Be Fat – Rick Johnson MD
Nature Wants Us to be Fat: The Surprising Science Behind Why we Gain Weight and How We Can Prevent and Reverse it. University of Colorado Medical School Professor Rick Johnson shares why he thinks eating lots of fructose sugars can trigger a Survival Switch that helps bears put on weight before they hibernate . . … Continue reading "Nature Wants Us to Be Fat – Rick Johnson MD"
9/6/2022 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Nature Wants Us To Be Fat – Extended Version
This is an extended version of the interview with Rick Johnson, author of Nature Wants Us to Be Fat. LISTEN HERE TRANSCRIPT BELOW: RICK JOHNSON [00:00:00] My name is Richard Johnson. I’m a professor of medicine here at the University of Colorado. SHELLEY [00:00:04] In fact, you direct the Department of Hypertension, or have … Continue reading "Nature Wants Us To Be Fat – Extended Version"
9/5/2022 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 15 seconds
Testosterone – Bane or Benefit?
ON this week’s show, Beth talks with Carole Hooven about her new book: “T – The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us”. She demonstrates that the hormone acts in concert with genes and culture to produce a vast variety of male and female behavior. And, crucially, the fact that many sex … Continue reading "Testosterone – Bane or Benefit?"
8/30/2022 • 26 minutes, 21 seconds
Colorado River Basin Crisis: Pt. II
Colorado River Basin Crisis Pt. II (start time: 6:19): This week’s How On Earth show focuses on the implications and future prospects after the federal government in June ordered the seven Western states that rely on the river to come up with a plan to save trillions of gallons of water from the shrinking river) … Continue reading "Colorado River Basin Crisis: Pt. II"
8/23/2022 • 28 minutes, 5 seconds
What’s New in Climate?
In this week’s How on Earth, we look at 3 aspects of climate change: its role in disease incidence and transmission; some effects of the new climate change legislation; and how ‘micro-forests’ can mitigate temperature and water loss. The latter comes from an interview with author Hannah Lewis and her book Mini-Forest Revolution, in which … Continue reading "What’s New in Climate?"
8/17/2022 • 27 minutes, 57 seconds
DNA Superconductors // Western Rewilding // What Your Food Ate
DNA Superconductors (Starts 1:00) Scientists are harnessing DNA to make electronic components at the nano-scale. Western Rewilding Network (Starts 3:50) Researchers at Oregon State University are urging the U.S. to set aside 500,000 square kilometers for a Western Rewilding Network that would include wolves and beavers as part of ecosystem restoration. Their research appears today … Continue reading "DNA Superconductors // Western Rewilding // What Your Food Ate"
8/9/2022 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
Alcohol, Brain Damage & Genetics
Colorado Cafe Sci (starts 1:00) happens monthly, in Denver. Alcohol and Alcoholism Recent News (starts 2:49) We look at recent science about alcohol consumption, including a study that indicates as little as 3 glasses of wine a week is associated with buildups of iron in the brain — a risk factor for brain disease, increased … Continue reading "Alcohol, Brain Damage & Genetics"
8/3/2022 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Colorado River Basin Crisis
This week on How On Earth: Colorado River Basin Crisis (start time: 5:31–scroll down for arrow) The Colorado River is the life blood for about 40 million inhabitants. And it’s in dire straights. The river’s two reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are at historically low levels, due primarily to climate change and overuse. The water-supply crisis is … Continue reading "Colorado River Basin Crisis"
7/26/2022 • 26 minutes, 37 seconds
Salmon Wars Part 2: Farm-Raised LAND Salmon
We continue our look at the new Expose, Salmon Wars, the Dark Underbelly of our Favorite Fish, by checking out an alternative – LAND-Based Farmed Salmon. Chef Sheila Lucero – (starts 2:25) We TASTE land-based salmon, with Coloraado’s award-winning, national expert on sustainable fish and member of Seafood Watch BlueRibbon Task Force, Jax Fish House … Continue reading "Salmon Wars Part 2: Farm-Raised LAND Salmon"
7/19/2022 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favorite Fish – Part 1
Salmon Wars: A Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent and a former private investigator dive deep into the murky waters of the international salmon farming industry in this just-published expose. HostProducer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
7/12/2022 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
All About Mars
This week on How on Earth, Beth speaks with author and planetary geologist Dr. Simon Morden. In his book, The Red Planet, he presents a tantalizing vision of our nearest neighbour, its dramatic history, and astonishing present. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producer: Beth Bennet Additional Contributions: Joel Parker & Shelley Schlender Listen to … Continue reading "All About Mars"
7/6/2022 • 28 minutes, 16 seconds
Birds and Dopamine // Nature Wants Us To Fat
Birds and Dopamine (starts 1:00) If bird songs help a bird fall in love, does it get even better with a dose of dopamine? Nature Wants us to be Fat (starts 13:56) CU-Medical School professor and researcher Richard Johnson discusses his latest book, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat. The Surprising Science … Continue reading "Birds and Dopamine // Nature Wants Us To Fat"
6/28/2022 • 26 minutes, 55 seconds
Summer Solstice Hike // On the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid
Pre-dawn Summer Solstice Hike (Starts 1:00) We head out before 5:30 AM, to visit the NCAR Burn site, with Boulder Naturalists Steve Jones, Scott Severs and Ruth Carol Cushman Hobbit Like Hominoids — Still Here? (Starts 12:06) Anthropologist Gregory Forth discusses his book, Between Ape and Human – On the Trail of a Hidden … Continue reading "Summer Solstice Hike // On the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid"
6/21/2022 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
Skin Cancer // Methane Leaks // Engineering Happiness // Black holes
Today’s show features headline news about new methods for detecting skin cancer and using “frequency comb” lasers to sniff out even the faintest traces of methane leaks. And then we have an encore presentation of How on Earth features about “Engineering Happiness” and a black holes. Hosts: Joel Parker, Susan Moran, Beth Bartel Producer: Joel … Continue reading "Skin Cancer // Methane Leaks // Engineering Happiness // Black holes"
6/14/2022 • 26 minutes, 37 seconds
Keeping Your Heart Healthy – Off the Western Medicine Track
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Dr Seven Hussey about his recent book, Understanding the Heart: Surprising Insights into the Evolutionary Origins of Heart Disease—and Why It Matters. Following his early (34 years old) heart attack, he delved into alternative therapies to heal his heart. In the book he lays out a … Continue reading "Keeping Your Heart Healthy – Off the Western Medicine Track"
6/9/2022 • 26 minutes, 49 seconds
2022 Graduation Special (part 2)
With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special” (you can listen to Part 1). Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what … Continue reading "2022 Graduation Special (part 2)"
5/31/2022 • 27 minutes
2022 Graduation Special (part 1)
With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 1 of our annual “Graduation Special” (you can listen to Part 2). Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what … Continue reading "2022 Graduation Special (part 1)"
5/24/2022 • 27 minutes, 2 seconds
Gold Lab Symposium and DeepMind/Alphafold
Gold Lab Symposium and DeepMind’s Alpha Fold (starts 1:00) We continue our discussion with Boulder scientist and entrepreneur, Larry Gold, about the Gold Lab Symposium on the science of Health, taking place this Thursday and Friday. You can sign up here. Off-Target Drug Effect (starts 5:48 – ends at 10:00) A local Boulder man recounts … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium and DeepMind/Alphafold"
5/17/2022 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Brains in Space // Climate Grief // Gold Lab Symposium
We explore a wide range of science topics today. Brains in Space (starts 1:00) Joel Parker explains how space travel may affect human brains Climate Grief (starts 5:17) The United Nations warns that the changing climate will lead to increasing climate grief around the world. Kritee, a senior scientist at the … Continue reading "Brains in Space // Climate Grief // Gold Lab Symposium"
5/9/2022 • 22 minutes
The Queen of Fats: Omega-3
This week on How on Earth, Beth speaks with Susan Allport, an award-winning writer who has written extensively on science. They talk about her book on omega 3 fats, The Queen of Fats, namely the touted omega-3 fatty acid. These essential fats can’t be synthesized by the human body and must be obtained from our … Continue reading "The Queen of Fats: Omega-3"
5/7/2022 • 23 minutes, 27 seconds
Climate- & Pollinator-Conscious Planting
Climate-conscious, pollinator-friendly gardening (start time: 4:55; scroll down for audio file): This week’s episode of How On Earth features a discussion on how cities, neighborhoods, individual residents can plan their landscapes and gardens for a hotter and drier future here on the Front Range. Host Susan Moran interviews Dave Sutherland, a field naturalist formerly with … Continue reading "Climate- & Pollinator-Conscious Planting"
5/3/2022 • 27 minutes, 33 seconds
Climate Change: A Laughing Matter?
Comedy+Climate Change: (start time: 5:50) In this week’s show we look ahead to Earth Day by discussing the latest science about climate change, as reported in the recently released assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And we explore the role that performing arts, especially comedy, can play in communicating, and processing emotions … Continue reading "Climate Change: A Laughing Matter?"
4/19/2022 • 27 minutes, 27 seconds
The Last Stargazers, Part 2
We feature an interview with astronomer and author Dr. Emily Levesque about her book, The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers. In today’s episode, we talk with Dr. Levesque about the history and future of astronomy. We hear about how astronomical observing at some of the premier telescopes in the world has changed over … Continue reading "The Last Stargazers, Part 2"
4/12/2022 • 26 minutes, 43 seconds
The Last Stargazers, Part 1
We feature an interview with astronomer and author Dr. Emily Levesque about her book, The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers. In today’s episode, we talk with Dr. Levesque about how one becomes an astronomer and what a typical – and sometimes not so typical – night’s work is like at an observatory with highly … Continue reading "The Last Stargazers, Part 1"
4/5/2022 • 27 minutes, 27 seconds
Sounds Wild and Broken
Nature’s Songs and Cries (start time: 0:59) In this week’s show David George Haskell, a biologist at the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tenn., talks with How On Earth’s Susan Moran about his newly published book, Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity, and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction. The book is at … Continue reading "Sounds Wild and Broken"
3/29/2022 • 27 minutes, 6 seconds
KGNU Fund Drive with The Last Stargazers
On this week’s show – part of the annual KGNU Spring Fund Drive – we play excerpts of an upcoming interview with astronomer and author Dr. Emily Levesque about her book, The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers. The book is a modern history of observational astronomy, and shares an inside look at the lives and … Continue reading "KGNU Fund Drive with The Last Stargazers"
3/10/2022 • 28 minutes, 40 seconds
Walking Doesn’t Have to Get Old
In this week’s show Beth talks to author Annabel Streets. Her book 52 WAYS TO WALK, takes you week by week, through a smorgasbord of walks in silence, rain, mud, or wind, as well as sunshine, scents and birdsong. She explains exactly how our bodies and minds benefit from a wide mix of terrain and … Continue reading "Walking Doesn’t Have to Get Old"
3/1/2022 • 26 minutes, 32 seconds
Avalanche Accidents — Who Dies?
We speak with Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, about the new study he has coauthored with Spencer Logan, a chief researcher at the center who alsoversees the Avalanche Accident database for the United States. Their new study is available now. It’s titled, Education and Experience Levels of People Involved in Avalanches … Continue reading "Avalanche Accidents — Who Dies?"
2/22/2022 • 26 minutes, 55 seconds
Green Walls // Drones Study Marshall Fire // Volunteering to GET COVID
Long COVID (starts 1:00) National Jewish in Denver shares research about how COVID sometimes affects the powerhouses inside our cells, the mitochondria. Green Walls (starts 3:54) are a beautiful way to cover indoor and outdoor walls with living plants. It’s a popular feature for ultra-modern buildings. Researchers in England report that green walls on older, … Continue reading "Green Walls // Drones Study Marshall Fire // Volunteering to GET COVID"
2/8/2022 • 26 minutes, 54 seconds
The Science of Heartbreak
Heartbreak in Our Bodies: (start time: 6:58) This week on How On Earth, host Susan Moran talks with science journalist Florence Williams about her newly published book, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, in which she goes on a quest to understand why, and how, the heartbreak she felt when her marriage fell apart was … Continue reading "The Science of Heartbreak"
2/1/2022 • 27 minutes, 40 seconds
Climate Change and Local Fires
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks to 2 climate scientists about their (very different) fields, and how climate change can play into local disasters, especially the recent fires that devastated the Front Range towns outside Boulder. Twila Moon is a glaciologist turned climate scientist who researches the effects of ice sheet melt on … Continue reading "Climate Change and Local Fires"
1/24/2022 • 28 minutes, 11 seconds
30th Anniversary Show
In this episode, we celebrate the show’s 30th Anniversary with Dave Atkins and Jeff Orrey, How on Earth’s original hosts. We’ll play some excerpts from the pilot January 14, 1992 episode and update the science from a 2022 perspective. Subjects range from Chinook winds and Colorado fires, finding exoplanets, the history of Hubble telescope, Halley’s … Continue reading "30th Anniversary Show"
1/21/2022 • 26 minutes, 9 seconds
Top Ten from 2021
2021 saw many remarkable science stories making it difficult to pick the top contenders. The How on Earth team struggled with these decisions but here they are! Executive Producer: Susan Moran Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additonal contributions by: Benita Lee, Joel Parker, Jill Sjong, Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:
1/5/2022 • 24 minutes, 32 seconds
Defy Aging // Green Recycling // Corona (not virus) News
Corona (Not Virus) News (starts 1:00) Astrophysicist Joel Parker explains the probe that touched the sun’s corona. Green Recycling from Discarded Electronics (starts 3:59) Benita Lee talks with Penn State Scientist Amir Sheikhi about recycling neodymium. Defy Aging: A Beginner’s Guide to the New Science of Longer Life and Better Health. (starts 9:28) Science Show … Continue reading "Defy Aging // Green Recycling // Corona (not virus) News"
12/21/2021 • 26 minutes, 55 seconds
The Fentanyl Epidemic: Why It’s Growing and Some Solutions
This week on How On Earth, we welcome Benita Lee who brought up the growing problem with fentanyl – a new street drug that’s killing many. Benita talks with DEA agent David Olesky about the scope of the problem and what the agency is doing to combat it. Beth talks with pharmacologist and policy maker … Continue reading "The Fentanyl Epidemic: Why It’s Growing and Some Solutions"
12/16/2021 • 29 minutes, 40 seconds
Can Cattle Reduce Climate Change?
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Professor Fred Provenza, author of the book Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering our Nutritional Wisdom. He returns to discuss his current venture into the utility of grazing animals in regenerating soil and reducing our carbon footprint. Yes, cows may actually reduce the rate … Continue reading "Can Cattle Reduce Climate Change?"
12/2/2021 • 27 minutes, 45 seconds
Wild Strawberries, Wild Turkeys & Farewell to Bernie Rollin
Green Building Handbook (starts 1:00) CU Boulder Engineering Professor Wil Srubar is the co-author of a new report highlighting innovative building materials that actually store more CO2 than the emissions from their manufacture, making these building materials what’s known as “carbon sinks” Wild Strawberry Flavor from Fungi (starts 3:29) Holger Zorn explains how and why … Continue reading "Wild Strawberries, Wild Turkeys & Farewell to Bernie Rollin"
11/23/2021 • 26 minutes, 42 seconds
Building Bones without Drugs
On today’s show, Beth talks with Dr John Jaquish about his novel method for treating osteoporosis, using ‘osteogenic’ loading. His method has been shown in clinical trials to build bone without drugs, and consequently without the serious side effects of these drugs. The loading method has been validated in using the classic DEXA screening method … Continue reading "Building Bones without Drugs"
11/19/2021 • 27 minutes, 34 seconds
It’s A Dog’s World!
Ever wonder what the world would be like without us humans? Professor Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce answer that question from a dog’s eye perspective in their book, A Dog’s World. In addition to speculating about the future of our canine friends without us, they provide a thorough and well-researched look at all aspects of … Continue reading "It’s A Dog’s World!"
11/11/2021 • 23 minutes, 41 seconds
The Natural Funeral
Today marks the Day of the Dead in Mexico. It’s a time to welcome the spirits and memories of the dearly departed and to reflect on our own mortality. But in U.S. culture, this type of face-to-face reckoning with death itself is often taboo. Today we delve into one of those taboos: what to do … Continue reading "The Natural Funeral"
11/2/2021 • 26 minutes, 20 seconds
Microscopic ‘antennae’ use quantum mechanics to harvest heat energy
In this episode of How on Earth, Beth talks with Dr Amina Belkadi about her groundbreaking work developing the microscopic ‘rectennas’ (pictured here in a scanning EM photo) to harvest heat energy from their surroundings. This novel approach could revolutionize energy technology. Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional contribution: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:
10/26/2021 • 23 minutes, 41 seconds
Beloved Beasts // Fund Drive Show
On this week’s show journalist and author Michelle Nijhuis talks with How On Earth host Susan Moran about her recently published book, Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction. It’s a book of hope, history, and even humor. Special thanks to listeners who donated and received copies of the book. And thanks … Continue reading "Beloved Beasts // Fund Drive Show"
10/12/2021 • 27 minutes, 9 seconds
Funnel Web Spiders at Sawhill Ponds
Boulder County Nature Association Naturalists Steve Jones and Scott Severs search for autumn spiders and other creatures among the tall prairie grasses at Boulder’s Sawhill Ponds. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producer: Shelley Schlender
9/27/2021 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
New Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease
On this week’s show Beth talks with Alzheimer’s Disease researcher Dale Bredesen. In his new book, The First Survivors of Alzheimer’s, he lets some of his patients speak. He also describes in detail his complex diagnostic and personalized therapeutic approaches. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:
9/14/2021 • 27 minutes, 50 seconds
Ready for RoundUp?
Today on how on earth, Beth talks to MIT scientist Stephanie Seneff about her book, Toxic Legacy. Dr Seneff takes us on a fast paced tour of the large range of toxicities produced by glyphosate. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most commonly used weedkiller in the world. Nearly 300 million pounds of … Continue reading "Ready for RoundUp?"
9/1/2021 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Wes Marshall – Love Cars LESS
Wes Marshall – Love Cars LESS (Entire Show) CU-Denver Transportation Engineer Wes Marshall argues that people are safer and cities are more vibrant when communities focus LESS on speedways and parking lots. (This is part 2 of FUTURE of CARs series. Go Here for Part 1, about the Glory Days of Fast Cars, at … Continue reading "Wes Marshall – Love Cars LESS"
8/24/2021 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
Future of Cars – Shelby American Collection//Colorado DIgital ID
FUTURE OF CARS – Shelby American Collection (Starts 3:30) We tour Boulder’s Shelby American Collection of world-famous Vintage Shelby Cobra racecars, with founder Steve Volk. We discover what made people in the 1960s LOVE fast cars, and we learn how hot rodders created many automotive … Continue reading "Future of Cars – Shelby American Collection//Colorado DIgital ID"
8/17/2021 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
My Colorado Vaccination App – Extended Version
Here’s the Extended Version of the Interview with Russell Castagnaro about Colorado’s official way to display your vaccination record AND your driver’s license, on your smart phone. – Shelley Schlender
8/15/2021 • 15 minutes, 48 seconds
A New Way to Measure Aging
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Professor Tom LaRocca, professor in the department of Health and Exercise Science at CSU in Fort Collins. His background is in molecular biology and physiology, but he is particularly interested in translational research (using laboratory science to develop practical applications or treatments that can help people). … Continue reading "A New Way to Measure Aging"
8/12/2021 • 27 minutes, 25 seconds
Psychedelic Mushrooms & Depression
In this How on Earth episode, we learn about the latest research on psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin) and their potential for treating depression. Jill Sjong speaks with Alex Kwan, a neuroscientist and Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Yale University’s School of Medicine, who studies dendritic plasticity in mice using advanced optical methods. Dr. Kwan … Continue reading "Psychedelic Mushrooms & Depression"
8/3/2021 • 26 minutes, 47 seconds
Dismal US Mortality Data – Ryan Masters
Rare Ebony Winged Damselfly at Flagg Park (starts 1:00) Naturalists Scott Severs and Ruth Carol Cushman take us to Lafayette’s Flagg Park to see a rare and beautiful cousin of the dragonfly Early Warning for Celiac Disease (starts 4:35) Dismal US Mortality Rates (starts 7:07) – CU Sociologist … Continue reading "Dismal US Mortality Data – Ryan Masters"
7/13/2021 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
Emerging World: A Road Map for a Better World
Today on How on Earth, Beth speaks with author Roger Briggs about his new book: Emerging World. Briggs explores the evolution of consciousness and shows that this is behind everything humans have done, are now doing, and are capable of in the future. By bringing together knowledge from paleoanthropology, cultural philosophy, cognitive psychology, and evolutionary … Continue reading "Emerging World: A Road Map for a Better World"
7/11/2021 • 27 minutes, 34 seconds
UFO Report – Carol Cleland
We discuss the Pentagon’s new UFO . . . well . . . UAF report, with CU Boulder’s Center for the Study of Origins Director, Carol Cleland. Cleland wants the Pentagon to release more data, and for Congress to organize an interdisciplinary Task Force to study it. Along the way, we also discuss other “UFO … Continue reading "UFO Report – Carol Cleland"
6/29/2021 • 26 minutes, 53 seconds
Fitness in mid-life and the new Alzheimer drug
This week on How on Earth, Beth gives an update on the new drug just authorized by the FDA to treat Alzheimer’s disease, aducanumab, sold under the brand name Aduhelm. Then hear her interview with Dr Marc Bubbs, whose new book, Peak 40, builds on the strategies he laid out in his first book on … Continue reading "Fitness in mid-life and the new Alzheimer drug"
6/26/2021 • 29 minutes, 9 seconds
Energy from Hot Air – Amina Belkadi & Garret Moddel
CU-Boulder Electrical Engineers Amina Belkadi and Garret Moddel explain how scientists are working to pull energy from radiantly heated air, and why their efforts might expand renewable energy production AND help cool the planet. Producer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Joel Parker
6/9/2021 • 22 minutes, 15 seconds
Water in the Arid West
Today on How on Earth, Beth replays a timely interview with Boulder author Bob Crifasi, a long time water resource manager. His book, on the history and consequences of Front Range water use, is especially relevant now during our longterm drought.Bob works in water management and planning and is an environmental scientist with over 25 … Continue reading "Water in the Arid West"
6/6/2021 • 24 minutes, 30 seconds
Skunk Canyon Songbirds // Longmont Beavers
Skunk Canyon Songbirds (Starts 1:00) Scott Severs and Steve Jones hike Boulder’s Skunk Canyon Trail explaining why spring is late this year, plus why Skunk Canyon is home to so many song birds. Longmont Beavers (Starts 12:00) Scott Severs, Wildlife Expert for the City of Longmont, explains how beavers can promote stream health, and why … Continue reading "Skunk Canyon Songbirds // Longmont Beavers"
5/25/2021 • 26 minutes, 55 seconds
What’s Your Genetic Risk?
In this week’s show, Beth talks with epidemiologist Genevieve Wojcik. We spoke about her work standardizing what is called the Polygenic Risk Score. This is a composite risk factor, extracted from information on many individual genes that can contribute to a disorder or genetic character. To find out more about her research visit her website. … Continue reading "What’s Your Genetic Risk?"
5/21/2021 • 28 minutes, 15 seconds
GoldLab Symposium 2021 – Big Data and Healthcare
(Entire Show) Larry Gold, Boulder entrepreneur and scientist, invites listeners to register on line for the 12th annual GoldLab symposium. Due to COVID, it’s a virtual symposium this year, Thursday and Friday, May 13-14. Extended version coming soon. Executive Producer: Joel Parker Show Producer & Host: Shelley Schlender
5/11/2021 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
2021 Graduation Special
With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Kate Doubleday – CU Boulder, … Continue reading "2021 Graduation Special"
5/4/2021 • 27 minutes, 23 seconds
A Tour of Mycotopia
On this week’s show, Beth talks with author Doug Bierend about his new book, In Search of Mycotopia. He introduces us to an incredible, essential, and often denigrated kingdom of life: the fungi. A growing community of mushroom-mad citizen scientists and devotees are expanding the uses and availability of myriad fungi. From decontaminating landscapes and … Continue reading "A Tour of Mycotopia"
4/6/2021 • 28 minutes
Burn- A New Look at Our Metabolism
On today’s show, Beth talks to Herman Pontzer about his new book, Burn, a deep dive into how the human body evolved, and how our species’ deep past shapes our health and physiology. His writing includes fascinating glimpses into both field projects in small-scale societies, including hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers, in Africa and South America, … Continue reading "Burn- A New Look at Our Metabolism"
3/30/2021 • 27 minutes, 22 seconds
On today’s show, Beth talks to Dr. Brianna Stubbs. Brianna is the lead translational scientist at the Buck Institute, the world’s first research institute for the study of aging. As translational scientist, she spearheads efforts to move basic science research into clinical and daily application. We hear about her research background in the applications of … Continue reading ""
3/16/2021 • 27 minutes, 8 seconds
The Alchemy of Us- How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another
This week on How on Earth we speak with Ainissa Ramirez, materials scientist and author of The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another. In this book, she examines eight inventions and reveals how they shaped the human experience. Listen to how our sleep and language were influenced by some of … Continue reading "The Alchemy of Us- How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another"
3/11/2021 • 26 minutes, 35 seconds
Good Fat is Brown!
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Dr Paul Cohen, a physician-scientist whose research focuses on obesity and metabolic disease. They spoke about his recent study highlighting the link between brown fat and positive health outcomes in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Their converstiaon starts at about 5 minutes. You can … Continue reading "Good Fat is Brown!"
2/24/2021 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
Honeybees: Biology & Conservation
This week, Beth talks to Prof. Mike Breed, of the University of Colorado, about his longtime research on honeybees. The interview starts at about 6 min. They explore some fascinating aspects of bee biology, and some of the problems facing these amazing creatures, as well as what you can do to attract and support them. … Continue reading "Honeybees: Biology & Conservation"
2/18/2021 • 28 minutes, 21 seconds
Can Covid-19 Affect Your Mitochondria?
Beth talks with Steven Engle, Chief Executive Officer and Director of CohBar, Inc, a biotechnology company developing mitochondria-based therapeutics to treat chronic diseases and extend healthy lifespan. The company’s lead compound, CB4211, is in early stage clinical trial for fatty liver disease and obesity. The company also has four preclinical programs, two in cancer, one … Continue reading "Can Covid-19 Affect Your Mitochondria?"
2/9/2021 • 27 minutes, 54 seconds
Tom Johnson – Aging & Healthspan & Dementia
We speak with CU-Boulder Geneticist Tom Johnson about his ground-breaking research into the genetics of aging and ways to improve lifespan and healthspan. We feature excerpts from Ariel Lavery’s StoryCorps interview with her dad, Tom Johnson, and we speak with Johnson about his recent diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Producer: Shelley Schlender
1/26/2021 • 26 minutes, 58 seconds
Science On Stage
Sometimes it seems that science and art are completely different worlds but that has not always been the case. There is a long history of artistic scientists and scientific artists. In this edition of How on Earth, we talk about the alchemy of transmogrifying science into theatre. Our guests include two scientists and two playwrights who collaborated to … Continue reading "Science On Stage"
1/19/2021 • 26 minutes, 54 seconds
AKG & “Healthspan” — Gordon Lithgow
(Whole Show) Longer “healthspan” might be why the most popular Non-COVID story in Science Magazine last year involved the body-building supplement alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), fed to middle-aged mice. Buck Institute of Research on Aging Scientist Gordon Lithgow explains. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Producer: Shelley Schlender Additional Music: Stop This Train – by John Mayer. Listen to the show:
1/12/2021 • 26 minutes, 55 seconds
The Case for the Ketogenic Diet – A Talk with Gary Taubes
In today’s show, Beth talks with science writer and journalist Gary Taubes about his new, and more personal book (The Case for Keto) on his experience with the low-carb, high fat or ketogenic diet. He interviewed hundreds of people, physicians, scientists, and ordinary folks, about their experiences on this diet. The keto diet produces consistency … Continue reading "The Case for the Ketogenic Diet – A Talk with Gary Taubes"
1/8/2021 • 29 minutes, 19 seconds
Recycling Lithium-ion Batteries
Our lives have been changed by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries which are everywhere: in our cell phones, cars, toys, power tools and grid energy storage. Indeed, the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the three scientists who invented and developed them. As the world manufactures more and more Li-ion batteries, what are the challenges and opportunities for recycling … Continue reading "Recycling Lithium-ion Batteries"
12/22/2020 • 27 minutes, 14 seconds
Scratch & Sniff COVID Test // Ice Age BONE Fire
Scratch & Sniff COVID Test (starts 1:00) CU Scientist Dan Larremore explains how a smell test app might offer an affordable COVID screening that’s way more accurate than a temperature check. Ice Age BONE Fire (starts 6:00) Archeologist John Hoffecker and local volunteers recreate a Paleolithic “campfire” that used bones as the primary fuel. Volunteers who helped with this project — … Continue reading "Scratch & Sniff COVID Test // Ice Age BONE Fire"
12/15/2020 • 27 minutes, 9 seconds
Covid Vaccine Update
This week on How on Earth, Beth gives an update on the efficacy, safety, and availability of the mRNA vaccines for the corona virus. You hear from Drs Tony Fauci, Michael Diamond, and Roger Seheult. Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Sam Fuqua Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:
12/9/2020 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Octopus Wild
This week we review the hit movie “My Octopus Teacher,” the story about a man who goes diving in a kelp forest off the Western Cape of South Africa, and becomes acquainted with an octopus. We review the movie with Roger Hanlon, a diving biologist, cephalopod expert and senior scientist at the Marine Biological … Continue reading "Octopus Wild"
CU COVID TESTING UPDATE (starts 1:00) We join CU Engineering Professor Cresten Mansfeldt as he and his students open a sewer manhole and do maintenance on their wastewater COVID early warning system. We also get an update on COVID status at CU Boulder. ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER & CLIMATE CHANGE (starts 11:15) Brown dog ticks … Continue reading "CU COVID Testing Update // Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever & Climate Change"
11/17/2020 • 27 minutes, 37 seconds
The Reindeer Chronicles: Stories of Environmental Regeneration
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews author Judith Schwartz. In her new book, the Reindeer Chronicles, she takes the reader on a tour of some of the most wounded places on earth, and stories of how a passionate group of eco-restorers is leading the way to their revitalization. This optimistic book describes solutions … Continue reading "The Reindeer Chronicles: Stories of Environmental Regeneration"
11/10/2020 • 28 minutes, 27 seconds
It’s All in Your Mouth: Exploring Holistic Dentistry
In this week’s show Beth talks to Dr. Dominik Nischwitz about his new book, It’s All in Your Mouth, to learn more about the relationship between our mouths and the rest of the body. Many European dentists have practiced holistic dentistry for decades. The practice is now becoming more common in the US. This idea … Continue reading "It’s All in Your Mouth: Exploring Holistic Dentistry"
10/28/2020 • 30 minutes, 54 seconds
Andrea Tilstra – Deaths of Despair – or not
CU-Boulder Sociologist Andrea Tilstra discusses how this decade’s reduction of lifespan in the US ties closely with two factors 1) easier access to painkillers and opioids, and 2) the obesity epidemic and the related health problems that come with it. Tilstra also explains the quesitons a social scientist/demographer asks when examining the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 Boulder County local tracking of … Continue reading "Andrea Tilstra – Deaths of Despair – or not"
10/20/2020 • 27 minutes, 11 seconds
Clean – The New Science of Skin
How clean is “clean”? How do you get clean, and how important is it…could it actually be advantageous to your skin and general health to not try to get too clean? We talk with medical doctor and author Dr. James Hamblin about his new book “Clean: The New Science Of Skin“. Hosts: Chip Grandits, Joel Parker Executive Producer: Jill Sjong … Continue reading "Clean – The New Science of Skin"
10/13/2020 • 27 minutes, 21 seconds
The Shale Revolution: Weld County’s Golden Goose- Part Two
In Part Two of the Shale Revolution, we look at the environmental concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing, particularly the air quality along the Front Range. We interview Detlev Helmig, an atmospheric scientist, who monitors the air quality along the front range. We also discuss why well setbacks are such a contentious issue in Colorado. … Continue reading "The Shale Revolution: Weld County’s Golden Goose- Part Two"
10/6/2020 • 26 minutes, 19 seconds
The Shale Revolution: Weld County’s Golden Goose- Part One
This week on How on Earth, we look at the shale industry, which has transformed this country in ways we could not have imagined a decade ago. How did this happen? Where do experts think the fracking industry might be going? In this two-part series, we consider why Wall Street and environmentalists are … Continue reading "The Shale Revolution: Weld County’s Golden Goose- Part One"
9/29/2020 • 27 minutes, 2 seconds
COVID-19 CU-BOULDER – OFF CAMPUS PARTIES – SUPERSPREADERS
In this final show in our four-part series on CU Boulder & COVID, we look at how CU Boulder Contact Tracing and CU data collection has revealed that the biggest spreader of COVID-19 on CU Boulder’s campus is students “socializing” in risky ways, particularly in off-campus parties at sororities, fraternities and large student apartment buildings on “The Hill” near … Continue reading "COVID-19 CU-BOULDER – OFF CAMPUS PARTIES – SUPERSPREADERS"
9/15/2020 • 28 minutes, 7 seconds
Testing wastewater for COVID-19
PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN COVID-19 TESTS (starts 1:00) Beth Bennett reviews the years progress and challenges in COVID-19 Tests, including the latest tests at CU Boulder. CU UPDATE ON COVID-19 (starts 4:15) CU Media Relations spokesperson Candace Smith gives an update on the CU COVID-READY DASHBOARD including progress on getting the Sawyer Lab ultrafast test back in action … Continue reading "Testing wastewater for COVID-19"
9/8/2020 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
Keeping Indoors COVID-Safe – CU Aerosol Experts Shelly Miller & Jose Luis Jimenez
Ultrafast COVID Test Update (starts 1:00) Sara Sawyer’s ultrafast COVID saliva test might be an option sometime soon for allowing visits inside senior care facilities. CU COVID-READY DASHBOARD (starts3:35) CU Media Relations spokesperson Candace Smith gives an update, and How on Earth’s Beth Bennett shares comparisons with other university successes and failures at opening up. … Continue reading "Keeping Indoors COVID-Safe – CU Aerosol Experts Shelly Miller & Jose Luis Jimenez"
9/1/2020 • 27 minutes, 20 seconds
CU Boulder – COVID Test Innovations
CU Boulder has just opened up dorms and in-person classes. The CU Boulder Covid Research Strategies Webinar presents innovative testing plans that include ultra-fast COVID tests from the Sara Sawyer Lab and an automated sewage sampling system from Creston Mansfeldt. Both tests may speed early warning of Covid. Both testing strategies are innovative and ambitious. But funding and testing capacity mean … Continue reading "CU Boulder – COVID Test Innovations"
8/25/2020 • 28 minutes, 4 seconds
The Neuroscience of Pain
Chronic pain is a debilitating condition for millions of people worldwide. But what role does our brain play in processing pain? Cognitive neuroscientists are gaining a better understanding of how our brain processes pain. Using advanced imaging techniques, they can now measure and model brain systems linked to our pain and emotions. … Continue reading "The Neuroscience of Pain"
8/11/2020 • 31 minutes
COVID-19: The Evidence for Aerosol Transmission & Implications for Containment
This week How on Earth producer Beth Bennett spoke with Professor Jose Jimenez, a professor in the Chemistry Dept here at CU in Boulder. His research background for over two decades has focused on detecting and measuring aerosols. Recently he became involved in applying this expertise to the question of how the corona virus is … Continue reading "COVID-19: The Evidence for Aerosol Transmission & Implications for Containment"
8/5/2020 • 28 minutes, 34 seconds
Salmonella Biofilms — Inside of Us
Salmonella Biofilms — Inside of Us. (starts 4:06) Foodborne Salmonella infections MIGHT pave the way for arthritis, Parkinson’s disease and even Alzheimer’s. We talk with Aaron White, co-author of a new study documenting how a salmonella infection can “leak” out of the intestines and form velcro-like biofilms in body tissues. These biofilms are made of curly-shaped, curli … Continue reading "Salmonella Biofilms — Inside of Us"
7/28/2020 • 27 minutes, 52 seconds
Formation of Pluto and Its Ocean
Five years ago today on July 14, 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft made the first reconnaissance of Pluto, collecting data that continue to be analyzed and provide surprises of this distant world. On this 5th anniversary of the Pluto flyby, our guest is Dr. Carver Bierson, who is a planetary scientist at Arizona State University. … Continue reading "Formation of Pluto and Its Ocean"
7/14/2020 • 28 minutes, 32 seconds
New Method for Measuring CO2 from Fossil Fuels
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviewed Scott Lehman of the University of Colorado here in Boulder. Dr Lehman collaborated with a team at NOAA, to develop a novel technique to identify the CO2 released by burning of fossil fuels, allowing its exact calibration in the global carbon budget. Due to technical difficulties, you … Continue reading "New Method for Measuring CO2 from Fossil Fuels"
7/8/2020 • 25 minutes, 57 seconds
The Corral Bluffs’ Fossil Discovery: Earth’s Comeback Story
In this episode Angele Sjong interviews Tyler Lyson, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, about his team’s extraordinary fossil discovery at the Corral Bluffs. When the asteroid destroyed most of life on earth 66 million years ago, including the dinosaurs, this cataclysmic event ended the Age of Reptiles and began … Continue reading "The Corral Bluffs’ Fossil Discovery: Earth’s Comeback Story"
6/30/2020 • 25 minutes, 49 seconds
Vaccine Update // General Anesthetic Poses Alcohol Abuse Risk for Kids
This week on How on Earth, Beth delves into the science of vaccination for the new corona virus and speaks with Dr David Werner of SUNY Binghamton about his research on the likelihood that general anesthetics can set children and adolescents up for the risk of later alcohol abuse. Find out more at his website. … Continue reading "Vaccine Update // General Anesthetic Poses Alcohol Abuse Risk for Kids"
6/17/2020 • 28 minutes, 21 seconds
The Nature of Science // Biology is Everywhere!
Today on How on Earth, Beth plays part of a 1964 lecture by Nobel laureate Richard Feynman in which he discusses how the scientific method actually works and the progressive, and therefore uncertain, nature of science. Then she speaks with Dr Melanie Peffer about her book, Biology is Everywhere, and her goals of making biology … Continue reading "The Nature of Science // Biology is Everywhere!"
6/2/2020 • 25 minutes, 25 seconds
Carl Safina – Becoming Wild (Animal Culture)
Carl Safina – Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace We talk with bestselling author Carl Safina about his new book, Becoming Wild, which features sperm whales, scarlet macaws and chimpanzees Safina also he reflects on what the Covid-19 pandemic means for the entire kingdom of Life on Earth. (Entire Show) Executive Producer: Joel … Continue reading "Carl Safina – Becoming Wild (Animal Culture)"
5/26/2020 • 27 minutes, 34 seconds
Do Masks Protect from Corona Virus // AgriSolar in Boulder
Beth and Angele discuss the pros and cons of mask wearing as protection against the novel corona virus. You can see the video on sneezing, as well as the various types of masks. Then, Angele talks to Byron Kamenick from Jack’s Solar Garden, located outside of Niwot. Jack’s Solar garden is putting in place an … Continue reading "Do Masks Protect from Corona Virus // AgriSolar in Boulder"
5/22/2020 • 30 minutes, 30 seconds
2020 Graduation Special
With graduation season is upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Hayley Sohn – CU … Continue reading "2020 Graduation Special"
5/10/2020 • 27 minutes, 10 seconds
Antibody Testing // Why is the FDA Cracking Down on Raw Milk Cheese?
This week on How on Earth, we speak with Professor Catherine Donnelly, of the University of Vermont, about her book, Ending the War on Artisan Cheese. She exposes the efforts of the corporate dairy industry, in conjunction with the FDA, to limit the use of raw milk in making artisanal cheese, despite a long track … Continue reading "Antibody Testing // Why is the FDA Cracking Down on Raw Milk Cheese?"
4/30/2020 • 30 minutes
Ron Rosedale – Leptin, IL-6 and Cytokine Storms (Extended Version)
Listen here to this extended version of the abridged interview with Ron Rosedale that broadcast on HowonEarthradio April 14, 2020. Transcript is below. Host/Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender TRANSCRIPT OF EXTENDED INTERVIEW Ron Rosedale, MD, Talks about COVID 19, the Immune System and Cytokine Storms DATE: April 14th 2020 Introduction — The Centers for Disease Control reports that people are at greater risk … Continue reading "Ron Rosedale – Leptin, IL-6 and Cytokine Storms (Extended Version)"
4/14/2020 • 40 minutes, 46 seconds
Scientists Help a City Run COVID Tests // A Diet to Reduce Cytokine Storms
Berkeley Scientists help their city test for Covid 19 (Starts 1:00) Fyodor Urnov of Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute explains why and how scientists anywhere can help their local community test for the Covid-19 virus. Cytokine Storms Explained (Starts 13:05) CU Boulder Biology Professor Beth Bennett explains the “cytokine storms” that people are hearing more about in serious Covid-19 infections. A Diet that … Continue reading "Scientists Help a City Run COVID Tests // A Diet to Reduce Cytokine Storms"
4/14/2020 • 27 minutes, 31 seconds
Corona Virus: Therapies and Transmission
This week on How on Earth, we are still producing off site. Beth and Angele give an update on treatment and transmission of the corona virus and Shelley interviews CU Boulder scientists Anushree Chatterjee and Prashant Nagpal who explain the pros and cons of using old medicines to fight Covid-19, and they describe some new … Continue reading "Corona Virus: Therapies and Transmission"
4/8/2020 • 27 minutes, 23 seconds
CoVid19 Update // Beer Chemistry Redux
This week How on Earth adjusts to the restrictions imposed by the corona virus by replaying a previous feature on the chemistry of beer brewing. First Beth gives an overview of some proposed treatments for corona virus. Then, the featured interview with author Pete Brown. When the New York Times reviewed Miracle Brew, the reviewer … Continue reading "CoVid19 Update // Beer Chemistry Redux"
4/8/2020 • 27 minutes, 56 seconds
COVID-19: ACE, Targeted Therapies, Old & New Medicines
This episode talks about research about COVID-19, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and targeted therapies, and our feature is an interview with CU-Boulder scientists Anushree Chatterjee and Prashant Nagpal. This husband and wife science team explains why there may be a downside to adapting old medications to fight Covid-19. They’ll also explain their anguish about why creating new “drugs” to fight Covid-19 … Continue reading "COVID-19: ACE, Targeted Therapies, Old & New Medicines"
This week on How On Earth, we present an Encore Feature from January 2018 about the science and art of brewing beer with guest Pete Brown, author of Miracle Brew. This episode also includes new headlines about current research about COVID-19 and about the science of drying towels outside. Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Joel Parker, Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Additional contributions: Angele … Continue reading "Miracle Brew (encore feature) // COVID-19 // Drying Towels"
3/31/2020 • 27 minutes, 56 seconds
CoVid19 Update // Sleep and Your Immune System
This week on How On Earth, we produced the entire show out of the studio, explaining one brief glitch. Beth gives a short update on the way the corona virus infects cells and how this entry point can affect people taking blood pressure medications. In our feature interview, Beth talks with Professor Mark Opp, who … Continue reading "CoVid19 Update // Sleep and Your Immune System"
3/25/2020 • 26 minutes, 9 seconds
Peer Pressure can Influence Your Carbon Footprint // CoVid19 Update
This week on How on Earth we start with an update on the corona virus, focusing on treatments and vaccines. At 12 minutes, we begin our interview with Bob Frank, author of Under the Influence, Putting Peer Pressure to Work. This book explains how we could redirect trillions of dollars annually in support of carbon-free … Continue reading "Peer Pressure can Influence Your Carbon Footprint // CoVid19 Update"
3/18/2020 • 27 minutes, 47 seconds
Ice Age Bone Fire // Backcountry Skiing & Wildlife
Backcountry Skiing & Wildlife (Starts 1:00) Margaret Hedderman reports on how off-trail use of wilderness areas is causing increasing harm to wildlife . . . and what to do instead. Ice Age Bone Fire (starts 6:15) We join Archeologist John Hoffecker and a team of volunteers to recreate a Paleolithic campfire. This “campfire” was used over 20,000 … Continue reading "Ice Age Bone Fire // Backcountry Skiing & Wildlife"
3/3/2020 • 27 minutes, 12 seconds
Space Mining
Space Mining [starts at 9:20] Stars have been called “diamonds in the sky,” but there are other valuable and more accessible resources up there. Asteroids might be the next gold rush, though for resources other than gold, if there are ways to actually get there and mine them. Can we do that? And, even if we can, does … Continue reading "Space Mining"
3/1/2020 • 25 minutes, 51 seconds
Stem Cell Science // Decoding Science
Stem cell science v. hype (start time: 00:57) Clinics offering stem cell therapies and other forms of so-called regenerative medicine are cropping up in many states, including Colorado. Practitioners of stem cells, are touting them as repairing damaged cartilage, tendons and joints, and even treating diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. While the science looks … Continue reading "Stem Cell Science // Decoding Science"
2/12/2020 • 27 minutes, 49 seconds
The Science of Hearing and Hearing Aids
This week Beth and Angele talk with David Owen about his book, Volume Control, in which he explores the surprising science of hearing and the remarkable technologies that can help us hear better. In the book, he argues that failing to take care of our hearing comes with a huge social cost. He demystifies the … Continue reading "The Science of Hearing and Hearing Aids"
2/7/2020 • 28 minutes, 42 seconds
Who Pays for Climate Change?
This week, Beth and Angele speak with with Brenda Ekwurzel in the studio. Brenda is the director of climate science for the Union of Concerned Scientists. She was in Boulder for a panel on Air Quality and Climate Change. She spoke about some Colorado issues e.g. wildfire and drought, and assigning responsibility for specific events … Continue reading "Who Pays for Climate Change?"
1/23/2020 • 27 minutes, 56 seconds
Ketogenic Diet and Muscle and Memory
This week on How on Earth, we speak with Dr John Newman, geriatrician and geoscientist at the Buck Institute. He describes his recent research in mice, showing that both memory and muscle improve in animals eating a high fat diet. To see more details on these experiments, you can visit the lab website. To register … Continue reading "Ketogenic Diet and Muscle and Memory"
1/15/2020 • 30 minutes, 11 seconds
Climate Watch // Extreme Conservation
Today’s show features the following interviews, by How On Earth’s Susan Moran and guest host Ted Wood. Audubon’s Climate Watch (start time: 4:03) Starting on Jan. 14, the Audubon Society will launch a month-long citizen science program to better understand how birds are responding to climate change. This comes at a time when, according to a 2019 … Continue reading "Climate Watch // Extreme Conservation"
1/7/2020 • 26 minutes, 56 seconds
Top Stories of the Decade
This week on How on Earth, Angele and Beth distill some of the top science news of the past year and decade, ranging from the first image of a black hole, as seen here, to DNA sequencing of ancient genomes, some new hominid ancestors, advances in AI, and more! Hosts: Beth Bennett & Angele Sjong … Continue reading "Top Stories of the Decade"
1/1/2020 • 26 minutes, 3 seconds
Climate (COP25) Summit Review
COP25 Postmortem (start time: 3:35) Earlier this month many nation’s leaders, as well as scientists, environmental activists, companies and others gathered in Madrid for a two-week United Nations climate summit. The conference, called COP25, is rooted in the 2015 Paris Agreement, which is a blend of pledges from about 200 nations to dramatically slash their planet-warming emissions. Next year’s … Continue reading "Climate (COP25) Summit Review"
12/17/2019 • 28 minutes, 18 seconds
Cognitive Brain Development in Adolescents, Part 2
Four years ago Beth interviewed Professor Marie Banich, a neuroscience researcher at the University of Colorado here in Boulder. She had just received a major grant from NIH to characterize how brain regions involved in decision making and judgment change as children grow up. In the past four years she has assembled a multi-site team … Continue reading "Cognitive Brain Development in Adolescents, Part 2"
12/11/2019 • 27 minutes, 38 seconds
Voyager Passes Heliopause//Xmas Bird Count
Voyager Passes Through the Heliopause (Starts 1:00) LASP scientist Fran Bagenol explains how the over 40 year old Voyager Mission, that launched in the 1970s is still providing incredible surprises, including passing through the border between the solar system and “outer space.” As part of making that journey, the Voyager spacecraft have passed through cosmic plasma that … Continue reading "Voyager Passes Heliopause//Xmas Bird Count"
12/3/2019 • 26 minutes, 31 seconds
COP25 Global Climate Summit
COP25 & Climate Change (start time: 1:07): Next month (Dec. 2-13), the United Nations global climate change summit, known as COP25, will take place in Madrid. Many scientists, environmental nonprofits, students, activists will also attend side events related to the UN sustainable development goals (SDG). The goal of COP over the years has been to … Continue reading "COP25 Global Climate Summit"
11/19/2019 • 27 minutes, 43 seconds
Buzz: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers
BUZZ: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils and Adrenaline Junkies. We speak with clinical psychologist and author, Ken Carter about his new book BUZZ, and high-sensation seekers who can’t get enough “new” and love to seek out more. Carter is a consultant for the Denver Science Museum’s Extreme Sports exhibit, running through spring 2020. He speaks at the Boulder Bookstore … Continue reading "Buzz: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers"
11/5/2019 • 27 minutes, 53 seconds
Randall Munroe Explains “How To”
How To [starts at 4:30] Our guest for this episode is Randall Munroe, perhaps best known for his comic xkcd, and author of the books “What If” and “Thing Explainer”. Randall has figured out how to do many things, so he wrote a new book appropriately called “How To”, which promises to provide absurd scientific advice for common real … Continue reading "Randall Munroe Explains “How To”"
11/4/2019 • 25 minutes, 28 seconds
Almost Human – Julius the Chimpanzee Caught Between Two Worlds (FULL INTERVIEW)
Almost Human – The Story of Julius, the Chimpanzee Caught Between Two Worlds (Extended Version) by Alfred Fidjestøl. This is the full version of the interview.
10/22/2019 • 27 minutes, 43 seconds
Pledge Drive Show – Almost Human: The Story of Julius, the Chimpanzee
Almost Human: The Story of Julius, the Chimpanzee Caught Between Two Worlds. In this fall pledge drive show, we feature Alfred Fidjestøl‘s new biography about one of Europe’s most famous chimpanzees. (We’ll broadcast the full interview with Alfred Fijestol at a later date.) Hosts: Shelley Schlender & Chip Grandits Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Joel Parker
10/22/2019 • 27 minutes, 42 seconds
At the Intersection of Science and Art with Jorge Perez-Gallego
We talk with University of Colorado Scholar in Residence Jorge Perez-Gallego about many non-traditional paths one might take after getting a science Ph.D. as well as CU’s Grand Challenge and the fascinating intersection of science and art through the Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts. Host, Producer, Engineer: Joel Parker Additional Contributions: Shelley Schlender Listen … Continue reading "At the Intersection of Science and Art with Jorge Perez-Gallego"
10/11/2019 • 27 minutes, 9 seconds
Alzhieimer’s Drug Reverses Brain Damage Caused by Binge Drinking
Beth interviews neuroscientist and addiction researcher Scott Swartzwelder who talks about his research on reversing alcohol-induced brain damage in young rats. In past work, Professor Swartzwelder and colleagues have identified specific areas of the brain damaged by drinking, especially in adolescent rats. In this interview, he describes, how this damage occurs, and amazingly, how treatment … Continue reading "Alzhieimer’s Drug Reverses Brain Damage Caused by Binge Drinking"
10/2/2019 • 27 minutes, 57 seconds
Amazon Burning — Jennifer Balch
Amazon Burning – (starts 3:15) CU Boulder Earth Lab Director Jennifer Balch explains how the burning of the tropical rain forests may destroy them, and ways to protect the forests and sustainable development Hosts: Shelley Schlender, Susan Moran Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
9/24/2019 • 28 minutes, 16 seconds
Tackling Ozone Pollution
Tackling ozone pollution in Colorado (starts at 3:55): Cooler fall weather might soon bring back the bluebird skies we all love. But last year ozone levels in the Denver metropolitan area were high enough to prompt state health officials to issue ozone action alerts an average of once a week. (This summer has fared somewhat better.) During … Continue reading "Tackling Ozone Pollution"
9/17/2019 • 28 minutes, 1 second
Lights Out Denver – Saving Birds and Energy
On this week’s show Beth speaks with Vicki Vargas-Madrid, Program Administrator for the Denver Lights Out Program. This program is part of the Denver Sustainability Office, which seeks to conserve energy and promote sustainable lifestyles. They discuss the program’s efforts to reduce bird mortality following collisions with windows by reducing night time illumination. To learn … Continue reading "Lights Out Denver – Saving Birds and Energy"
9/11/2019 • 25 minutes, 14 seconds
Creative (Climate) Communications
Creative (Climate) Communications [starts at 7:40] As a climate scientist Professor Max Boykoff is part of a community that has been persistently making the case that global warming is a serious problem, with severe and widespread consequences and that human activity is contributing to the problem and significant changes in human behavior is instrumental to addressing … Continue reading "Creative (Climate) Communications"
9/4/2019 • 27 minutes, 24 seconds
Edible Bugs
Edible Bugs (Entire Program) When it comes to an animal that has high quality proteins and fats, plus a very small environmental footprint, there’s more bang to the bug. We talk about, and taste, edible bugs with Wendy Lu McGill, founder of Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch, and Amy Franklin, Founder of Farms for Orphans that teaches orphanages in … Continue reading "Edible Bugs"
8/28/2019 • 25 minutes, 55 seconds
Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone
GLEE (starts at 8:06) We just recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. After the Apollo missions, scientists have returned to the Moon with robotic missions because of the scientific clues the Moon can provide about the history of the Earth and the solar system, as well as learning more about the lunar … Continue reading "Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone"
8/13/2019 • 25 minutes, 41 seconds
Marc Bubbs & The New Science of Athletic Performance
In this episode, Beth speaks with Dr Marc Bubbs, author of Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance, his book exploring the fundamentals of high performance. He offers science-based strategies on nutrition, training, sleep, recovery, and stress management to optimize performance for all levels of athletes and trainers. You can read more about the book … Continue reading "Marc Bubbs & The New Science of Athletic Performance"
8/7/2019 • 25 minutes, 44 seconds
Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us
Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us. (Starts 00:00) We speak with science writer Ruth Kassinger about her acclaimed new book, which Kirkus Review describes as “accessible and enthralling.” Nature Science reports that Kassinger’s book, “ is a real pleasure. ” Publisher’s Weekly writes, “ Kassinger turns an obscure subject into delightful … Continue reading "Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us"
7/30/2019 • 26 minutes, 27 seconds
PUNCH-ing the Sun
The PUNCH mission (starts at 8:05) NASA’s new mission to study the Sun is called PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere). In this episode of How on Earth we talk with solar physicist Dr. Craig DeForest, the Principal Investigator of the PUNCH mission. Dr. DeForest is a Program Director at the Boulder office of Southwest … Continue reading "PUNCH-ing the Sun"
7/2/2019 • 24 minutes, 15 seconds
Cancer, Immunity and the Future of a Cure
Despite all the advances in modern medical science, a diagnosis of Cancer often casts a pallor of hopelessness, for both the patient and the practitioner. For many types the prognosis is often poor; the cure is often worse than the disease; victory is usually called simply remission, temporary, perhaps fleeting. One might think the inability … Continue reading "Cancer, Immunity and the Future of a Cure"
6/25/2019 • 27 minutes, 33 seconds
Yeast & Entropy
Yeast & Entropy (starts 2:30) When yeast cells eat sugar and then give off ethanol, it helps us make yeast breads and beer. But WHY would yeast work so hard to metabolize sugar, simply to spit out as ethanol? This is a mystery that Matthias Heinemann is trying to figure out. Heinemann is a professor … Continue reading "Yeast & Entropy"
6/18/2019 • 27 minutes, 36 seconds
Toxic Air’s Health Risks
Air Pollution, Possible Solutions (start time: 2:36) It is ubiquitous and essential to our life. It it is also the cause of some 7 million premature deaths around the world every year, ranking just behind diet, cancer and tobacco as a health risk. That’s the air we breath. Beijing, New Delhi, and London are among … Continue reading "Toxic Air’s Health Risks"
6/12/2019 • 27 minutes, 31 seconds
Paternity Science
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews Nara Milanich, author of Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father, and professor of history at Barnard College. For most of human history, paternity was uncertain while motherhood most definitely was not. But in the 1920s new scientific advances promised to solve the mystery of paternity. The … Continue reading "Paternity Science"
6/5/2019 • 28 minutes, 1 second
A Walking Life // MOSAIC Arctic Expedition
In the first feature (start time 1:00) KGNU’s Maeve Conran speaks with Antonia Malchik, author of A Walking Life. This book explores the relationship between walking and our humanity, how we have lost it through a century of car-centric design, how we can regain it and more. This part of the interview, produced especially for … Continue reading "A Walking Life // MOSAIC Arctic Expedition"
5/28/2019 • 25 minutes, 27 seconds
2019 Graduation Special
With graduation season is upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Marcus Piquette – CU … Continue reading "2019 Graduation Special"
5/21/2019 • 29 minutes, 7 seconds
Gold Lab Symposium 2019
We speak with Larry Gold, founder of the Gold Lab Symposium that will take place at CU Boulder’s Muenzinger Auditorium this Friday and Saturday. This year’s symposium will feature leading scientists discussing the double-edged swords of our modern treatments for cancer, immunity and autoimmunity. To sign up or learn more, see Gold Lab Foundation. Host,Producer,Engineer Shelley Schlender … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium 2019"
5/14/2019 • 27 minutes, 34 seconds
Plastic Pollution & Solutions
Tackling Plastic Pollution (starts at 3:09): It is, sadly, common for beachcombers around the world to see, along with clam shells and sand dollars, plastic bottles, bottle caps, cigaret filters and fish nets washed up on shore. According to estimates by World Economic Forum, our oceans will be populated by more pounds of plastic waste … Continue reading "Plastic Pollution & Solutions"
5/7/2019 • 26 minutes, 27 seconds
The Nuclear Option for Decarbonization
In this week’s show, Beth interviews Joshua Goldstein. He and co-author Steffan Qvist wrote eloquently about how nuclear energy can replace fossil fuels – a vital necessity in a rapidly warming world. A new generation of nuclear plants reduces waste and completely eliminates CO2. In Sweden, France and Ontario, these plants have allowed these countries … Continue reading "The Nuclear Option for Decarbonization"
5/1/2019 • 26 minutes, 20 seconds
Concussion Test // Pot & Pain Meds // Chords and Codons
Concussion Test (Starts 1:00) David Howell is chief researcher at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Howell says the century old Romberg Balance Test can help evaluate how long a child will need therapeutic intervention after a blow to the brain. Pot & Pain Meds (Starts 7:00 ) Mark Twardowski is doctor in Grand Junction who does endoscopic procedures that include … Continue reading "Concussion Test // Pot & Pain Meds // Chords and Codons"
4/16/2019 • 26 minutes, 44 seconds
An Astronomical Journey with Michelle Thaller
This special edition of How on Earth is produced in conjunction with the Conference on World Affairs. Our guest a participants of the Conference: Dr. Michelle Thaller, assistant director of science at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Her path has taken her from Harvard to Georgia State University to Caltech to NASA. Dr. Thaller has studied hot stars, … Continue reading "An Astronomical Journey with Michelle Thaller"
4/9/2019 • 27 minutes, 13 seconds
Pesticides and Health Impacts
A Consumer’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce (starts 7:55) You may be wondering if you washed the strawberries, blueberries or kale that you had for breakfast this morning enough to rid them of residue of potentially harmful pesticides. That is, if they were conventionally, not organically, grown. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 200 different pesticides … Continue reading "Pesticides and Health Impacts"
4/2/2019 • 27 minutes, 25 seconds
This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution
This View of Life (starts 6:56) In this episode of How on Earth, we talk with David Sloan Wilson, an evolutionary biologist with a special interest in human biocultural evolution. Dr. Wilson is Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anthropology at SUNY Binghamton, and president of the Evolution Institute as well as editor in chief of its online magazine … Continue reading "This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution"
3/27/2019 • 27 minutes, 56 seconds
The Goodness Paradox – Full Interview
The Goodness Paradox (Starts 5:22): On this week’s show we play the full interview with Richard Wrangham, a primatologist at Harvard University, about his new book, The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution. Wrangham discusses with How On Earth hosts Susan Moran and Chip Grandits how, and why, homo sapiens evolved to be … Continue reading "The Goodness Paradox – Full Interview"
3/21/2019 • 27 minutes, 19 seconds
The Goodness Paradox // Pledge Drive
The Goodness Paradox (Teaser): Today’s spring pledge-drive show features brief clips from a recent interview with Richard Wrangham, a primatologist at Harvard University, about his new book, The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution. Wrangham discusses with How On Earth hosts Susan Moran and Chip Grandits how, and why, homo sapiens evolved to … Continue reading "The Goodness Paradox // Pledge Drive"
3/13/2019 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
Tagging the Bugs that Carry Antibiotic Resistance
In this week’s show, Beth interviews Dr. Ivan Liachko, CEO and Co-Founder of Phase Genomics, a startup biotech company recently funded, in part, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The company is using a new technology that allows researchers to pair plasmids, which are small non-chromosomal pieces of DNA, with the bacterial species carrying … Continue reading "Tagging the Bugs that Carry Antibiotic Resistance"
3/6/2019 • 27 minutes, 1 second
MRI Improvement by Standardization
In this week’s show, Beth speaks with William Hollander, and Kevin Miller, of QalibreMD, a Boulder startup focused on transforming MRI technology. Traditional MRI scans can result in a large differences between readings on different equipment. The results can be costly and misleading, as conditions like cancer can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.The interview starts ~5’30”, … Continue reading "MRI Improvement by Standardization"
2/28/2019 • 27 minutes, 41 seconds
HOLOSCENES / Little Boxes: Science On a Sphere
Spend some time at the intersection of art, engineering and science; we’ll hear about the world premier of HOLOSCENES / Little Boxes February 20, 7:00 PM at Fiske Planetarium in Boulder. Get a glimpse of how cutting edge visual artists team up with world class scientists using the latest technology to complement a rational understanding … Continue reading "HOLOSCENES / Little Boxes: Science On a Sphere"
2/12/2019 • 26 minutes, 59 seconds
The Science of Exercise Recovery
Athlete’s Guide to Recovery (starts at 5:39): Colorado is riddled with athletes, many of them incessantly chasing the latest recovery products and services that will enhance their performance — from Gatorade and other ubiquitous sports-recovery drinks, to supplements, to compression boots, to cryochambers, to good old-fashioned massages. How solid is the solid the science behind the … Continue reading "The Science of Exercise Recovery"
2/5/2019 • 27 minutes, 10 seconds
Characterizing Microbial Communities
Microbial communities are all around us: in our homes, gardens, oceans, even deep underground but their roles in the function of the biosphere are poorly understood. Today Beth spoke with Professor Noah Fierer, at the University of Colorado, in Boulder, who uses DNA to identify microbes in communities ranging from insect microbiomes to Antarctic soils. … Continue reading "Characterizing Microbial Communities"
1/30/2019 • 26 minutes, 21 seconds
Composting & Carbon Farming
Why Compost? (start time: 7:01) Many of us may feel a little less guilty letting fruits and vegetables go bad, because we figure that this waste, thanks to curbside compost pickup, will be turned into nutritious food for crops, lawns or grasslands down the road. And landfills will spew less methane, a greenhouse gas far … Continue reading "Composting & Carbon Farming"
1/22/2019 • 27 minutes, 10 seconds
Wisdom of the Body
Animal scientists have long considered domestic livestock to be too dumb to know how to eat right, but the lifetime research of animal behaviorist Fred Provenza and his colleagues has debunked this myth. Their work shows that when given a choice of natural foods, livestock have an astoundingly refined palate. Like these animals, humans too, … Continue reading "Wisdom of the Body"
1/9/2019 • 26 minutes, 25 seconds
A Tale of Two Missions: OSIRIS-REx and New Horizons
OSIRIS-REx (starts at 1:00) In today’s first feature, we hear about OSIRIS-REx, NASA’s first mission to do a sample return from an asteroid. Our guest is Dr. Vicky Hamilton, a Staff Scientist at the Southwest Reserarch Institute’s Boulder office, and a member of that mission. She talks about the scientific goals of OSIRIS-REx, and how it … Continue reading "A Tale of Two Missions: OSIRIS-REx and New Horizons"
12/26/2018 • 27 minutes, 26 seconds
Soft Robotic Muscles
Soft Robotic Muscles (WHOLE SHOW) Robotic Materials are going beyond gears and levers toward powerful components that are softer and more muscular. These materials may someday soon help build more human like prosthetic limbs for amputees. . . . or help a harvesting machine pluck ripe strawberries without squishing them. PhD students Nick Kellaris and Shane Mitchell are with CU Boulder’s … Continue reading "Soft Robotic Muscles"
12/18/2018 • 26 minutes, 12 seconds
Titan Talk with Sarah Hörst
Headlines: Inheritance of mitochondrial DNA. Coffee and Parkinson’s disease. Sending your name and a message to the New Horizons spacecraft. Winds on Mars. Water on Asteroids. Feature: Titan (starts at 8:55) The solar system has so many different worlds that come in all shapes and sizes and histories, from boiling hot Mercury and Venus to icy Pluto and … Continue reading "Titan Talk with Sarah Hörst"
12/15/2018 • 27 minutes, 6 seconds
National Assessment on Climate Change
Climate Change (starts at 6:30) Volume II of the fourth National Assessment on Climate Change was released on the day after Thanksgiving. The findings are stark. It is already too late to prevent major long term effects of climate change. The scientific community has now turned to predicting and quantifying those effects and how human civilization … Continue reading "National Assessment on Climate Change"
12/5/2018 • 27 minutes, 33 seconds
Never Home Alone by Rob Dunn
Never Home Alone (starts at 4:26) In this week’s How on Earth, Beth interviews Professor Rob Dunn. In his recent book, Never Home Alone, he gives a sneak peak into the natural history of the wilderness in our homes, from the microbes in our showers to the crickets in our basements. You can find out more … Continue reading "Never Home Alone by Rob Dunn"
11/28/2018 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Baking Soda for Autoimmune Disease // Crickets for the Gut
Baking Soda for Autoimmune Disease (starts at 1:00) Georgia Medical College researcher Paul O’Connor reports that a small amount of baking soda in water, for two weeks, shifts the immune cell known as macrophage away from “attack” mode and more toward, “repair” mode. He says this research comes, in part, from studies involving the benefits of baking soda for people … Continue reading "Baking Soda for Autoimmune Disease // Crickets for the Gut"
11/27/2018 • 27 minutes, 45 seconds
Nature and Health
Nature Rx (start time: 9:33): Nature is good for your health. Sounds obvious, but what does science tell us? A walk in the woods can help to calm your nervous system and spark novel ideas, and spending time in nature can reduce symptoms of PTSD or ADHD. Little is actually known about how nature offers healing … Continue reading "Nature and Health"
11/13/2018 • 28 minutes, 20 seconds
Living in a World of Thinking Machines
It has been 50 years since the original 2001, A Space Odyssey, where movie viewers first heard Captain Powers asking, “Open the pod bay doors, HAL” and found HAL thought differently about whether that was a good idea. For most of that half-century, artificial intelligence still seemed a long way off, but in the last … Continue reading "Living in a World of Thinking Machines"
10/30/2018 • 24 minutes, 28 seconds
Front Range Fracking // Planet+Human Health
Today’s show offers two features: Oil & Gas Impacts (start time: 1:05) Proposition 112, which would require oil and gas wells to be at least 2,500 feet from homes, schools, parks and other buildings, has highlighted mounting public concerns about the health, social and other impacts of extensive drilling along Colorado’s Front Range. Weld County is … Continue reading "Front Range Fracking // Planet+Human Health"
10/23/2018 • 28 minutes
Ketotarian & Pledge Drive Show
This week on How on Earth Beth interviews author Will Cole, functional medicine physician, about his new book, Ketotarian. He proposes a novel ketogenic diet, which has typically derived its high fat content from meat and dairy. The book describes the ketogenic approach and illustrates vegetarian, vegan, and pescatarian alternatives. Also hear Beth and Chip … Continue reading "Ketotarian & Pledge Drive Show"
10/17/2018 • 27 minutes, 10 seconds
Regenerative Medicine #1: Primer
Regenerative Medicine (start time: 7:30): We begin our series on regenerative medicine with a discussion of scientific advancements, promises, caveats, regulations, and challenges of regenerative medicine therapies for orthopedic applications, such as stem cell, prolo therapy and PRP (platlet-rich plasma) therapy. Together, these therapies aim to regenerate or replace injured, diseased, or defective cells, tissues, … Continue reading "Regenerative Medicine #1: Primer"
10/9/2018 • 26 minutes, 12 seconds
Eager Beavers
Beth talks with author Ben Goldfarb about his new book, amusingly titled Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. You’ll gain a better understanding of beavers’ myriad skills, and want to restore beaver populations in our local environments. Spoiler alert, we’ll have copies of his book available during the pledge drive … Continue reading "Eager Beavers"
10/4/2018 • 26 minutes, 23 seconds
How Skin Begins // Dr. Dan
Boulder researchers have discovered a key mechanism by which skin begins to develop in embryos, shedding light on the genetic roots of birth defects like cleft palate and paving the way for development of more functional skin grafts for burn victims. We bring you an interview with lead researchers, Associate Professor Rui Yi of CU … Continue reading "How Skin Begins // Dr. Dan"
9/18/2018 • 26 minutes, 4 seconds
Cricket Chorus // Foliage Science
This week’s How On Earth features the following two segments: Late-summer Cricket Chorus (start time: 1:02) One of the most poetic sounds of the end of summer is …. no, not your kids kicking and screaming because summer is over. It’s the sound of crickets, katydids and other melodic insects “chirping” at night. Our focus here is Snowy … Continue reading "Cricket Chorus // Foliage Science"
9/11/2018 • 27 minutes, 34 seconds
Saving Summer: The National Wildlife Federation Report
The National Wildlife Federation just released its report, Safeguarding Summer: From Climate Threats to Iconic Summer Experiences. This report chronicles the latest scientific findings on these trends and shows how we can engage on these issues to save our summers now and for future generations. This week Beth interviews the lead author, Frank Szillosi, about … Continue reading "Saving Summer: The National Wildlife Federation Report"
9/5/2018 • 26 minutes, 33 seconds
Email Anxiety // Food Waste
This week’s How On Earth offers two features: Work-Email Anxiety (start time: 7:58) If you’re wondering why you often feel anxious on Monday mornings, despite having spent time with your family and friends over the weekend, you might recall the amount of time you spent glued to your smart phone or laptop, checking email because you … Continue reading "Email Anxiety // Food Waste"
8/28/2018 • 27 minutes, 48 seconds
Low Carb & Lifespan//Down syndrome & Inflammation
Low Carb Diets and Lifespan (starts 3:00) Dr. Ron Rosedale, MD, gives a “second opinion” about a widely publicized report in the prominent medical journal The Lancet. The Lancet report contends that low carb diets (40% carbs or less) shorten lifespan, and moderate carb diets (roughly 55% carbs) promote longer lifespans. The study is being hailed as proof for why people should “eat carbs in moderation.” But what if the … Continue reading "Low Carb & Lifespan//Down syndrome & Inflammation"
8/22/2018 • 28 minutes, 19 seconds
Aerogel as Clear as Glass//New Science Standards for Colorado Schools
Aerogel as Clear As Glass: (Starts 4:00) Most aerogels “windows” are kind of foggy looking. A CU-Boulder science team has created something better. It’s a liquid made from recycled plant material, a liquid that hardens into a gel that’s almost as light as air, almost as clear as glass, yet it can insulate against temperature changes. This “gel” is flexible … Continue reading "Aerogel as Clear as Glass//New Science Standards for Colorado Schools"
8/15/2018 • 27 minutes, 10 seconds
Dogs for Diabetics
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell – it’s so good, people can train dogs to sniff our everything from illegal drugs and explosives to lost people and even computer “thumbnail” drives, that maybe someone is trying to sneak into a high security building so they can sneak out information. So how about dogs sniffing … Continue reading "Dogs for Diabetics"
8/7/2018 • 28 minutes, 35 seconds
Vascular Disease & Aging Part 2
This week on How on Earth, Beth finishes up her interview with Professor Doug Seals, aging researcher. He explains the role of vascular damage in heart disease and how lifestyle choices such as exercise and diet can maintain healthy vasculature. In addition, he discusses some of his experiments in older humans with supplements and pharmacologic … Continue reading "Vascular Disease & Aging Part 2"
8/1/2018 • 26 minutes, 35 seconds
What’s Happening Inside Your Arteries?
This week’s How on Earth guest, Dr Doug Seals, researches vascular aging. Several events occur as we age that conspire to damage blood vessels, culminating in what is popularly known as hardening of the arteries. But lifestyle modifications to exercise and diet can prevent and even reverse this trend. This week’s show gives background and … Continue reading "What’s Happening Inside Your Arteries?"
7/25/2018 • 27 minutes, 10 seconds
Wildfire Health Impacts // Detained Immigrant Children Suffer Medical Woes
We offer two feature interviews on this week’s show: Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke (start time: 4:22) It’s peak wildfire season. Smoke from forest and grass fires contains particulates that can irritate eyes, throat and lungs — especially in children, the elderly, and people already suffering from asthma, allergies, heart disease. How On Earth host Susan … Continue reading "Wildfire Health Impacts // Detained Immigrant Children Suffer Medical Woes"
7/17/2018 • 26 minutes, 21 seconds
Science of Psychedelics
We present another part of our interview with Michael Pollan about his book “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence”. It is an investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs, and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic … Continue reading "Science of Psychedelics"
7/11/2018 • 29 minutes, 25 seconds
What do Dogs Think?
This week on How on Earth, Beth talks to author Dr Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus, CU Boulder. His new book has the wonderful title of Canine Confidential. If you enjoy dogs, dog parks, and watching them interact with each other and people, you’ll enjoy this book! Hosts: Beth Bennett and Gretchen Geibel Producer: Beth Bennett … Continue reading "What do Dogs Think?"
7/3/2018 • 27 minutes, 5 seconds
Junk Raft // The Green Reaper
Junk Raft (starts 6:20) Marcus Eriksen discusses what can and cannot be done about the “plastic smog” of microscopic debris permeating the world’s ocean, from the state-sized floating islands of plastic in the Pacific, to the microscopic debris that sinks all the way down the the deepest parts of the Pacific, OR gets eaten and into … Continue reading "Junk Raft // The Green Reaper"
6/30/2018 • 27 minutes, 28 seconds
Mitochondria and Your Health
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews Dr Lee Know, author of Mitochondria and theFuture of Medicine. These amazing organelles, which allow complex life on Earth to exist, do more than “just” make ATP. Ask that isn’t enough! They are intimately involved in many aspects of health and disease. The good news is that … Continue reading "Mitochondria and Your Health"
6/20/2018 • 25 minutes, 2 seconds
How Food Affects Your Brain
Two epidemics sweeping the developed world are Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews Dr Steven Masley about his book, The Better Brain Solution in which he explores the connection between diet (and other lifestyle factors) and these diseases. Based on the results of numerous clinical trials he has … Continue reading "How Food Affects Your Brain"
6/14/2018 • 26 minutes, 6 seconds
Ocean Conservation: MPAs
This week’s show brings you the following feature interview: Protecting Ocean Biodiversity (start time: 2:42) In honor of World Environment Day (today), World Oceans Day (Friday) the March for the Ocean (Saturday), and Capitol Hill Ocean Week (all week), we examine one of the biggest marine conservation tools: Marine Protected Areas. What’s working? What’s not, and … Continue reading "Ocean Conservation: MPAs"
6/5/2018 • 27 minutes, 55 seconds
Michael Pollan: How to Change Your Mind (with psychedelics)
Michael Pollan: How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence. We speak with New York Times Bestselling science writer Michael Pollan about his new book that features LSD and magic mushrooms. Pollan will give a book talk in Denver this Thursday — at the Trinity Methodist … Continue reading "Michael Pollan: How to Change Your Mind (with psychedelics)"
6/1/2018 • 27 minutes, 28 seconds
Chasing New Horizons, continued
In 2015, the New Horizons Spacecraft flew past Pluto. Because Pluto is so far away, it took nearly 10 years of travel for the spacecraft to reach that distant dwarf planet — and that was after a decade of work to get the spacecraft to the launch pad. Planetary scientists Alan Stern and David Grinspoon … Continue reading "Chasing New Horizons, continued"
5/24/2018 • 28 minutes, 38 seconds
Chasing New Horizons // GoldLab Symposium
Chasing New Horizons (starts 1:00) brings the reader Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto to hear the details and meet the personalities behind building, launching, and flying this audacious mission. How on Earth’s Joel Parker (also an astrophysicist on the New Horizons mission) speaks with authors and fellow scientists Alan Stern and David Grinspoon. (Booktalks at Boulder Bookstore … Continue reading "Chasing New Horizons // GoldLab Symposium"
5/15/2018 • 27 minutes, 7 seconds
Chasing New Horizons – full extended interview
Here we provide the full interview by How on Earth’s Joel Parker of planetary scientists Dr. Alan Stern (Southwest Research Institute) and Dr. David Grinspoon (Planetary Science Institute), about their new book: “Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto“. Their book describes the the story of Pluto and NASA’s New Horizons mission, bringing the … Continue reading "Chasing New Horizons – full extended interview"
5/15/2018 • 42 minutes, 2 seconds
2018 Graduation Special (part 2)
With graduation season is upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is the second of a two-part annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who will receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. HyunJoo Oh – … Continue reading "2018 Graduation Special (part 2)"
5/9/2018 • 27 minutes, 46 seconds
2018 Graduation Special (part 1)
With graduation season is upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is the first of a two-part annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who will receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Oliver Paine … Continue reading "2018 Graduation Special (part 1)"
5/2/2018 • 28 minutes, 14 seconds
City Nature Challenge BioBlitz Citizen Science enhanced with iNaturalist
Attention all Nature Lovers and Amateur Naturalists, Friday April 27th kicks of the City Nature Challenge, where Boulder will compete with 65 cities throughout the world to identify the most species within their area over a 4 day period. It’s a competition to identify biodiversity powered by the enthusiasm of citizen scientists. Chip Grandits speaks … Continue reading "City Nature Challenge BioBlitz Citizen Science enhanced with iNaturalist"
4/30/2018 • 26 minutes, 25 seconds
Cancer Biology // Oil&Gas Health Impacts
Today’s show offers two feature interviews: New Theory of How Cancer Evolves Inside Us (start time: 0:58): It is commonly known that cancer afflicts old people more than youth. Conventional wisdom has held we get cancer with age largely because we accumulate lots of genetic mutations over many years, and it’s the mutations that cause cancer. … Continue reading "Cancer Biology // Oil&Gas Health Impacts"
4/17/2018 • 28 minutes, 10 seconds
Astrobiology and the Anthropocene
As part of the Conference of World Affairs, which is being held this week at the campus of the University of Colorado, Boulder, we are speaking today with astrophysicist Adam Frank. Frank is a professor at the University of Rochester, where he studies the final stages of evolution for stars like the sun. He is … Continue reading "Astrobiology and the Anthropocene"
4/10/2018 • 26 minutes, 50 seconds
Geoengineering the Climate
Hacking the Planet (start time: 10:24): It’s tough to wrap one’s mind around just how monumental and consequential the problem of climate change is. So dire that scientist and engineers for years have been exploring ways to “hack” the planet–to manipulate the global climate system enough to significantly reduce planet-warming gases or increase the Earth’s ability … Continue reading "Geoengineering the Climate"
4/3/2018 • 29 minutes, 24 seconds
The Moral Arc – Extended Interview with Michael Shermer
Shelley Schlender talks with renowned skeptic Michael Shermer about his new book, The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason lead humanity toward truth, justice and freedom. This is an extended version of the interview. (27 minutes)
4/2/2018 • 26 minutes, 59 seconds
MDMA for PTSD – Extended Interview with Karen, PTSD Survivor
This is an exended interview with a survivor of treatment resistant post traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. Karen says she is cured of her PTSD now, thanks to a treatment that includes lots of psychotherapy, plus three times when she took a dose of the psychoactive chemical, MDMA. MDMA is classed as a … Continue reading "MDMA for PTSD – Extended Interview with Karen, PTSD Survivor"
3/28/2018 • 12 minutes, 52 seconds
MDMA for PTSD – Extended Interview with Marcella Ot’Alora – Principal Investigator
This is an extended interview with Marcella Ot’alora. Ot’alora is a Boulder psychotherapist, and the principal investigator for the Boulder branch of the FDA approved, nationwide studies of using MDMA in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. MDMA is classed as a federally illegal drug. However the FDA has approved the … Continue reading "MDMA for PTSD – Extended Interview with Marcella Ot’Alora – Principal Investigator"
3/28/2018 • 23 minutes, 2 seconds
MDMA for PTSD – Psychiatrist Will Vanderveer
In the years ahead, doctors across the U.S. might be prescribing a currently illegal drug as therapy for the hard-to-treat condition known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The new “medicine” would be MDMA, an ingredient in the party drug ecstasy. The treatment is showing success for many of the study participants (go here for an … Continue reading "MDMA for PTSD – Psychiatrist Will Vanderveer"
3/28/2018 • 26 minutes, 33 seconds
Enlightenment Now
You may be among many who wistfully harken back to the “golden days” of the past. For some people the past does look rosier, or perhaps the present looks grim, but, according to Steven Pinker, a Harvard University cognitive psychologist, that “golden age” of the past is a reflection of faulty memory. We — most … Continue reading "Enlightenment Now"
3/20/2018 • 28 minutes, 4 seconds
Enlightenment Now // Pledge Drive Teaser
Today’s pledge-drive show features parts of our recent interview with Steven Pinker. Enlightenment Now: If you think the world, including the U.S., is falling apart, that the ideal of progress is as quaint as riding to work on a horse and carriage, you’re hardly alone. But you’re wrong, argues Harvard University cognitive scientist Steven Pinker in his … Continue reading "Enlightenment Now // Pledge Drive Teaser"
3/13/2018 • 28 minutes, 50 seconds
Urban Air Pollution: A new culprit
It’s the endless stream of tailpipes on the L.A. freeway which causes that unsightly smog, nagging cough and chronic respitory problems, right? Perhaps not any more, a new scientific study helps build the case that the major culprit may now be purchases made at the corner drug store or hardware store. Chip Grandits speaks with … Continue reading "Urban Air Pollution: A new culprit"
3/7/2018 • 27 minutes, 21 seconds
The Starmus Festival
Woodstock. Lallapalooza. Lilith Fair. Coachella. Burning Man. All famous music and art festivals. What about…science festivals? Perhaps a festival with all the “rock stars” of science and space exploration, and while you’re at it, throw in a few music rock stars as well? Well, that describes the Starmus Festival. Starmus is the brain child of Dr. Garik … Continue reading "The Starmus Festival"
2/27/2018 • 27 minutes, 55 seconds
Spaceport Earth
Spaceport Earth. This week on How on Earth, we speak with Joe Pappalardo about his book “Spaceport Earth”. With the successes of Space-X and Blue Origin, private and commercial spaceflight is a fast growing business. Pappalardo talks with us about this new space industry and the advances and setbacks that have been faced. In particular, … Continue reading "Spaceport Earth"
2/25/2018 • 26 minutes, 29 seconds
Plastic Pollution in Ocean
In today’s show we offer two related features: Plastic Pollution in the Arctic, Green Chemistry (start time: 7:48) Try to wrap your brain around this statistic: by mid-century the mass of plastic in the oceans will weigh more than the total mass of fish if we continue with ‘business as usual,’ according to the World Economic Forum. Plastic … Continue reading "Plastic Pollution in Ocean"
2/13/2018 • 27 minutes, 33 seconds
The Longevity Diet
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews Dr Valter Longo, director of the USC Longevity Institute. Dr Longo has researched the fundamental mechanisms of aging in yeast, mice and humans using genetics and biochemistry techniques. He is also interested in identifying the molecular pathways conserved from simple organisms to humans that can be modulated … Continue reading "The Longevity Diet"
2/3/2018 • 27 minutes, 13 seconds
Science on Tap
Boulder, Colorado has a rich culture of science, as the home for serveral prestigious national laboratories, a thriving technology industry, the flagship campus of the University of Colorado and various joint ventures between them. As a science enthusiast, where might you go to find a community of like minded people? Must you work in a … Continue reading "Science on Tap"
1/23/2018 • 27 minutes, 50 seconds
Fragrance Free – Roger the Barber // Shelly Miller
Roger the Fragrance Free Barber (Starts 3:25) Artificial fragrances in shampoos, colognes, lotions. deodorant, laundry detergent and more nearly led Roger the Barber, to give up his profession, due to his chemical sensitivities. Then he opened his own, fragrance free, shop. He caters to clients who prefer a fragrance free environment . . . and educates people about what fragrance … Continue reading "Fragrance Free – Roger the Barber // Shelly Miller"
1/16/2018 • 26 minutes, 40 seconds
Miracle Brew – The Amazing Science (and Art) of Brewing Beer
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews Pete Brown, author of Miracle Brew, the story of how beer is made of 4 seemingly simple components, but really from an amazing complexity of science and art. The New York Times recently reviewed Miracle Brew. Here’s what they said: A magisterial tour of fearsome science and … Continue reading "Miracle Brew – The Amazing Science (and Art) of Brewing Beer"
1/12/2018 • 27 minutes, 52 seconds
2017 Look Back – 2018 Look Forward
For this end-of-the-year/start-of-the-year How on Earth show, we look back to 2017 with clips from some of our features from the past year: selections about tracking methane leaks, ketogenic diets, using MDMA to treat PTSD, gravitational waves, the solar eclipse, space missions, and the politicization of science. Those are just a few of the topics we covered … Continue reading "2017 Look Back – 2018 Look Forward"
1/6/2018 • 25 minutes, 19 seconds
Keto for Cancer, part 2
This week on How on Earth, Beth finishes the interview with Miriam Kalamian, author of Keto for Cancer. This encyclopedic volume lays out the groundwork for using a ketogenic diet to treat cancer. But, as the author points out, the diet, which starves cancer cells, should be used in conjunction with other therapies. To see … Continue reading "Keto for Cancer, part 2"
12/20/2017 • 30 minutes, 30 seconds
Healthy . . . But Missing Gut Microbes
Healthy . . . But Missing Gut Microbes (Starts 3:25) Practically everyone on the planet now knows that animals have microbes in their guts. This is a new field of exploration, and top researchers emphasize that we need to learn much more before making any blanket statements about the total effect of the gut microbiome. Nevertheless, … Continue reading "Healthy . . . But Missing Gut Microbes"
12/13/2017 • 26 minutes, 6 seconds
Ketogenic Diet for Treatment of Cancer//BBC Science in Action
This week on How on Earth, we started speaking with Miriam Kalamian, author of the newly released Keto for Cancer. The interview starts at 11′ 30″, but unfortunately we lost the connection after only 5 minutes. You can link to her book at http://www.chelseagreen.com/keto-for-cancer and we will have her back to hear the full story! … Continue reading "Ketogenic Diet for Treatment of Cancer//BBC Science in Action"
12/6/2017 • 25 minutes, 43 seconds
The Unnatural World
The Unnatural World (start time: 6:58): It’s an audacious topic for a book: the planet, and audacious individuals who are working to save — actually, to remake — human civilization and our home on Earth. David Biello is the science curator at TED and a contributing editor at Scientific American. His debut book, The Unnatural … Continue reading "The Unnatural World"
11/21/2017 • 26 minutes, 42 seconds
Lancet Countdown on Climate Change
Lancet Countdown on Climate Change (starts 3:45) Respectable science journals no longer debate whether human activity causes climate change, or even if it can be reversed to prevent human suffering. They now scramble to figure out what will be the cost and who will pay. The bill will be payable in lost lives and livelihoods. The … Continue reading "Lancet Countdown on Climate Change"
11/15/2017 • 27 minutes, 14 seconds
Tamed and Untamed: Essays on the Animal Kingdom
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews Sy Montgomery and Liz Thomas, co-authors of Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal Kind: Some amazing stories of their experiences with animals throughout the animal kingdom, ranging from domestic animals (chickens are smarter than we thought!) to wild animals to invertebrates. the 2-3 page format … Continue reading "Tamed and Untamed: Essays on the Animal Kingdom"
11/8/2017 • 26 minutes, 41 seconds
Mutant Proteins // Future Technologies
Mutant Proteins and Protein Evolution (starts 4:42) CU School of Medicine professor David Pollock explains why he has devised a new way to identify and predict both the evolution of proteins and disease causing protein mutations. Pollock’s highly technical model uses an analogy about a physical model called the Stokes Shift to help explain the biochemical properties of how proteins change, for better or worse. … Continue reading "Mutant Proteins // Future Technologies"
10/24/2017 • 26 minutes, 9 seconds
Nuclear Tests and the Van Allen Belts
In 1963, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty, agreeing to not test nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, underwater, or in outer space. France continued atmospheric testing until 1974, and the last atmospheric test was done by China on October 16, 1980. Over 500 atmospheric nuclear tests … Continue reading "Nuclear Tests and the Van Allen Belts"
10/12/2017 • 28 minutes, 4 seconds
Antibiotics & Your Microbiome
This week on How on Earth, Beth interviews Dr Martin Blaser of New York University who challenges the assumption that antibiotics are harmless drugs targeting only harmful pathogens. In his recent book, Missing Microbes, Blaser presents the evidence that antibiotics are causing the extinction of important bacteria in our microbiome. These microbes have co-evolved with … Continue reading "Antibiotics & Your Microbiome"
10/5/2017 • 25 minutes, 24 seconds
Committed Warming
Much of current climate science research focuses on understanding how the climate is changing and what type of climate we will have in the near future. But to understand where the climate is going, we need to understand where the climate has been. It is especially important to understand how the climate has responded to … Continue reading "Committed Warming"
9/27/2017 • 27 minutes, 12 seconds
The Cassini Mission to Saturn
The Cassini mission to Saturn launched 20 years ago, on October 15, 1997. It took seven years to reach Saturn, and has been orbiting and intensely studying Saturn ever since…until last week when the mission ended in a final dive into Saturn’s atmosphere. The mission studied Saturn, its famous rings, and its many moons using … Continue reading "The Cassini Mission to Saturn"
9/19/2017 • 28 minutes, 35 seconds
Aging Research Part 2
This week on How on Earth we speak with Simon Melov, a biochemist at the Buck Institute for Aging. Dr Melov studies various aspects of aging in worms, mice and humans. The aging field is replete with new and exciting discoveries and Simon’s work epitomizes that. Hosts:Beth Bennett and Chip Grandis Producer:Beth Bennett Engineer:Maeve Conran … Continue reading "Aging Research Part 2"
9/13/2017 • 26 minutes, 46 seconds
Biofuels Tradeoffs
Biofuels Tradeoffs (start time: 8:27): In this week’s show David DeGennaro, an agriculture policy specialist with the National Wildlife Federation and author of a report called “Fueling Destruction,” talks with host Susan Moran about the environmental consequences of biofuels, and about possible solutions. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed maintaining record support for biofuels, namely corn. Last week the EPA … Continue reading "Biofuels Tradeoffs"
9/5/2017 • 26 minutes, 3 seconds
Climate Change and Extinctions Following an Asteroid Impact
Climate Change and Extinctions Following an Asteroid Impact (starts at 8:45) It has been hypothesized that the dinosaurs were killed off by a large asteroid that struck the Earth. The details of how the impact of a 10 kilometer diameter asteroid led to global scale extinction have remained elusive. Recently, climate researchers from the Boulder … Continue reading "Climate Change and Extinctions Following an Asteroid Impact"
Sustainable Transportation is a major issue for the front range. In that field a hot topic is PRT, which stands for Personal Rapid Transit system, a radical vision for creating a sustainable infrastructure to get us from point A to point B. How on Earth interviews Dr. R. Paul Williamson about his proposal for an … Continue reading "Boulder Firestone Monorail // Regeneration & Eclipse photo-bombing"
8/26/2017 • 25 minutes, 46 seconds
Stay Young – If You’re a Worm
This week on How on Earth, Beth spoke with Dr Gordon Lithgow, a researcher at the Buck Institute for Aging in California who studies aging in nematode worms. Stress actually keeps us young by activating systems that repair and maintain cells. These stresses can be things like caloric restriction and exercise. Eventually the molecular bases … Continue reading "Stay Young – If You’re a Worm"
8/16/2017 • 28 minutes, 10 seconds
Mortality Trends in America // Life Expectancy in America
This week on How on Earth we look at the scientific research into the lifespans of Americans. Mortality trends in America (start time 4:05): We speak with Andrea Tilstra, who co-authored a recent paper on mortality trends in America. Tilstra is a co-author of a recent study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Her team’s paper is titled … Continue reading "Mortality Trends in America // Life Expectancy in America"
8/14/2017 • 26 minutes, 49 seconds
Chasing Shadows – Stellar Occultations and the Outer Solar System
Chasing Shadows [starts at 9:40] Astronomy is a science that depends on watching things happen in the universe that we don’t have control over: supernovae, formation of stars, orbits of planets, and the spectacle of solar eclipses. You can’t grab a distant galaxy and bring it into the lab for experiments, so astronomers have to … Continue reading "Chasing Shadows – Stellar Occultations and the Outer Solar System"
8/1/2017 • 27 minutes, 53 seconds
Space Shield for Satellites // Virtual Colonoscopy
Space Shield for Satellites (starts 1:00) An invisible radio wave pollution makes a “space shield” that protects orbiting satellites from Van Allen Belt radiation. Dan Baker, head of CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) explains how his team figured out the man-made source of the mysterious space shield. Virtual Colonoscopy Option Improves Cancer Screening Rates (starts 6:32) Colon cancer kills 50,000 Americans … Continue reading "Space Shield for Satellites // Virtual Colonoscopy"
7/25/2017 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
The Alien Hunter & SETI
Today’s show offers the following feature: Extraterrestrial intelligence? (start time: 6:30): It’s mid-summer, a time when many of us like to spend leisurely time outside at night, gazing at the stars and planets, and asking the big existential questions, such as, Are we alone? Is there intelligent life waaay out there? Our guest today, science … Continue reading "The Alien Hunter & SETI"
7/18/2017 • 27 minutes, 30 seconds
Is Your Oral Microbiome Affected by Your Genes?
On the first day of the summer pledge drive, Beth interviews Dr Brittany Demmitt, a behavioral molecular geneticist. Her recent study used a powerful genetic tool, identical twins, to show that the micro biome in the mouth is influenced by both genes and environment. Hosts:Beth Bennett, Chip Grantis, Joel Parker Producer:Beth Bennett Engineer:Joel Parker Additional … Continue reading "Is Your Oral Microbiome Affected by Your Genes?"
7/14/2017 • 27 minutes, 5 seconds
The American Eclipse of 1878
This August 21st, some parts of the Earth will be plunged into darkness in the middle of the day. It will be a solar eclipse; the moon’s shadow will cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina, with the path closest to Colorado passing through Wyoming and Nebraska. There have been many eclipses across … Continue reading "The American Eclipse of 1878"
6/27/2017 • 27 minutes, 38 seconds
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome // Renewables
We offer two feature interviews on today’s show. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (start time: 11:49) Imagine spending years waking up so sore and fatigued many mornings that you can barely move. And traversing the country to find doctors who could offer a clear diagnosis, only to find out they don’t really know. And feeling your friendships … Continue reading "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome // Renewables"
6/21/2017 • 27 minutes, 40 seconds
Protecting Pollinators // Testing Drinking Water
We offer two features on today’s show: Protecting Pollinators (start time: 0:58): Hills, prairies and gardens are neon green and in full bloom. A pollinator’s paradise, at least it should be. Birds, bees, butterflies, beetles and other pollinators rely on the nectar from flowering plants. We humans rely on them; roughly one out of every … Continue reading "Protecting Pollinators // Testing Drinking Water"
6/13/2017 • 23 minutes, 48 seconds
2017 Graduation Special (part 2)
With graduation season is upon us, or in many cases in the rearview mirror, today’s edition of How on Earth is the second of a two-part “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who recently graduated with – or soon will receive – their Ph.D. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school … Continue reading "2017 Graduation Special (part 2)"
6/6/2017 • 27 minutes, 22 seconds
2017 Graduation Special (part 1)
With graduation season is upon us, or in many cases in the rearview mirror, today’s edition of How on Earth is the first of a two-part “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who recently graduated with – or soon will receive – their Ph.D. They talk about their thesis research, their grad … Continue reading "2017 Graduation Special (part 1)"
5/30/2017 • 27 minutes, 41 seconds
Treating Cancer Metabolically
In their upcoming book, A Metabolic Approach to Cancer, authors Dr Nasha Winters and Jess Kelley, describe new developments in individualized therapies for cancer, based on nutrition and personalized genetic analysis. Almost 100 years ago it was found that cancer cells rely almost exclusively on burning glucose for their growth. In the last 10 years, … Continue reading "Treating Cancer Metabolically"
5/24/2017 • 26 minutes, 23 seconds
Gold Lab Symposium // Marc Bekoff Animals Agenda
Gold Lab Symposium (starts 1:00) Scientist and Entrepreneur Larry Gold shares what to expect in science and health at the annual Gold Lab Symposium, taking place this weekend at CU Boulder. This year’s theme is “From Lab to Living Room.” Go to the Gold Lab Symposium website to register for the conference and to hear … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium // Marc Bekoff Animals Agenda"
5/16/2017 • 27 minutes, 36 seconds
A New Theory of Cancer
This week on How on Earth Beth interviews Travis Christofferson, author of Tripping over the Truth, in which he explores the history, and the human story that has led to the resurgence of Otto Warburg’s original metabolic theory first proposed in 1924. Despite incredible biomedical advances, the death rate today is the same as it … Continue reading "A New Theory of Cancer"
5/10/2017 • 27 minutes, 58 seconds
500 Women Scientists // Tracking Methane Leaks with Google Street View Cars
500 Women Scientists (starts 3:01) Ecologist Jane Zelikova explains how an acquaintance while at CU-Boulder led to an open letter she co-authored with Kelly Ramirez about science . . . and this ultimately launched an advocacy group. Over 19,000 women scientists have joined 500 Women Scientists. They have on line and also local community face-to-face discussions, and they plan to be part of … Continue reading "500 Women Scientists // Tracking Methane Leaks with Google Street View Cars"
4/18/2017 • 25 minutes, 32 seconds
New Adventures in Astronomy with Gerrit Verschuur
Today’s How on Earth show is a special edition in conjunction with the Conference on World Affairs panel entitled: “New Adventures in Astronomy”. Our guest is Gerrit Verschuur, a radio astronomer who has worked at Jodrell Bank radio observatory in the United Kingdom, National Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia, and Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. … Continue reading "New Adventures in Astronomy with Gerrit Verschuur"
4/12/2017 • 26 minutes, 53 seconds
Long Now Foundation in Colorado // Wild Boulder Citizen Science
The Long Now Foundation in Colorado (start time 5:02): People often measure “success” as fifteen minutes of fame, or a blockbuster financial quarter. This focus on short term results doesn’t always build the skills needed to solve long-term problems, such as reducing disease outbreaks or maintaining species diversity. So some visionaries have created a playfully serious way … Continue reading "Long Now Foundation in Colorado // Wild Boulder Citizen Science"
4/4/2017 • 25 minutes, 18 seconds
Health Impacts of Oil/Gas Drilling
Drilling’s Health Impacts (start time: 7:50): A pressing question on the minds of many Colorado residents, health experts, and others amidst a surge of oil and gas activity is this: Does living near an oil and gas well harm your health? A scientist at the forefront of exploring such questions is Dr. Lisa McKenzie, a professor of … Continue reading "Health Impacts of Oil/Gas Drilling"
3/28/2017 • 27 minutes, 6 seconds
Your Baby’s Microbiome
Your Baby’s Microbiome (start time 6:13): This week on How on Earth Beth Bennett interviews Toni Harmon, author of Your Baby’s Microbiome, a look into the role the maternal micro biome plays before and after birth. For a newborn, the biological defenses to diseases and the environment come from the mother. Harmon talks about how the … Continue reading "Your Baby’s Microbiome"
3/28/2017 • 26 minutes, 50 seconds
Nature Fix 2 // Case Against Sugar
The Nature Fix. (starts 1:50) In this spring pledge drive show, we revisit the science show interview about the benefits of getting out in nature. The Case Against Sugar. (starts 9:40) Best-selling science writer Gary Taubes discusses his new book, which explains what happens when industry funds science . . . and controls the strings … Continue reading "Nature Fix 2 // Case Against Sugar"
3/16/2017 • 28 minutes, 18 seconds
Eclipse 2017
Eclipse 2017 (start time 5:56): This summer America will experience its first total solar eclipse in almost 30 years. How on Earth’s Alejandro Soto speaks with Dr. Claire Raftery from the National Solar Observatory (NSO) about the upcoming eclipse. Dr. Raftery talks about the science and history of eclipses, the best ways to view the eclipse in … Continue reading "Eclipse 2017"
3/3/2017 • 26 minutes, 50 seconds
Of Wasps and Figs
Today’s feature has How on Earth’s Beth Bennett talking with Dr. Mike Shanahan, a biologist who has a degree in rainforest ecology. He has lived in a national park in Borneo, bred endangered penguins, and investigated illegal bear farms. His writing has appeared in The Economist, Nature, and The Ecologist, and he also was the … Continue reading "Of Wasps and Figs"
2/22/2017 • 27 minutes, 22 seconds
The Nature Fix
Your Brain on Nature (start time: 5:49): You may think it’s a no-brainer: that nature is good for your mental and physical health. After all, a walk in the woods or even an urban park brightens your outlook on life, at least for a little while. Turns out, the notion that being outside in nature … Continue reading "The Nature Fix"
2/14/2017 • 28 minutes, 30 seconds
Citizen Science
Citizen Science (start time: 5:32): For those who would love to track birds and other creatures or to test drinking water quality in their community, for instance, but think it would require a degree in science to contribute to important scientific discoveries, our guest today aims to set the record straight. Dr. Caren Cooper is an … Continue reading "Citizen Science"
2/7/2017 • 24 minutes, 27 seconds
Clinical Trials Test MDMA as PTSD Treatment
This week on How on Earth host Susan Moran interviews two investigators of FDA-approved clinical trials testing the efficacy and safety of the illegal drug MDMA — known in an altered form as Ecstasy or Molly — as a treatment (along with psychotherapy sessions) for Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Our guests are Marcela Ot’alora and Bruce Poulter, … Continue reading "Clinical Trials Test MDMA as PTSD Treatment"
2/1/2017 • 27 minutes, 8 seconds
Secret Life of Fat
When Sylvia Tara had more trouble fitting into her skinny jeans than her friends, she decided to learn why she was prone to being fat. Her new book is – The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body’s Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You. Host: Shelley Schlender Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: … Continue reading "Secret Life of Fat"
1/24/2017 • 29 minutes, 1 second
American Gut Project
The American Gut project is the largest crowd-sourced project ever: to date, over 80.000 participants have contributed fecal, skin, or oral samples. The ambitious goal is to characterize the microbiota of as many individuals as possible to identify the diverse species living in and on us. Beth interviews Dr Embrietta Hyde, Project Manager of the … Continue reading "American Gut Project"
1/18/2017 • 25 minutes, 44 seconds
Earth in Human Hands – Shaping our Planet’s Future
Sometimes when we are having personal or health problems, it helps to get an outside perspective: talk to other friends who have experienced similar problems and how they dealt with them, and other friends about how they avoided those problems. Talk to experts. Then using all that input, we try to make the best choice … Continue reading "Earth in Human Hands – Shaping our Planet’s Future"
1/11/2017 • 27 minutes, 10 seconds
Earth in Human Hands – extended interview
This is the full interview with Dr. David Grinspoon, author of the book “Earth in Human Hands: Shaping Our Planet’s Future”. Excerpts of this interview by Joel Parker aired on How on Earth on our January 10, 2017 show. Listen here:
1/11/2017 • 37 minutes, 9 seconds
Forensic Plant Science: CSI for Real!
Beth interviews Drs Jane Bock (starts at 16:35) and David Norris (starts at 7:10), co-authors of Forensic Plant Science, the application of plant science to the resolution of legal questions. A plant’s anatomy and its ecological requirements are in some cases species specific and require taxonomic verification; correct interpretation of botanical evidence can give vital … Continue reading "Forensic Plant Science: CSI for Real!"
1/5/2017 • 28 minutes, 14 seconds
2016 Retrospective
For this end-of-the-year How on Earth show, we look back to 2016 with clips from some of our features from the past year: selections from the Our Microbes, Ourselves series, research about Zika, gravitational waves, and carbon farming. Those are just a few of the topics we covered in 2016, which also included: electric cars, electric airplanes, renewable … Continue reading "2016 Retrospective"
12/27/2016 • 26 minutes, 42 seconds
Where is climate science research heading?
This week on How on Earth Beth interviews two NOAA scientists who study climate change. Joanie Kleypas is a marine ecologist who investigates how rising atmospheric carbon dioxide affects marine ecosystems. She is a self-described optimist who is committed to finding solutions to the “coral reef crisis.” Pieter Tans he has led the Carbon Cycle … Continue reading "Where is climate science research heading?"
12/21/2016 • 27 minutes, 27 seconds
Biodiversity Matters // Scientists Implore Trump
This week’s show offers two features: Global Biodiversity (start time: 1:22): Scientists, NGOs and government representatives from nearly 200 countries have been gathering in Cancun, Mexico, for the UN Biodiversity Conference, known as COP13. They’re meeting to promote protocols and strategic actions related to biological diversity, climate change, food security, and even citizen science. Gillian Bowser, … Continue reading "Biodiversity Matters // Scientists Implore Trump"
12/16/2016 • 26 minutes, 43 seconds
Colonizing Mars?
This week, Alejandro speaks with Leonard David, a space journalist who has written a new book Mars – Our Future on the Red Planet. In his book he discusses the plans of both NASA and private companies to send humans to the red planet. The book is a companion to a six-part television series from … Continue reading "Colonizing Mars?"
12/8/2016 • 25 minutes
Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets
Beyond Earth (start time 5:10) Many have dreamt of colonizing other planets. It’s been a staple of science fiction for decades. Most often, people imagine creating a colony of humans on Mars, where people would live on a cold, dry planet with a thin, unbreathable atmosphere. Mars, however, may not be the best destination for future … Continue reading "Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets"
11/29/2016 • 27 minutes, 22 seconds
Regenerative Economics//Logicomix
Regenerative Economics (starts 3:20) Natural Capitalism Solutions leader, Hunter Lovins, will share an economic argument for why now’s the time for cleaner energy. Lovins, who lives near Niwot, Colorado, has presented this speech to government leaders and organizations throughout the world. This is an excerpt from that speech. Go here for extended version) Logicomix (starts 8:52) Can … Continue reading "Regenerative Economics//Logicomix"
11/22/2016 • 27 minutes, 34 seconds
Max Boykoff – Global Climate Talks – Moving Ahead
Max Boykoff – Global Climate Talks – Moving Ahead With or Without US – (entire show) While the world has held climate talks for 22 years (This is COP – Conference of the Parties — 22) and the Kyoto Protocol talks about climate change have been held for 12 years, this year’s October’s climate talks in Paris mark the first … Continue reading "Max Boykoff – Global Climate Talks – Moving Ahead"
11/15/2016 • 27 minutes, 38 seconds
Suggestible You: How Our Brain Tricks Us
The Science of Suggestibility (start time: 5:00) Scientists are learning more and more about how our expectations and beliefs influence how our bodies, including our neurochemistry, respond to pain and disease. The researchers are discovering that we are very suggestible creatures. But we are not all equally suggestible. Some of us can cure serious ailments even … Continue reading "Suggestible You: How Our Brain Tricks Us"
11/8/2016 • 27 minutes, 43 seconds
I Contain Multitudes–Our Microbes, Ourselves
Multitudes of Microbes (start time: 3:38): You may find it unsettling to learn that our human cells make up only half of our bodies. The other half is a bunch of microbes (in the neighborhood of 40 trillion), all living and reproducing in, and on, our bodies. What’s more, these invisible machines could have a … Continue reading "I Contain Multitudes–Our Microbes, Ourselves"
10/25/2016 • 24 minutes, 39 seconds
Pledge Drive//Interview with Ed Yong
This week’s pledge- drive show features a teaser introduction to Ed Yong’s new book I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life. We play segments from the interview that host Susan Moran recently had with Yong, a science writer for The Atlantic. There still may be a copy left, so call … Continue reading "Pledge Drive//Interview with Ed Yong"
Denver Permaculture Guild (starts 3:30) staff and board members explain the goal of permaculture and guild’s annual workshops program taking place this weekend. Ron Rosedale, MD, Explains Autophagy (starts 17:50) The Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine has just been awarded to Japanese Scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discoveries about a process inside our cells known as autophagy. … Continue reading "Denver Permaculture Guild//Ron Rosedale Explains Autophagy"
10/6/2016 • 28 minutes, 27 seconds
The Rosetta Mission
Rosetta [feature starts at 5:27] The Rosetta Space Mission has been in flight for ever 12 years and will be ending with a dramatic crash this Friday morning around 10:40 UT (4:40 am Mountain time) – it’s an event that will be watched and talked about by people around the world. Rosetta is run by the European … Continue reading "The Rosetta Mission"
9/27/2016 • 27 minutes, 34 seconds
Alzheimer’s Reversal – Extended Interview with Dale Bredesen
This is an extended interview with Dale Bredesen, leader of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Bredesen has documented reversal of early Alzheimer’s in a small case study, largely through lifestyle interventions. We spoke while he was at CU-Boulder for the 2016 Ancestral Health Symposium. For the broadcast version and links to websites, … Continue reading "Alzheimer’s Reversal – Extended Interview with Dale Bredesen"
9/20/2016 • 36 minutes, 3 seconds
Alzheimer’s Reversal: ApoE4.info and Dr. Dale Bredesen
Alzheimer’s Reversal (starts 2:20) The Alzheimer’s Association calls Alzheimer’s “the only disease among the top 10 causes of death in America that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.” This gloomy outlook means many people avoid screening tests for dementia. Now Dale Bredesen, a leading scientist from California’s Buck Institute for Research on Aging has … Continue reading "Alzheimer’s Reversal: ApoE4.info and Dr. Dale Bredesen"
9/20/2016 • 27 minutes, 48 seconds
Personalized Medicine from Genome Sequencing
This week, an interview with Howard Jacob, PhD, principal investigator and executive vice president for genomic medicine at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology (starts at 5’30”)describing the potential for personalized genomic sequencing and analysis in the identification of rare undiagnosed and misdiagnosed disease. A headline featuring research on how dogs process words mentioned a video of … Continue reading "Personalized Medicine from Genome Sequencing"
9/15/2016 • 25 minutes, 1 second
Gregory Benford – Science Fiction/Fact and Starshot
What are the qualities that make a good scientist? What are the qualities that make a good science fiction writer? Those skills do not necessarily overlap, but when they do, they not only can produce wonderful works of speculative fiction based on hard science, but they also can generate exciting new ideas for science research. Our … Continue reading "Gregory Benford – Science Fiction/Fact and Starshot"
8/30/2016 • 28 minutes, 8 seconds
Methane Emissions From Natural Gas
Methane Madness (start time: 2:20) More than a decade ago, scientists noted that the area where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet, known as Four Corners, appeared to be emitting a curiously large amount of methane. In a new study, a team of scientists have traced the source: more than 250 gas wells, storage tanks, … Continue reading "Methane Emissions From Natural Gas"
8/23/2016 • 27 minutes, 28 seconds
Lessons From Flint’s Lead-In-Water Crisis
Tackling Lead Contamination: Flint and Beyond (start time: 6:27) When you pour yourself a glass of water from the tap, do wonder whether it’s truly clean and safe? How would you know for sure? Flint, Mich., is a haunting example of how a breakdown in water-supply infrastructure, and political integrity, can result in lead contamination of a … Continue reading "Lessons From Flint’s Lead-In-Water Crisis"
8/16/2016 • 27 minutes, 23 seconds
Zika Update
In headlines and 2 interviews with Zika researchers,Beth covers new material on this disturbing disease. CDC Chief of Virology, Dr Ann Power (start time 3’45”) and Dr Rushika Ferrara of CSU (start time 10’45”), describe aspects of the viral life cycle, including transmission, symptom variability, and promising avenues leading to potential treatments and preventions. For … Continue reading "Zika Update"
8/10/2016 • 26 minutes, 47 seconds
The Keeling Curve//Electric Airplanes//Moth Parties
The Keeling Curve (starts 5:00) Friday, August 12th the Boulder Shambala Center hosts: Living Beyond Hope And Fear: Social Confidence And Climate Change. One leader of the event is the daughter of scientist who created the Keeling Curve for tracking CO2. Emily Takahashi talks about how the memory of her father’s work inspired her to do the symposium. Electric … Continue reading "The Keeling Curve//Electric Airplanes//Moth Parties"
8/2/2016 • 27 minutes, 28 seconds
Impacts of Fracking
In Colorado, a boom in methane development over the past few years has raised questions about whether the environmental impacts are outpacing scientists’ ability to measure them. Shelley Schlender and Daniel Glick discuss the current state of the science looking into fracking’s impacts. Here is a compendium of scientific, medical, and media findings demonstrating risks and … Continue reading "Impacts of Fracking"
7/27/2016 • 27 minutes, 18 seconds
Exploring your DNA // Cellular Innards Revealed
This week on How on Earth we speak with 2 notables. NY Times columnist Carl Zimmer describes his exploration of his genome sequence, yes all 3 billion bases! See the series he has produced detailing this journey at https://www.statnews.com/feature/game-of-genomes/season-one/. Then, local cell biologist Gia Voeltz studies how the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is formed. It is … Continue reading "Exploring your DNA // Cellular Innards Revealed"
7/20/2016 • 27 minutes, 40 seconds
Toward Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture (starts 3:06): We couldn’t feed the planet without nitrogen, a vital nutrient for crops. But most soils don’t produce enough of it to feed anywhere near our 7 billion-plus humans on the planet. So, for nearly a century we’ve been applying synthetic fertilizer—mainly nitrogen and phosphorus — to grow crops for animals and people. But … Continue reading "Toward Sustainable Agriculture"
7/13/2016 • 26 minutes, 26 seconds
Quantum Dot Antibiotics // Shrinking Ozone Hole
Quantum Dot Antibiotics (starts 1:00) This programmable antibiotic might keep pace with quickly evolving superbugs. Unlike most drugs – it’s not derived from biological sources. It’s a tiny version of the semiconductors in everything from TVs to iphones to solar panels. This “antibiotic” is made of nanoparticles, known as quantum dots. CU Biofrontiers scientists Prashant Nagpal and Anushree Chatterjee explain their new … Continue reading "Quantum Dot Antibiotics // Shrinking Ozone Hole"
7/5/2016 • 26 minutes, 17 seconds
Pollinators Matter // Denver BioLabs
Pollinators Matter (starts at 4:43): Now that backyard gardens are in full bloom it’s a good time to think about pollinators. Honeybees, butterflies, beetles and other pollinators depend on many flowering plants for nectar. And we depend on these pollinators for many foods we love in our diet, from almonds to apples to blueberries. Some of these pollinators, … Continue reading "Pollinators Matter // Denver BioLabs"
6/28/2016 • 26 minutes, 32 seconds
Soccermatics // Pledge Drive Show
David Sumpter’s new book is Soccermatics–Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game. It’s about how the mathematical patterns of how to win at soccer — and much much more — like how a math algorithm of how a slime mold seeks out food can help engineers design an efficient subway system. The math that helps a … Continue reading "Soccermatics // Pledge Drive Show"
6/21/2016 • 28 minutes, 23 seconds
Carbon Farming // Light Pollution
The Carbon Farming Solution – (Starts 2:13) Carbon Sequestration is the act of removing carbon from the air and putting it . . . somewhere else. Kendra Krueger talks with author Eric Tunesmeier about his book, The Carbon Farming Solution, with surprising information such as how driving to a remote organic farm stand can cause … Continue reading "Carbon Farming // Light Pollution"
6/14/2016 • 27 minutes, 24 seconds
Diatoms: Ecology and Aesthetics
Beth interviews Dr Sarah Spaulding, of the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research here in Boulder. Sarah studies microscopic single celled algae, creatures that photosynthesize but aren’t plants. She discusses their ecological roles in numerous ecosystems as well as challenges in identifying them and her long term goals in studying these elusive but ubiquitous creatures. … Continue reading "Diatoms: Ecology and Aesthetics"
6/8/2016 • 28 minutes, 1 second
Cell Phones & Cancer // Narcotics Prolong Chronic Pain
Cell Phones & Cancer (Starts 1:00) A $25 million study reports cell phone radiation boosted brain cancer in rats . . . and rats exposed to radiation lived longer. Frank Barnes, CU-Boulder Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, explains these paradoxical findings and implications for people. (Related stories — 2011 Cell Phone Radiation and 2014 An Electric Silent Spring) Narcotics Prolong Chronic Pain (Starts 11:35) CU-Boulder neuroscientist … Continue reading "Cell Phones & Cancer // Narcotics Prolong Chronic Pain"
Microbes and Stress Resilience (starts 5:13) If you’re worried that some dirt still clings to your skin under your fingernails after planting or weeding in the garden, fear not. In fact, the more you feel and even breathe its fumes, the better, research suggests. As part of our series called “Our Microbes, Ourselves,” we explore … Continue reading "Our Microbes, Ourselves: Soil Bacteria Treat Stress Disorders"
5/24/2016 • 28 minutes, 20 seconds
GoldLab Symposium: Standing Together—Health Care for Our Common Good
((Starts 00:00)) Today we speak with Larry Gold, founder of the GoldLab Symposium that brings scientists and thinkers from around the world to share their perspectives about health and healthcare. The theme of this year’s symposium is: Standing Together—Health Care for Our Common Good Host / Producer / Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender
5/17/2016 • 27 minutes, 16 seconds
2016 Graduation Special (part 2)
In this follow-up episode of our “Graduation Special” we talk with three more guests graduating with science Ph.D.’s from the University of Colorado in Boulder. They join us to talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next: Carleigh Samson – Environmental Engineering Program Topic: Modeling Relationships between Climate, Source … Continue reading "2016 Graduation Special (part 2)"
5/5/2016 • 27 minutes, 47 seconds
2016 Graduation Special (part 1)
The graduation season is upon us and our guests in today’s show will be graduating with science Ph.D.’s from the University of Colorado in Boulder. They join us to talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next: Greg Salvesen – Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Topic: Rethinking Accretion … Continue reading "2016 Graduation Special (part 1)"
5/5/2016 • 27 minutes, 28 seconds
Foundations for Leaders Organizing for Water and Sustainability // Quantified Self
(Starting at 6:30) FLOWS bridges social justice and environmental issues. FLOWS provides leadership training opportunities, green job skills, and free energy and water upgrades while building partnerships between CU students and staff and community members. They partner with and work primarily for low-income communities for water and energy conservation (the communities most in need of lower … Continue reading "Foundations for Leaders Organizing for Water and Sustainability // Quantified Self"
5/4/2016 • 28 minutes, 33 seconds
The Most Perfect Thing: A Bird’s Egg
((Starts 00:00)) We speak via Skype with Renowned English Ornithologist Tim Birkhead, about “The Most Perfect Thing.” That’s the title of his new book. It’s all about taking a scientific look inside, and outside, a bird’s egg. Host: Shelley Schlender Producer:Shelley Schlender Engineer:Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender
4/19/2016 • 27 minutes, 2 seconds
A History of Water in Colorado’s Front Range
Host Beth Bennett interviews Bob Crifasi, author of A Land Made of Water (starts at 4’55”). Bob works in water management and planning and is an environmental scientist with over 25yr experience. He was the Water Resources Administrator for the city of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks Dept. He has served on board of … Continue reading "A History of Water in Colorado’s Front Range"
4/13/2016 • 25 minutes, 14 seconds
Across the Universe – You Can’t Get There From Here
This special edition of How on Earth is produced in conjunction with the Conference on World Affairs. Our guests are two of the participants of the Conference: astrobiologist Dr. David Grinspoon and physicist Dr. Sidney Perkowitz. In keeping with the traditional format of the conference panels, our guests will start by talking about their interpretation of the … Continue reading "Across the Universe – You Can’t Get There From Here"
Prairie Fire (start time: 0:57) Journalist and Megafire expert Michael Kodas discusses the raging Kansas prairie fire and how it compares to wildfires in Colorado. Pacific Temperatures Predict New York Heat Waves (start time: 6:58) Climatologist Karen McKinnon says it’s possible to use precise monitoring of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures to predict heat waves on the East Coast 50 days in … Continue reading "Prairie Wildfire // Predicting Heat Waves // Mapping Nitrogen Pollution"
3/30/2016 • 24 minutes, 35 seconds
The Science of Mind Over Body
Mind+Body Science (start time: 4:52): If you’ve ever struggled to decide whether to see a Western conventional doctor or an “alternative” medical practitioner for ailments ranging from a compromised immune system to irritable bowel syndrome, you are aware of a deep divide between the two camps. Dr. Jo Marchant, a British geneticist and science writer, has delved … Continue reading "The Science of Mind Over Body"
3/15/2016 • 24 minutes, 45 seconds
Pledge Drive: Mind-Body Science
In today’s spring pledge-drive show we play clips from an interview with Jo Marchant, author of the new book Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body. (Stay tuned for the extended interview on next Tuesday’s show.) And we highlight another book, Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection with Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic … Continue reading "Pledge Drive: Mind-Body Science"
3/8/2016 • 27 minutes, 12 seconds
STEM Research // Sex in the Sea
Today’s show offers two features: High School STEM Stars (start time: 5:00): Developing polymers to reduce waste from biodiesel production. Using 3D printing to design ocean textures, such as fish gills and waves, that blind students can use in textbooks to better understand nature. These are the kind of vexing challenges of seasoned scientists. Well, a select group … Continue reading "STEM Research // Sex in the Sea"
2/24/2016 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
First Detection of Gravitational Waves
Interview with LIGO Scientist Dr. Matt Evans (6:22): The recent big news in physics was the announcement of the first direct detection of gravitational waves. The detection was made by the LIGO project, which stands for “Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory”. Reports have said that this is a confirmation of general relativity and a new way to … Continue reading "First Detection of Gravitational Waves"
2/17/2016 • 25 minutes, 10 seconds
How the Glucocorticoid Receptor can Treat Asthma, Cancer, and More
The Glucocorticoid Receptor (starts at 5:30): We interview Dr. Miles Pufall who studies the glucocorticoid receptor, a protein in cell membranes that is the target of drugs used to treat a variety of conditions from asthma to cancer. Binding cortisol causes the receptor to be moved to the nucleus where it turns on (or off) … Continue reading "How the Glucocorticoid Receptor can Treat Asthma, Cancer, and More"
2/12/2016 • 25 minutes, 38 seconds
Winter Stars // Pollinators and Insecticides
Winter Stars (starts at 5:30). We talk with Dave Sutherland, an interpretive naturalist with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, about winter star-gazing. This program is tied to an upcoming concert performance by the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra on February 12, 2016. More information about the Boulder night hikes and other programs can be found at: www.naturehikes.org and to find out more about … Continue reading "Winter Stars // Pollinators and Insecticides"
2/2/2016 • 24 minutes, 17 seconds
Electric Car Road Trips // Renewable Energy Nation . . . in 15 Years
Electric Car Road Trips (starts 3:42): We go on a road trip with How on Earth’s Shelley Schlender to see how all-electric vehicles are exceeding “range anxiety” by driving coast to coast, all on electricity. Along the way we talk with Boulder Nissan’s Nigel Zeid about regional plans to help more drivers “plug in” and with Hunter Lovins, head of Natural Capitalism Solutions. … Continue reading "Electric Car Road Trips // Renewable Energy Nation . . . in 15 Years"
1/26/2016 • 24 minutes, 23 seconds
Using the Microbiome to Determine Time of Death
Using the Microbiome to Determine Time of Death (starts at 5:40): This week on How on Earth, we speak with Jessica Metcalf, an evolutionary biologist, who studies bacteria, specifically the microbiome. One of her research interests is using molecular biology to address basic hypotheses about the role of microbes in corpse decomposition. The time since … Continue reading "Using the Microbiome to Determine Time of Death"
1/20/2016 • 25 minutes, 10 seconds
Hubble Space Telescope
Today’s show of How on Earth starts with headlines about dark matter, genetic mysteries, jealous monkeys, and polar bears. We then present a short feature of BBC’s Science in Action about the Hubble Space Telescope. This is shorter than our usual How on Earth show due to technical difficulties with the phone system for our feature interview … Continue reading "Hubble Space Telescope"
1/18/2016 • 13 minutes, 29 seconds
Hunter Lovins – Regenerative Economics Extended Version
Hunter Lovins – Regenerative Economics EXTENDED VERSION. This is the extended version of the fall 2015 talk by Hunter Lovins, recorded by Shelley Schlender. Lovins heads up Natural Capitalism Solutions, and she’s a sought after speaker around the world, as well as here in Colorado. She gave this talk, including visuals, and called it Regenerative Economics. This talk was recorded in Boulder as … Continue reading "Hunter Lovins – Regenerative Economics Extended Version"
1/5/2016 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 27 seconds
Our Microbes, Ourselves — Special Call-in Show
Our Microbes, Ourselves, Dec. 31, 2015: Roughly one hundred trillion bacteria are living, and gorging, in our gut–all the more so during the indulgent holidays. Microbes influence our health and well-being, by affecting our gut directly, as well as the crops we eat and the soils in which we grow crops. These microbial communities – called the gut … Continue reading "Our Microbes, Ourselves — Special Call-in Show"
12/31/2015 • 55 minutes, 8 seconds
Hunter Lovins – Regenerative Economics for the Future of Humanity
Hunter Lovins – Regenerative Economics (Starts 2:42) One of the world’s leading voices for the environment is urging the world to work for even more than a sustainable economy. She says it’s time for a regenerative economy. That’s the message from Boulder County resident, Hunter Lovins. Lovins heads up Natural Capitalism Solutions, and she’s a … Continue reading "Hunter Lovins – Regenerative Economics for the Future of Humanity"
12/29/2015 • 25 minutes, 49 seconds
Climate Change and Cities
Climate Change and Cities (starts at 5:05) Sea level rise, severe storms, heat waves – these are just a few of the challenges cities might be facing as the climate changes in the next few decades. So how should they adapt to cope with such events? And with urban developments being one of the largest … Continue reading "Climate Change and Cities"
12/22/2015 • 24 minutes, 42 seconds
What You Can Do About Global Warming
What You Can Do About Global Warming (starts at 5:20): We interview Craig Hover, author of A World to Come Home To: Ending Global Warming in Our Lifetime. Craig is a licensed professional engineer with more than 30 years of engineering, project and facilities management, financial services and consulting. In his book he lays out a … Continue reading "What You Can Do About Global Warming"
12/17/2015 • 24 minutes, 33 seconds
Beyond Cop21Paris: Climate Science & Policy
Today, Dec. 8, we offer the following feature: Changing Climate, Changing Policy (start time: 7:06): As political leaders are still hammering out an accord at the UN Climate Summit, or COP21, in Paris, to rein in global warming, today we discuss the underlying scientific facts about climate change, and the policy promises and challenges for … Continue reading "Beyond Cop21Paris: Climate Science & Policy"
12/8/2015 • 25 minutes, 26 seconds
Grad School Science
What is graduate school and how does it differ from the undergraduate experience? What drives people to go through another 4…5…6…or more years of school? Today’s show features some people who might be able to tell us about the grad school experience in the sciences. We have three grad students from the University of Colorado at … Continue reading "Grad School Science"
11/27/2015 • 23 minutes, 26 seconds
CUCafe // Math, Science, Intuition and CFS
Today we had a terrific show with two local guests. First, Sarah McQuate, Post-Doc at the University of Colorado joins us to talk about CUCafe, a student run group committed to creating dialogues and safe spaces for underrepresented student on campus. We talk about their role in the most recent Inclusion and Diversity Summit on … Continue reading "CUCafe // Math, Science, Intuition and CFS"
11/17/2015 • 25 minutes, 32 seconds
Evolution of the Human-Horse Bond
In today’s show we offer the following feature: The Horse (starts at 6:25) Next to our connection with dogs and cats, perhaps the deepest bond humans have developed over time is with horses. In fact, hands down, the horse has done more for us than either of those furry pets. That is, horses lie at … Continue reading "Evolution of the Human-Horse Bond"
11/10/2015 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
Mighty Microbes in Our Gut & Soils
Mighty Microbes (start time: 5:45): Microbes – fungi and bacteria and probably viruses — are essential to life on Earth. They’re found in soil and water and inside the human gut. There’s a lot happening these days in microbiology, as scientists try to better understand what role these invisible powerhouses play in our health and … Continue reading "Mighty Microbes in Our Gut & Soils"
11/3/2015 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
How the Brain Matures
Brains (starts at 4:35) This week on How on Earth we interview Professor Marie Banich, from the University of Colorado here in Boulder. Dr Banich uses cutting edge methodologies, particularly structural and functional MRI, to examine the role of the prefrontal cortex, as well as other brain regions, in executive function. Today she tells us … Continue reading "How the Brain Matures"
11/1/2015 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Carl Safina – Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel (part 2)
Beyond Words (starts 5:00) Last week, we brought you excerpts from an interview with MacArthur Genius Grant Award winner, scientist and naturalist, Carl Safina, about his ground-breaking book: Beyond Words – What Animals Think and Feel. Last week’s excerpts focused on elephants and then on the mysterious accounts of killer whales assisting people in danger … Continue reading "Carl Safina – Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel (part 2)"
10/23/2015 • 25 minutes, 32 seconds
Joel Parker & Space // Carl Safina – Beyond Words
Up Close and Personal – Astrophysicist Joel Parker (starts 3:00) talks about why he volunteers to educate people about science and outer space. Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel, by Carl Safina. (starts 4:10) We talk with MacAurther Grant winner, naturalist and scientist, Carl Safina, about his new book. His publisher has kindly offered a … Continue reading "Joel Parker & Space // Carl Safina – Beyond Words"
10/14/2015 • 24 minutes, 49 seconds
Are GMOs Environmentally-friendly?
GMOs (start time 5:35) An interview with Dr Sharon Collenge, an ecologist at the University of Colorado. Dr Collenge is an advocate of using new genetic technologies to make slight modifications to plant genomes which can increase yield, protect against disease and reduce pesticide use. Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Additional … Continue reading "Are GMOs Environmentally-friendly?"
10/7/2015 • 24 minutes, 46 seconds
Rock Arch Stability // Neonicotinoids and Silent Spring
Rock Arch Stability (Starts 5:24) How on Earth’s Daniel Strain talks to Jeffrey Moore, a geologist who studies the West’s iconic rock arches — and watches them for signs that they’re about to collapse. Neonicotinoids and Silent Spring – (Starts 15:33) We share a story from H2O radio warning about a pesticide that’s linked to the collapse … Continue reading "Rock Arch Stability // Neonicotinoids and Silent Spring"
9/30/2015 • 23 minutes, 43 seconds
Neurobiology of Alcohol Abuse
This week on How on Earth, we speak with Dr Paula Hoffman, a neuropharmacologist – she’s scientist who studies what drugs do in the brain- who works on the genetics of alcohol and other drugs of abuse. Paula reviews the action of alcohol on different neurotransmitter systems of the brain then describes some of the … Continue reading "Neurobiology of Alcohol Abuse"
9/16/2015 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
Quantum Biology: Life on The Edge // Science and Art with Monica Aiello
Quantum Biology: Life on the Edge What do Enzymes and photosynthesis have in common? Both are biological process that happen to rely on quantum mechanisims. That’s right, particles tunnling through walls, shifting between particle and wave states: The weirdness of the quantum world isn’t as isolated as we once thought. This past summer Life on … Continue reading "Quantum Biology: Life on The Edge // Science and Art with Monica Aiello"
9/15/2015 • 24 minutes, 16 seconds
Habitat Exchanges // More Frequent Wildfires
Habitat Exchanges (starts at 3:00): The greater sage grouse is ruffling feathers all the way to Washington. September 30th is the deadline for the US Fish & Wildlife Service to determine whether to list the grouse under the Endangered Species Act. More than a third of the sage grouse’s shrinking range is on private land. Which … Continue reading "Habitat Exchanges // More Frequent Wildfires"
9/1/2015 • 24 minutes, 42 seconds
Fingerprint Hand Gun // High Altitude Observatory
Fingerprint Hand Gun. (starts at 5:45) How on Earth’s Shelley Schlender talks with Boulder teen scientist Kai Kloepfer, who is creating a “Smart Gun” that won him first prize in engineering at the INTEL international science fair and a $50,000 grant from the Smart Tech Challenges Foundation. Kloepfer’s goal is to prevent accidental shootings of … Continue reading "Fingerprint Hand Gun // High Altitude Observatory"
8/25/2015 • 25 minutes, 8 seconds
Gold King Spill, Mining Prospects
Science and Politics of Mining (start time: 6:49) On August 5 an inactive mine named Gold King, which had been leaking toxins for years, spewed more than 3 million gallons of toxic sludge into a creek that feeds into the Animus River in southwest Colorado. Its neon orange path of wastewater was shocking. But also … Continue reading "Gold King Spill, Mining Prospects"
8/19/2015 • 22 minutes, 26 seconds
Global Climate Models & Climate Change
Beth Bennett speaks with Claudia Tebaldi, a climate scientist at NCAR, about her work analyzing climate models to project climate change in the future. She addressed heat waves and local conditions and how these models can be used to make projections in these areas. Start time approx 5 min. Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett … Continue reading "Global Climate Models & Climate Change"
8/13/2015 • 29 minutes, 27 seconds
Historical Analysis of Agriculture and Greenhouse Gases
When it comes to reducing greenhouses gases, every little bit helps, and that includes managing the greenhouse gases produced by how we grow our food. Raising livestock and growing crops both generate greenhouse gases, and to gauge their impact, a new study takes the long range view. The results were published in a paper: “Measuring … Continue reading "Historical Analysis of Agriculture and Greenhouse Gases"
8/5/2015 • 24 minutes, 17 seconds
Grazing the Niobrara // Savory Institute
Mooo-ving Cattle Near the Niobrara (starts 4:28) We talk with Steve Hicks, director of the USFW Niobrara Wildlife Refuge complex near Valentine, Nebraska and join the Rocking Arrow Ranch on a cattle moo-oo-vve designed to help maintain the quality of wild grasslands The Savory Institute (starts 10:05) We talk with Boulder’s grazing think tank, The … Continue reading "Grazing the Niobrara // Savory Institute"
7/28/2015 • 23 minutes, 37 seconds
Pluto Flyby // Case of the Rickety Cossack
Pluto Flyby (start time 1:00): Joel Parker discusses the New Horizons mission from the command center live! Case of the Rickety Cossack (start time 25:00): Beth Bennett talks to Ian Tattersall about his new book, a fascinating précis of the study of human evolution and some startling new findings showing that our species is one of many … Continue reading "Pluto Flyby // Case of the Rickety Cossack"
7/15/2015 • 24 minutes, 48 seconds
Unprocessed Food // Bee Biodiversity
Real Food (start time 4:20): What we eat , and how we eat, is inextricably connected to our own health as well as the health of the planet. Every decision we make—whether to bake a chocolate cake or buy it from Safeway or at a Farmer’s Market—is full of nuances and even contradictions. Megan Kimble … Continue reading "Unprocessed Food // Bee Biodiversity"
6/30/2015 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
Student Dust Counter reaches Pluto
(Main Feature Start Time 6:00) We talk with CU students, former students and their advisor about how a student built science instrument called the Student Dust Counter managed to travel billions of miles on the New Horizons spacecraft, and what happens with its project to study space dust, now that it’s near Pluto. Hosts: Shelley Schlender, … Continue reading "Student Dust Counter reaches Pluto"
6/23/2015 • 22 minutes, 40 seconds
Fourth Phase of Water – Extended Interview
Here is an extended excerpt with Dr. Gerald Pollack, University of Washington professor of Bioengineering. We talk about what barriers exist for scientists in today’s community and a new resource for research to be evaluated in a rigours and open minded format. Listen here!
6/17/2015 • 13 minutes, 13 seconds
The Fourth Phase of Water
How On Earth reporter Kendra Krueger caught up with Gerald Pollack, Bioengineering professor from the University of Washington to talk about the physical chemistry of water. The science of water has a sordid past of controversy and dispute which continues today in our current scientific and layman communities. Why is that? What is so strange … Continue reading "The Fourth Phase of Water"
6/16/2015 • 24 minutes, 25 seconds
Aging//and not aging
We talk with Dr Thomas Johnson about his long standing interest in aging and how he used a nearly microscopic worm to investigate this process. Recently, he has transitioned into using mice to identify genes influencing the aging process. Some of his findings have identified potential drugs to slow aging and keep us healthier as … Continue reading "Aging//and not aging"
6/9/2015 • 28 minutes, 35 seconds
Einstein, Niels Bohr and Grandmothers…a Fairy Tale!
An educator and perfomer, Len Barron first developed a piece about Einsteina and Bohr as a one man show, but then decided to evolve the project by enlist the help of 8 grandmothers to tell the story with their own added pizazz. Not only was lively performance produced, but a process and experience was shared. … Continue reading "Einstein, Niels Bohr and Grandmothers…a Fairy Tale!"
5/26/2015 • 24 minutes, 13 seconds
Birds v. Cats // Humor Science
Birds v. Cats (start time 4:35): Spring is in full bloom on Colorado’s Front Range. Robins and other birds wake us up before the crack of dawn with their choruses. This is also a time when many chicks will hatch and then fledge — a time when they are most vulnerable to predators. The biggest … Continue reading "Birds v. Cats // Humor Science"
5/19/2015 • 23 minutes, 41 seconds
Gold Lab Symposium//Mapping Pain in the Brain
GOLD LAB SYMPOSIUM (start time: 4:26) We talk with Larry Gold, Founder of the Gold Lab Symposium, about this Friday/Saturday, free symposium at CU Boulder. (check the website for previous talks, or to register for this weekend’s seminar). MAPPING CHRONIC PAIN (start time: 15:56) We visit a Chronic Pain Support group … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium//Mapping Pain in the Brain"
5/12/2015 • 22 minutes, 43 seconds
Sage Grouse Saga // Ocean Health
Sage Grouse Saga (start time: 4:04): One of the most spectacular and flamboyant rites of spring is, arguably, the mating ritual of a the greater sage grouse, a chicken-like bird with a long tail, with spiky tail feathers. Its historic range spans 11 Western states, including Colorado. But that sagebrush-dominated habitat has been chopped up … Continue reading "Sage Grouse Saga // Ocean Health"
4/28/2015 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Are Ketones the Key?
Ketones (start time 6:40) A growing body of scientific research demonstrates health benefits for many people with a diet that’s lower in carbohydrates, and higher in fats. In fact, some of this research indicates great therapeutic benefits,. One reason why may be that, when carbohydrate consumption is low enough, the body enters a state of “nutritional … Continue reading "Are Ketones the Key?"
4/23/2015 • 25 minutes, 57 seconds
Biomimicry: A New lens on Technology and Innovation
Today’s special edition of How on Earth, brought to you in conjunction with this week’s Conference on World Affairs is a conversation on Biomimicy as a new lens to view science and technology with Margo Farnsworth. Margo has coached two Top Twelve graduate teams for the International Student Biomimicry Challenge and currently serves as … Continue reading "Biomimicry: A New lens on Technology and Innovation"
4/8/2015 • 21 minutes, 42 seconds
Island On Fire: The Story of Laki
Island on Fire (04:45): In 1783, a crack opened up in the Earth, began to spew out lava and ash and poisonous gases, and didn’t stop for eight months. The volcano was Laki, one of many volcanoes in Iceland, and the effects of the eruption went global. Laki’s story is one of geology, chemistry, atmospheric science, … Continue reading "Island On Fire: The Story of Laki"
3/31/2015 • 25 minutes, 1 second
Polar Bears // Climate Scientists
Climate Scientists (starts at 1:00): Climate scientists (scientists in general) tend to steer clear of speaking out as activists about concerns that are politically volatile. But that’s changing. Many climate scientists are stepping out of their research comfort zone to offer personal stories of why they care and what we all can do about the … Continue reading "Polar Bears // Climate Scientists"
3/24/2015 • 24 minutes, 30 seconds
Using Worms to Study Neurodegenerative Diseases
Nematode worms for studying Alzheimer’s (start time 4:57). Beth Bennett interviews Dr Chris Link from CU Boulder on his research into the genetic basis of Alzheimer’s Disease, ALS, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Hosts: Kendra Krueger, Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Kendra Krueger Executive Producer: Kendra Krueger Listen to the show:
3/22/2015 • 23 minutes, 24 seconds
Rust: The Longest War // The Moral Arc
On today’s spring pledge-drive show we offer segments of two feature interviews. See extended versions also below. Both books are available to those who pledge at least $60 to KGNU. Call 303.449.4885 today. Rust: The Longest War (start time: 4:25) It is arguably the most destructive natural disaster in the modern world. And it’s the … Continue reading "Rust: The Longest War // The Moral Arc"
3/10/2015 • 24 minutes, 18 seconds
The ATLAS Institute // Firefighters and Climate Change
ATLAS Institute Today we are joined in the studio with Mark Gross of the Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society institute at CU and Alicia Gibb Director of The Blow Things Up Lab, one of the spaces part of the ATLAS department. ATLAS was formed in 1997 as a university wide initiative to integrate information … Continue reading "The ATLAS Institute // Firefighters and Climate Change"
2/25/2015 • 18 minutes, 31 seconds
Ancestors in Our Genome
We speak with Eugene Harris, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Geology at Queensborough Community College – part of the City University of New York – about his new book, Ancestors in Our Genome. In this feature, we discussed the methods used by molecular anthropologists to determine human evolution from our primate ancestors and … Continue reading "Ancestors in Our Genome"
2/18/2015 • 23 minutes, 23 seconds
War of the Whales: A True Story
War of the Whales: A True Story (starts at 3:35): In the early hours of March 15th, of the year 2000, a Cuvier beaked whale washed ashore a mere 100 feet from Ken Balcomb’s house on the island of Abaco in the Bahamas. It was, for the whale, a fortuitous coincidence: Balcomb was a marine … Continue reading "War of the Whales: A True Story"
2/11/2015 • 23 minutes, 49 seconds
Arctic Frontiers // Wind Forecasting
Arctic Dispatch (starts at 2:18): There is no question that the Arctic is thawing faster than anywhere on the planet, except the western Antarctic Peninsula. But there are still so many unknowns regarding how things are actually changing in different places, and to what effect. How On Earth’s Susan Moran recently attended the Arctic Frontiers … Continue reading "Arctic Frontiers // Wind Forecasting"
2/4/2015 • 24 minutes, 28 seconds
Other Rocky Planets are Common!
We talk with astronomer Travis Metcalfe about finding the oldest known planetary system in the Galaxy, and what it means about the formation of planets, the possibilities of extraterrestrial life, and how does one actually find planets around other stars? Headlines include switches in the man-made biological organisms that could possibly be used for bioterrorism, and … Continue reading "Other Rocky Planets are Common!"
1/30/2015 • 23 minutes, 50 seconds
Moonshine // Parkinson’s Network Exercise
The Science of Moonshine (starts 3:55) We talk with a Boulder scientist who has a home still for making high-proof brandy from backyard apples. It’s illegal to make your own liquor, even if you only sip it with friends and never sell it. So our moonshiner remains anonymous. Parkinson’s Network Exercise Class (starts 7:35) … Continue reading "Moonshine // Parkinson’s Network Exercise"
1/20/2015 • 24 minutes, 21 seconds
The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters and Climate Change
The rightful place of science (starts at 6:22): In 2014, the world certainly saw more than a few costly weather disasters. Flooding in India and Pakistan in September killed more than 600 people and resulted in economic losses of more than $18 billion. Super Typhoon Rammasum, which hit the Philippines, China and Vietnam in July … Continue reading "The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters and Climate Change"
1/14/2015 • 25 minutes, 4 seconds
Coral Climate Clues // Tropical Carbon Sink
On today’s show we offer three feature interviews, including a short opening interview. Alcohol and weight gain (starts at 3:34): Science journalist Jill Adams shares the latest science on the connection between alcohol and weight gain. The science is murky, as she states in her recent column in the Washington Post. Climate Clues in … Continue reading "Coral Climate Clues // Tropical Carbon Sink"
1/7/2015 • 0
Red Meat & Mice // Loren Cordain – The Paleo Diet
“Sugar” in Red Meat – Cancer in Mice? (starts at 6:10) We talk with Ajit Varki, a researcher at the University of California in San Diego whose latest mouse studies reveal a potential inflammatory compound in red meat — a “sugar” called sialic acid. (For more, listen to our extended version of this interview) Paleo … Continue reading "Red Meat & Mice // Loren Cordain – The Paleo Diet"
12/30/2014 • 23 minutes, 27 seconds
Red Meat Sugar Glycans and Inflammation – Extended Version
I’m Shelley Schlender for How on Earth. Up next is an extended interview with University of California in San Diego scientist Ajit Varki about his team’s new mouse study that indicates that a “sugar” in red meat, called sialic acid, can trigger inflammation when fed to mice. This sugar is intriguing because it’s a molecule … Continue reading "Red Meat Sugar Glycans and Inflammation – Extended Version"
12/30/2014 • 26 minutes, 35 seconds
Himalayan Glacial Lakes
Himalayan Glacial Lakes (starts at 5:20) Some scientists conduct their experiments in a laboratory — think clean white walls, artificial lighting, A.C. and a convenient coffee pot not far away. Not so for Ulyana Horodyskyj, a graduate student at the University of Colorado. For the last few years she’s been looking at glaciers and the lakes on … Continue reading "Himalayan Glacial Lakes"
12/24/2014 • 23 minutes, 43 seconds
Weather Drones // The late Dr. Theo Colborn
Weather drones (start time 5:10) Brian Argrow, former professor and Associate Dean of engineering at CU Boulder, joins us in the studio to talk about the recent formation Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Sever Storm Research Group. The group is a collaboration between the CU Boulder and the University of Nebraska-LIncoln who have been working together … Continue reading "Weather Drones // The late Dr. Theo Colborn"
12/17/2014 • 24 minutes, 37 seconds
Want to Save the Amazon? Think Like an Ant.
The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse places on earth, but it is currently at risk from oil development. Some of the park’s inhabitants, however, are trying to forge a more sustainable, and less destructive path out of poverty. These indigenous Kichwa people, who have already been caretakers of the … Continue reading "Want to Save the Amazon? Think Like an Ant."
12/8/2014 • 24 minutes, 38 seconds
Animal Weapons – The Evolution of Battle (Doug Emlen)
We talk with biologist Douglas Emlen, who says that the evolution of animal weapons, in everything from dung beetles to saber tooth tigers, has him very worried about our HUMAN weapons (starts 4:20) . . . and listeners are invited to join the Sunday, December 14th 73rd Boulder Audubon Christmas Bird Count Hosts: Jane … Continue reading "Animal Weapons – The Evolution of Battle (Doug Emlen)"
12/2/2014 • 22 minutes, 49 seconds
Green Chemistry (extended version)
Listen here for an extended conversation with John Warner about the difference between enthalpy and entropy and how it relates to our scientific world view.
11/25/2014 • 3 minutes, 15 seconds
Green Chemistry
There’s a lot of attention right now on creating environmentally friendly technology, non-toxic and sustainable manufacturing, but as Dr. John Warner explains it, it all has to start with the chemistry. John Warner is a chemist, professor and co-founder of the Warner-Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. He speaks profoundly about learning methods from nature … Continue reading "Green Chemistry"
11/25/2014 • 24 minutes, 38 seconds
Science of Booze // Rosetta Mission
Proof: The Science of Booze (starts at 8:09): Science journalist Adam Rogers, who claims to have taken a liking to single-malt whiskey when he reached drinking age, has immersed himself further into alcohol–particularly, the history and science of making booze, tasting it, and enjoying–or suffering—the effects of it. Booze is a big story: Indeed, making … Continue reading "Science of Booze // Rosetta Mission"
11/19/2014 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
Frontrange Bioneers // Green Electricity or Green Money?
(4:00) Kendra talks with local organizers about the upcoming Front Range Bioneers conference (11:20) Shelley talks with Tim Schoechle about his new position paper for the National Law and Policy Institute, Green Electricity or Green Money? Hosts: Shelley Schlender, Kendra Krueger Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producers: Jane … Continue reading "Frontrange Bioneers // Green Electricity or Green Money?"
11/4/2014 • 22 minutes, 46 seconds
Gulp
Gulp [starts at 4:25] Bestselling author, Mary Roach has been billed as American’s funniest science writer. In “Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal” she takes readers on a journey through the alimentary canal, extolling the marvels of spit on the beginning end, then moving on to the man who had a hole in his stomach that allowed … Continue reading "Gulp"
10/29/2014 • 23 minutes, 42 seconds
Do Fathers Matter Pt. 2 // Mercury in Water
Do Fathers Matter? (start time: 3:07) If you’re a father or a son or daughter – which pretty much covers everyone – this interview should hit home. Science journalist Paul Raeburn’s latest book — “Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We’ve Overlooked” – explores what seems like a no-brainer question. … Continue reading "Do Fathers Matter Pt. 2 // Mercury in Water"
10/21/2014 • 24 minutes, 55 seconds
Do Fathers Matter?
Do Fathers Matter? (start times: 9:55 and 20:58) Today’s How on Earth show is part of the KGNU fall membership pledge drive. During this show we preview an upcoming feature of the book: “Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We’ve Overlooked” by science journalist Paul Raeburn. It may seem obvious that fathers … Continue reading "Do Fathers Matter?"
10/15/2014 • 26 minutes, 38 seconds
Buddhist Geeks and The Future Earth Initiative
Vincent Horn and Buddhist Geeks (starts at 4:42): On October 16th the Buddhist Geek Conference comes to boulder. Founder Vincent Horn speaks to us about how mindfulness, compassion and contemplative practice can be integrated into the technical world. http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/conference/ Future Earth (starts at 12:58): On our second feature, CSU Professor Dennis Ojima talks to Susan Moran … Continue reading "Buddhist Geeks and The Future Earth Initiative"
10/7/2014 • 21 minutes, 52 seconds
Living Planet Report // Finding Exoplanet Water
Living Planet Report (starts at 5:50): The environmental organization World Wildlife Fund just released its science-based biennial Living Planet Report. It doesn’t paint a rosy picture overall; WWF shows that, for instance, wildlife populations across the globe are roughly half the size they were 40 years ago. And although rich countries show a 10 percent increase … Continue reading "Living Planet Report // Finding Exoplanet Water"
9/30/2014 • 24 minutes, 53 seconds
Facts and Faith: A Conversation with Katharine Hayhoe
Facts and Faith (starts at 4:30): Two weeks ago Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a professor of atmospheric science at Texas tech came to town to speak at Chautauqua. As a scientist and a Christian, she advocates for illuminating the urgency and reality of climate change to conservative and religious audiences. We had the opportunity to sit down … Continue reading "Facts and Faith: A Conversation with Katharine Hayhoe"
9/23/2014 • 21 minutes, 28 seconds
Testing the Water
Testing the Water (Start time 3:30) What exactly is in our water—the stuff we drink, shower in and use to wash our vegetables? This is a question lots of Coloradans have started to ask in the last few years as oil and gas operations have ramped up in the state. Several communities have become very … Continue reading "Testing the Water"
9/16/2014 • 24 minutes, 1 second
The Meaning of Wilderness // The Ocean Is Us #5: Living Underwater
The Meaning of Wilderness (starts 4:30): Fifty years ago last week, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act. It was then, and remains today, one of the most significant pieces of environmental legislation. It has protected millions of acres of land. And it established a legal definition of wilderness: “an area where the earth … Continue reading "The Meaning of Wilderness // The Ocean Is Us #5: Living Underwater"
9/9/2014 • 24 minutes, 1 second
Solar Flares — High-Tech Armageddon?
Recent headlines warn that Coronal Mass Ejections, better known as Solar Flares, could trigger a high-tech Armageddon, disabling power and communication on a global scale, for months. Today we talk with Boulder scientists Dan Baker, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and Doug Biesecker, National Space Weather Prediction Center, about the risks from Solar Flares, what to worry … Continue reading "Solar Flares — High-Tech Armageddon?"
9/2/2014 • 24 minutes, 30 seconds
The Ocean is Us #4: Sustainable Seafood
Sustainable Seafood: (start time 5:10) This is the fourth feature interview in The Ocean Is Us series, which explores how we in land-locked states are connected to the oceans and what’s at stake. Today we discuss sustainable seafood, which to some critics is an oxymoron, given that some 90% of large fish already have been … Continue reading "The Ocean is Us #4: Sustainable Seafood"
8/26/2014 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
The Ocean Is Us #3 : Marine Sanctuaries
Marine Sanctuaries (starts at 5:18) This is the third feature interview In the Ocean Is Us series, which explores how we in land-locked Colorado are connected to the oceans, why they matter so much to us all, and what’s at stake. Today we discuss marine sanctuaries: the conservation science behind establishing them, and their ecological … Continue reading "The Ocean Is Us #3 : Marine Sanctuaries"
8/19/2014 • 24 minutes, 33 seconds
Greenback Cutthroat Trout // Migraines
Greenback Cuttthroat Trout (starts at 6:06) Colorado has always been a state of nature lovers, which is why, in the era of our great great grandfathers, citizens even designated an official state fish. It’s the Greenback Cutthroat Trout that thrived in the mountain streams above Boulder and Denver. Colorado wildlife officials had long assumed that Greenback … Continue reading "Greenback Cutthroat Trout // Migraines"
8/13/2014 • 24 minutes, 24 seconds
A Tough Summer Vacation
A Tough Summer Vacation (start time 10:52) It’s summer! And although the town feels empty of students for many around here, some researchers may be feeling a sad little void this week as summer internships tie up and interns leave town for a short break before beginning their normal school years. Three Boulder institutions run … Continue reading "A Tough Summer Vacation"
8/7/2014 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Rosetta // Autism & the Microbiome
We talk with Joel Parker about his Denver Science Museum presentation. Joel is a project leader for one of the scientific instruments on board the Rosetta space mission. We also discuss new findings about how improving the health of the human digestive tract, with the use of beneficial microbes, might improve mood disorders, including reducing … Continue reading "Rosetta // Autism & the Microbiome"
7/29/2014 • 24 minutes
Earth-friendly Landscaping
Summer is a time to celebrate our bursting gardens. But you may be wondering why your neighbor’s garden seems to be attracting all the butterflies, honeybees and hummingbirds, while yours seems to be attracting mostly aphids and raccoons. Our guest, Alison Peck, owner of Matrix Gardens in Boulder, talks with How On Earth host Susan … Continue reading "Earth-friendly Landscaping"
7/23/2014 • 24 minutes, 41 seconds
The Oso Landslide
Jim Pullen speaks with Dr. David Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington about the landslide that buried Oso, Washington, in March 2014. Host: Kendra Krueger Producer: Jim Pullen Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Joel Parker Listen to the show:
7/22/2014 • 23 minutes, 27 seconds
The Ocean Is Us #2 : Endocrine Disruptors in Drinking Water
Endocrine Disruptors and Drinking Water (starts at 3:12) Today we continue our series called The Ocean is Us, which explores our vital connection to the oceans. Alan Vajda, an environmental endocrinologist at the University of Colorado Denver, talks with How On Earth’s Susan Moran about a rare success story: why fish in Boulder Creek are … Continue reading "The Ocean Is Us #2 : Endocrine Disruptors in Drinking Water"
7/9/2014 • 22 minutes, 44 seconds
Astronomy Through the Ages
Astronomy Through the Ages (starts at 4:10): If I ask you to close your eyes and imagine an astronomer, what do you see? Maybe you think of a lone figure hunched all night over the eyepiece of a telescope in a big, domed observatory. Maybe you think of Jodie Foster, as Ellie Arroway in the movie … Continue reading "Astronomy Through the Ages"
7/1/2014 • 24 minutes, 31 seconds
The Ocean Is Us #1 : Teens4Oceans – Marine Science Education
Teens4Oceans (starts at 9:15): Today, we’re kicking off a series of interviews on the show called The Ocean Is Us. We’ll explore how all of us living in land-locked Colorado are connected to the ocean — whether it’s through our watershed that flows into the Gulf of Mexico, or the fish we buy at the grocery … Continue reading "The Ocean Is Us #1 : Teens4Oceans – Marine Science Education"
6/26/2014 • 23 minutes, 38 seconds
Caffeine and Athletics
Caffeine and Athletics (starts at 4:35): Chances are you’ve already had a cup of coffee this morning or, if you are like me, it was a cup of tea. Or maybe, if you are truly hedonistic, you started the day with a bar of chocolate. Either way, if any of these options are part of your … Continue reading "Caffeine and Athletics"
6/17/2014 • 23 minutes, 9 seconds
Hope On Earth
Hope On Earth (starts 7:08): Few people have thought as critically and deeply about the state of Earth and our role on it than Paul Ehrlich. Over the course of several decades, the Stanford University biologist and ecologist has written many books, including 1968’s controversial The Population Bomb, in which he predicted that hundreds of millions … Continue reading "Hope On Earth"
6/10/2014 • 25 minutes, 11 seconds
Wireless Dawn or Electronic Silent Spring?
(1:00) Cell Phone Radiation – Headphones please? Chris Farnsworth uses a microwave meter to measure cell phone radiation, to urges people to at least use headphones with a mobile phone. (7:50) CU Engineering Emeritus Professor Frank Barnes talks with Katie Singer, author of An Electronic Silent Spring. We also offer an extended interview. Producer, Engineer, … Continue reading "Wireless Dawn or Electronic Silent Spring?"
6/4/2014 • 25 minutes, 34 seconds
Wireless Technology – Extended Version of Interview with Frank Barnes and Katie Singer
CU-Boulder Electrical Engineering Emeritus Professor Frank Barnes is the past president of the BioElectroMagnetics Society. He recently chaired a National Research Council panel on research priorities related to the potential health effects of exposure to radio frequency energy from the use of wireless technology, such as cell phones. As a scientist, Frank Barnes recently talked … Continue reading "Wireless Technology – Extended Version of Interview with Frank Barnes and Katie Singer"
6/3/2014 • 51 minutes, 53 seconds
Massive Stars
Massive stars (start time 6:45) Dr. Emily Levesque is an astronomer who studies big stars, distant stars, exploding stars, and truly weird stars called Thorne–Żytkow objects. All of these topics relate to massive stars – stars that are more than eight time more massive than our Sun. Dr. Levesque is a postdoctoral Hubble fellowship and … Continue reading "Massive Stars"
Colorado’s Science Fair Stars (starts at 3:18) As the end of the school year approaches for high school students, it’s a good time to celebrate the achievements and passion of students in Colorado who have excelled in science, technology, math and engineering (STEM). Two of them — Hope Weinstein, a senior at Fairview High in … Continue reading "Colorado’s Science Fair Stars // Rosetta Comet Mission"
5/20/2014 • 24 minutes, 32 seconds
Gold Lab // National Climate Assessment
For our May 13th show we offer two features: Gold Lab Symposium (starts at 3:42): Biotech entrepreneur Larry Gold, a CU Boulder professor at the BioFrontiers Institute, talks with How On Earth’s Shelley Schlender about the annual Gold Lab Symposium, which will be held in Boulder May 16th and 17th. This year’s theme is Embracing the … Continue reading "Gold Lab // National Climate Assessment"
5/13/2014 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Hacking Happiness
You drive to Starbucks with your cell phone in your pocket, go online, read your favorite newspaper, share an interesting book review on Facebook and then go and order the bestseller from Amazon. It’s only 9:00am, but you’ve already left a data trail—a big one—on your whereabouts, your taste, your friends, and your financial habits. … Continue reading "Hacking Happiness"
5/6/2014 • 23 minutes, 56 seconds
Baseball Vision // Emerald Ash Borer
Today, April 29th, we offer two features: Baseball Vision (starts at 5:42): The major league baseball season is now in full “swing.” Fans may take it for granted that these professional athletes are in top physical condition. What’s less known is how important it is for baseball players to have perfect eyesight. Batters in particular … Continue reading "Baseball Vision // Emerald Ash Borer"
4/30/2014 • 23 minutes, 56 seconds
NASA Visit // IPCC Report
Earth Day gives us plenty of reason to reflect on the state of the planet and the impact we humans have had on it. This week’s show featured Dr. Linda Mearns, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, who is among hundreds of scientists who produced the latest report on global … Continue reading "NASA Visit // IPCC Report"
4/25/2014 • 14 minutes, 39 seconds
Space Dust
Dr. Mihaly Horanyi and his colleagues at the University of Colorado are on the brink of watching an instrument they developed crash into the moon. It’s okay—it’s designed to. In the meantime, the instrument, LDEX, is measuring impacts from dust particles a fraction of the width of a human hair on NASA’s LADEE mission. It’s measured … Continue reading "Space Dust"
4/15/2014 • 24 minutes, 1 second
Space Dust – Extended Version
For the patient and interested listener, here’s more of How On Earth host Beth Bartel’s conversation about space dust with University of Colorado’s Mihaly Horanyi. We talk about why we should colonize the moon, how Dr. Horanyi got into studying dust in the first place—which is a very interesting Cold-War-era story—how space dust may give us … Continue reading "Space Dust – Extended Version"
4/15/2014 • 15 minutes, 6 seconds
Conquering the Energy Crisis
Welcome to this special edition of How on Earth. This week, the 66th annual Conference of World Affairs is happening on the campus of CU-Boulder, and today’s show is one of the events. The speaker and guest in our studio today is Maggie Koerth-Baker. She writes a monthly column, “Eureka,” for The New York Times … Continue reading "Conquering the Energy Crisis"
4/10/2014 • 24 minutes, 29 seconds
Quantum Computers
Quantum Computers [starts at 7:05] Dr. David Wineland has worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, for 38 years. In 2012, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with France’s Dr. Serge Haroche for “ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems”. Dr. Wineland and his colleagues use electromagnetic … Continue reading "Quantum Computers"
4/1/2014 • 25 minutes, 55 seconds
1964 Alaska Earthquake // Neuroscience of Dying
1964 Alaska Earthquake (start time 04:37) This week 50 years ago, in 1964, the Beatles were huge, Alaska had only been a state for a mere five years, and the theory of plate tectonics was in toddlerhood. This Thursday, March 27, also marks the 50th anniversary of the magnitude 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964. … Continue reading "1964 Alaska Earthquake // Neuroscience of Dying"
3/25/2014 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
1964 Alaska Earthquake – Extended Version
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake. To commemorate the quake, we’re posting this extended version of the interview we broadcast on March 25, 2014, with Dr. Mike West, the Alaska State Seismologist and Director of the Alaska Earthquake Center. How On Earth host Beth Bartel talked with Dr. West about his recent … Continue reading "1964 Alaska Earthquake – Extended Version"
3/25/2014 • 34 minutes, 32 seconds
Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You
Welcome to the Spring Pledge Drive edition of How On Earth. I’m this quarter’s Executive Producer, Jim Pullen. We, the How On Earth team, encourage you to take a different take on the world, to examine assumptions, ideas and evidence critically. The great philosopher of science Karl Popper, a champion of the essential role of … Continue reading "Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You"
3/18/2014 • 14 minutes, 10 seconds
Plants in Space // Relativity
Plants in Space (start time 04:36) What would you miss if you were to spend an extended time in space—driving a car? Going to the movies? Hiking? Playing with your dog? Gravity, maybe? Or maybe something as simple as eating good, nutritious vegetables. How On Earth’s Beth Bartel speaks with University of Colorado undergraduate researcher Lizzy … Continue reading "Plants in Space // Relativity"
3/11/2014 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
Beringia // Dolphins & Climate Change // The Ogallala Road
Beringia (start time 0:55). We present an excerpt of Shelly Schlender’s interview with University of Colorado scientist John Hoffecker, lead author of a recent paper in Science magazine about the Beringia land bridge and the people who lived there 25,000 years ago. The full interview can be found here. Dolphins & Climate Change (start time 4:40). Dr. Denise … Continue reading "Beringia // Dolphins & Climate Change // The Ogallala Road"
3/4/2014 • 23 minutes, 47 seconds
How Native Americans Came to Be – Extended Version – Beringia
I’m Shelley Schlender for How on Earth. Here’s an extended version of an interview about how Native Americans came to be. It’s about a CU-Boulder study that appeared in Science Magazine in February 2014, and promptly made headlines around the world. The study involves top-notch detective work that shows how, almost 30,000 years ago, a … Continue reading "How Native Americans Came to Be – Extended Version – Beringia"
3/4/2014 • 41 minutes, 35 seconds
Tracing Methane’s Source in Drinking Water // Safe Place for Captive Wolves
Methane in Drinking Water (start time 05:36) Flaming water faucets were infamously exposed in the documentaries Gasland and Gasland 2. The water isn’t catching fire–methane in the water is. People are deeply concerned that methane, dredged from kilometers down, is leaking into our drinking water supplies through poorly constructed and maintained oil and gas wells, … Continue reading "Tracing Methane’s Source in Drinking Water // Safe Place for Captive Wolves"
2/25/2014 • 24 minutes, 50 seconds
Molecular Gastronomy
Welcome to a special Radio Nibbles version of How On Earth. Nibbles’ (and pie aficionado) John Lehndorff, chef Ian Kleinman and How On Earth’s Jim Pullen set to work making and eating high-tech delicacies. Liquid nitrogen sorbets, strawberries floating above superconducting magnets, and more! Food and tech on the show that makes you smarter. Yum! … Continue reading "Molecular Gastronomy"
2/18/2014 • 25 minutes, 11 seconds
CO2 from the Amazon // US Smokestacks
Amazon CO2 (start time 04:37) The Amazon basin contains the largest tropical rainforest on the planet. It’s been critical not only for its beauty and biodiversity but also for its ability to store more carbon dioxide than it emits. The soil and above-ground biomass of the Amazon makes it one of the largest reservoirs of … Continue reading "CO2 from the Amazon // US Smokestacks"
2/11/2014 • 24 minutes
Arctic Thaw // Methane Study // Bonobo Conservation
Today’s show offers three features: Arctic Dispatch: (start time: 1:02) Co-host Susan Moran returns from Tromso, Norway, with a dispatch from the Arctic Frontiers conference, which addressed the human health and environmental impacts of a rapidly thawing Arctic. Lars Otto Reierson, executive secretary of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program within the Arctic Council, discusses … Continue reading "Arctic Thaw // Methane Study // Bonobo Conservation"
2/6/2014 • 23 minutes, 33 seconds
Newton’s Football // Strontium Clock
Newton’s Football (start time 5:45) This Sunday the Denver Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, so we thought we’d bring you a scientific perspective on the game of football. How on Earth’s Ted Burnham talks with the co-authors of the book Newton’s Football: The Science Behind America’s Game, journalist Allen St. John … Continue reading "Newton’s Football // Strontium Clock"
1/28/2014 • 22 minutes, 36 seconds
Rosetta Wakes Up // Jelly Sandwich Earth // Hospital Acquired Infections // Microbes Reduce Autism in Mice
Outsourcing Pollution (01:08) What’s sent to China comes back to the good old U S of A. Arctic Frontiers (02:03) How on Earth’s Susan Moran flies to Norway Conference Wake Up, Rosetta! (3:00) As project manager for the Rosetta Alice UV Spectrometer, How on Earth’s Joel Parker shares tense moments, waiting for Rosetta to wake up. Jelly Sandwich … Continue reading "Rosetta Wakes Up // Jelly Sandwich Earth // Hospital Acquired Infections // Microbes Reduce Autism in Mice"
1/21/2014 • 24 minutes, 40 seconds
Quitting smoking//Smoke and children’s health
Quitting smoking (start time 4:39) 50 years ago, the U.S. Surgeon General began a campaign against cigarettes that has saved million of lives. Cohost Jim Pullen talks with Dr. Amy Lukowski about proven strategies to stop smoking and a special quitting campaign for women who are pregnant. Dr. Lukowski is the Clinical Director of the Health Initiatives … Continue reading "Quitting smoking//Smoke and children’s health"
1/14/2014 • 23 minutes, 45 seconds
2013 Was a Good Year, in Science!
The team considers noteworthy science on the last day of 2013. What’s worth mentioning? Too many people, too much carbon, and way too much fun in astronomy! Biology and Health (start time 00:56). This year marked the passing of long-time Boulder resident, Al Bartlett. Bartlett was one of the world’s most eloquent voices calling for population … Continue reading "2013 Was a Good Year, in Science!"
12/31/2013 • 24 minutes, 20 seconds
Fairy Science // Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count
We offer two features on this Christmas Eve How On Earth. Fairies in 19th century science education (start time: 3:52): Victorian educators used the magical world to teach young children about science. That was before fairies fell out of favor in science, alas. How On Earth co-host Jim Pullen talks with Melanie Keene, director of … Continue reading "Fairy Science // Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count"
12/25/2013 • 24 minutes, 31 seconds
Fireproofing Mountain Homes // Winter Solstice
Fireproofing Mountain Homes (starts at 3:20) We discuss a new study from the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Montana. It warns that thinning forests may help prevent property damage from the “typical” wildfires, fire suppression can’t stand up against the 3% of fires that burn super-hot and spread super fast. What’s more, the Missoula study warns that … Continue reading "Fireproofing Mountain Homes // Winter Solstice"
12/18/2013 • 24 minutes, 51 seconds
Big Game, Warm World // Hour of Code
Big Game and Climate Change (start time 5:00) Last week, the National Resource Council released some serious warnings about climate change, saying its impacts could be abrupt and surprising. But as How on Earth contributor Brian Calvert reports, the National Wildlife Federation says big game is already getting hit. Species from mule deer to antelope to bear … Continue reading "Big Game, Warm World // Hour of Code"
12/11/2013 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Tesla // Octopus!
Feature 1 – Tesla (start time 5:30) Nicola Tesla is one of the iconic figures of the early electrical age. He invented AC motor technology still used today in your DVD player and also polyphase AC power. He was a brilliant demonstrator, whose images of flowers of lightning growing from his inventions and portraits of … Continue reading "Tesla // Octopus!"
12/3/2013 • 23 minutes, 46 seconds
Engineering for Kids // Antarctica’s Ross Sea
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, How On Earth brings you two features: Feature #1: (start time 5:53) STEM, as you may well know, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Many math and science topics are introduced throughout most years of primary education, but technology and engineering — not so much. We live in a world … Continue reading "Engineering for Kids // Antarctica’s Ross Sea"
11/27/2013 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Carnegie Professor of the Year // Measuring Oil and Gas Air Pollution
Feature 1 – Carnegie Professor of the Year (start time 5:40): Join the KGNU How On Earth team and CU physicist and Carnegie Teacher of the Year Dr. Steve Pollock to learn about the pain and pleasure of learning physics. Pollock teaches both upper and lower division physics classes, and according to a former student … Continue reading "Carnegie Professor of the Year // Measuring Oil and Gas Air Pollution"
11/19/2013 • 24 minutes, 32 seconds
The Sports Gene // These Shining Lives
THE SPORTS GENE: Running has become a great elite sport, thanks in part to the amazing sprinters from Jamaica and the long distance runners from the African equator. How much is all that running talent nature, and what’s the power of nurture? In his book, The Sports Gene, David Epstein says it’s definitely both. THESE … Continue reading "The Sports Gene // These Shining Lives"
11/18/2013 • 23 minutes, 59 seconds
Salt Lake City’s Drier Future // Spruce Beetle Outbreak
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, How On Earth brings you one short report and two features: Feature 1 – Salt Lake City’s Drier Future (start time 4:25): Guests Laura Briefer and Tim Bardsley talk with How On Earth’s Jim Pullen about how science is helping water management planners in Salt Lake City prepare for an uncertain—and … Continue reading "Salt Lake City’s Drier Future // Spruce Beetle Outbreak"
11/6/2013 • 22 minutes, 48 seconds
Flood Winners & Losers // 100 Year Starship Symposium
Feature 1 – Flood Winners & Losers : Last month’s deluge cut canyons, real and felt, through many of our lives, but nature helps us remember that floods can build too. In this feature, How on Earth’s Jim Pullen speaks with Boulder’s wetland and riparian ecologist Marianne Giolitto about flood “winners and losers”. Marianne watches over 45,000 … Continue reading "Flood Winners & Losers // 100 Year Starship Symposium"
10/29/2013 • 6 minutes, 50 seconds
Antarctica Research // The Cancer Chronicles
We offer two features on the Tuesday, Oct. 22, show: Feature 1 – Antarctica Research (start time 4:15): Diane McKnight, a professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, talks with How On Earth contributor Brian Calvert about scientific discoveries from Antarctica. During the temporary government shutdown the United States Antarctic … Continue reading "Antarctica Research // The Cancer Chronicles"
10/22/2013 • 23 minutes, 50 seconds
The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance
In this pledge drive show for KGNU, we feature an interview with David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene. Through his new book, Epstein looks straight at a debate that’s as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to be top athletes? Or … Continue reading "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance"
10/18/2013 • 22 minutes, 34 seconds
Plight of Bees // Climate and Flood
Feature 1: (start time: 03:45) Our first guest is Boulder beekeeper Tom Theobald. He talks about the current state of the bee crisis and what, if anything, the EPA is doing to address concerns that systemic pesticides like Clothianidan are properly controlled. Feature 2: (start time: 12:42) Then National Center for Atmospheric Research scientist … Continue reading "Plight of Bees // Climate and Flood"
10/9/2013 • 23 minutes, 57 seconds
IPCC Assessment Report 5
On Friday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, better known as the IPCC, released the first bit of its Fifth Assessment Report, a volume with a plain name that may have a large influence on global policy. This first part of the report, part one of three, is the “sciency” part, documenting the current state … Continue reading "IPCC Assessment Report 5"
10/2/2013 • 24 minutes, 47 seconds
Monarch Migration // Better Batteries
Feature #1: (start time 4:45) As we unpack our coats and boots from storage boxes, so are insects, in their own way, planning for a seasonal change. Monarch butterflies in our neighborhood, east of the Rockies, fly south to very specific forests high in the mountains of Mexico. Their journey, and life at their destination, … Continue reading "Monarch Migration // Better Batteries"
9/24/2013 • 24 minutes, 33 seconds
Boulder Science Festival // Insect Chorus Songs
Headlines: CU Scientists explore ways to combat methicillin-resistant staff infections; Yale survey indicates Coloradans concerned about climate change; Denver and Boulder Cafe Sci’s begin for fall; Farewell to Population scientist, Al Bartlett. Boulder Science Festival (starts at 5:58) Many people in Boulder are familiar with the large number of local science groups and institutes, so … Continue reading "Boulder Science Festival // Insect Chorus Songs"
9/10/2013 • 23 minutes, 41 seconds
Wildfires & Water Reservoirs // Comet ISON
For the Sept. 3rd How On Earth show we offer two features: Wildfires Threaten Water Supplies: (start time 5:45) The wildfire burning in and around Yosemite National Park is now the fourth-largest in California’s history. Covering nearly 350 square miles, the Rim Fire is threatening the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which supplies residents in the San … Continue reading "Wildfires & Water Reservoirs // Comet ISON"
9/4/2013 • 0
Noise Pollution
Noise Pollution (starts at 6:15) – How on Earth’s Shelley Schlender talks with research scientist Larry Finegold about noise pollution and about a workshop being held today in Denver about Noise Management in Communities and Natural Areas. Dr. Finegold has authored or contributed to over 80 publications on noise including the US National Academy of Engineering … Continue reading "Noise Pollution"
8/27/2013 • 25 minutes, 22 seconds
Kepler’s Prospects // Oncofertility
For the August 20 How On Earth show we offer two features: Kepler Spacecraft’s Uncertain Future: (start time 5:48) Are we alone in the cosmos? Are there other planets out there, and could some of them support life? Or, is Earth somehow unique in its ability to support life? The Kepler mission was designed to … Continue reading "Kepler’s Prospects // Oncofertility"
8/21/2013 • 23 minutes, 26 seconds
Copper Might Promote Alzheimer’s – Extended Version
I’m Shelley Schlender. This is an extended interview from the report we broadcast on August 20th, 2013, about a new study from the University of Rochester that indicates that too much of an essential nutrient, copper, might promote Alzheimer’s disease. As background Rashid Deane gave mice drinking water laced with 50 times their normal … Continue reading "Copper Might Promote Alzheimer’s – Extended Version"
8/20/2013 • 26 minutes, 33 seconds
Court Orders NRC to Decide on Yucca Mountain Permit
On Tuesday, August 13th, the US Court of Appeals-DC Circuit ordered the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to evaluate the application for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. Dr. Bill Alley and Rosemarie Alley talk with us about the significance of the decision. The Alley’s just published Too Hot To Touch: The Problem of High-Level Nuclear Waste … Continue reading "Court Orders NRC to Decide on Yucca Mountain Permit"
8/18/2013 • 19 minutes, 26 seconds
Too Hot To Touch
Today we’re joined by Dr. William Alley and Rosemarie Alley to learn about the nuclear waste crisis in the United States. Bill Alley, a distinguished hydrologist, was in charge of the USGS’s water studies at Yucca Mountain from 2002 until 2010, when the Obama administration ended the project. Rosemarie Alley is a writer and educator … Continue reading "Too Hot To Touch"
8/14/2013 • 25 minutes, 20 seconds
Smoke Free Casinos Reduce 911 Calls // Mirrors and Water = Hydrogen Fuel
Smoke Free Casinos Reduce 911 Calls (starts at 2:41) Colorado’s ban on smoking up at Central City and Black Hawk casinos has not only reduced second hand smoke. It’s reduced the number of 911 calls for ambulances. A new study in this week’s journal, Circulation, reports that ambulance calls to casinos in Gilpin County … Continue reading "Smoke Free Casinos Reduce 911 Calls // Mirrors and Water = Hydrogen Fuel"
8/6/2013 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Buzz Aldrin’s Vision for Space//The Bees Needs
Buzz Aldrin’s Vision for Space Exploration (starts at 6:14) Dr. Buzz Aldrin advocates that the United States should not enter a space-race to the moon against the Chinese, or a race to Mars against the Russians, but rather show leadership by cooperating with the major space-faring nations to systematically step across the great void to … Continue reading "Buzz Aldrin’s Vision for Space//The Bees Needs"
8/1/2013 • 26 minutes, 47 seconds
Fecal Microbial Transplant for C. Diff Colitis
We bring you two recent science releases involving Colorado scientists. One features bumblebees and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. The second looks at new tick-born disease from Missouri that was tracked down by Harry Savage, CDC Fort Collins. We also share a story about an unusual medical treatment that is saving people from a devastating … Continue reading "Fecal Microbial Transplant for C. Diff Colitis"
End of Night – Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light
The world is awash with artificial lights – so much so that most of us never experience the night sky like our ancestors did. So what? Does it matter? Is it simply an inevitable and acceptable result of progress? Here in the studio with us today to talk about the personal and global effects of … Continue reading "End of Night – Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light"
7/17/2013 • 25 minutes, 3 seconds
Good & Bad Calories // PhD Comics
Good & Bad Calories (starts at 4:50) Ever since the 1970s, the rise of obesity in the United States has an epidemic. Researchers around the world are trying desperately to figure out why so many of us get fat, and what we can do to change that. A large amount of funding, and support from public health … Continue reading "Good & Bad Calories // PhD Comics"
7/9/2013 • 24 minutes, 46 seconds
The Voodoo Doll Task // Drones for Climate Science
The Voodoo Doll Task – (begins 5:30) Scientists have few ways to accurately measure agression. How on Earth’s Garth Sundem talks with University of Kentucky psychology professor, Nathan DeWall, about a new fix. It’s called the Voodoo Doll Task. DeWall’s recent studies include over thirteen hundred subjects, and an upcoming research paper shows his voodoo … Continue reading "The Voodoo Doll Task // Drones for Climate Science"
6/26/2013 • 23 minutes, 22 seconds
China’s environmental impact // 100 Year Starship
Today, June 18, we offer two features interviews: Feature #1 – China’s Environmental Impact (start time 4:46): China’s meteoric economic rise is causing harmful side effects, ranging from choking air pollution domestically to threatened forests, wildlife and air quality around the globe. Of course China’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions still pale in comparison to … Continue reading "China’s environmental impact // 100 Year Starship"
6/18/2013 • 26 minutes, 6 seconds
Bird collisions and wind energy policy
One to two million additional bird deaths per year. Wind is the most rapidly growing energy source in the US, but are environmental protections keeping pace? Tuesday on How On Earth, Kelly Fuller, the American Bird Conservancy’s Wind Campaign Coordinator, talks with Jim Pullen about the impact of big wind on birds. Host: Jim … Continue reading "Bird collisions and wind energy policy"
6/10/2013 • 23 minutes, 23 seconds
Cancer Drug Delivery // Mars’ Radiation Risks
Enjoy the two features we offer today, June 4: Feature #1 (start time 5:36): Cancer drugs are much more targeted than they were many years ago. But researchers are still trying to find a way to deliver drugs much more precisely to cancer cells, partly to avoid damaging, sometimes lethal, side effects. A huge obstacle … Continue reading "Cancer Drug Delivery // Mars’ Radiation Risks"
6/4/2013 • 24 minutes, 40 seconds
Oh Thank You Canada: Lessons from the North on Growing Industrial Hemp
(starts at 08:19) At (high? no, not this plant) noon on Tuesday, Governor John Hickenlooper will sign a bill that will legalize growing industrial hemp in Colorado. But it’s been 70 years since hemp was legally grown in the US… Fortunately, because Canada lifted its ban in the 1990s, we can seek the experience of … Continue reading "Oh Thank You Canada: Lessons from the North on Growing Industrial Hemp"
5/27/2013 • 24 minutes, 57 seconds
Palm oil and rainforest devastation
(start time: 07:23) We talk with Lindsey Allen, the Executive Director of the Rainforest Action Network, about the destruction of rainforest from the proliferation of palm oil plantations. Hosts: Jim Pullen, Joel Parker Producer: Jim Pullen Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Joel Parker Listen to the show:
5/21/2013 • 22 minutes, 57 seconds
Larry Gold – Gold Lab Symposium
We talk with Larry Gold about this year’s Gold Lab Symposium at CU-Boulder. It features, “The Biological and Social Evolution of Healthcare: Rube Goldberg and Time. Friday, May 17th – Saturday, May 18th, 2013, Muenzinger Auditorium, University of Colorado Boulder. NOTE: After the conference, speaker presentations will be posted at the Gold Lab Symposium site. Hosts: Joel Parker, Jim … Continue reading "Larry Gold – Gold Lab Symposium"
5/15/2013 • 24 minutes, 41 seconds
Brain Trust // Drought
Brain Trust (starts at 4:23) When you are trying to make a decision about something important or having a disagreement with someone, don’t you sometimes wish you had a scientist with you – a world expert on the topic at hand – to help you out? In fact, it would be great to have dozens … Continue reading "Brain Trust // Drought"
5/7/2013 • 22 minutes, 52 seconds
Dr. David Wineland and the human side of winning the Nobel Prize
Today on How On Earth, KGNU’s award-winning science show, we continue our discussion with Boulder’s Dr. David Wineland about the human side of winning the Nobel Prize. The National Institute of Standards and Technology scientist shared the 2012 physics award with France’s Serge Haroche. They’ve developed experimental methods for trapping and holding particles so that … Continue reading "Dr. David Wineland and the human side of winning the Nobel Prize"
5/1/2013 • 24 minutes, 29 seconds
Mapping Pain in the Brain – CU Scientist Tor Wager
Headlines: Climate Change Accelerates Changing Climate Zones – CU-Boulder and CIRES Scientist Irina Mahlstein (starts at 1:00) Family Dogs Harber Family Microbes – CU Boulder Scientist Rob Knight (and the American Gut Project) (starts at 2:26) Sound from the Big Bang – from John G. Cramer (starts at 4:45) Mapping Pain in the Brain (starts at 7:30 … Continue reading "Mapping Pain in the Brain – CU Scientist Tor Wager"
4/23/2013 • 24 minutes, 35 seconds
Conference on World Affairs Special with SETI’s Seth Shostak
Welcome to a special episode of How On Earth with Dr. Seth Shostak, the Senior Astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute. We’ve been listening for their tell-tale signal for 50 years with no luck, but Seth says that he’ll bet a cup of coffee we’ll hear from them in the next few decades. … Continue reading "Conference on World Affairs Special with SETI’s Seth Shostak"
4/9/2013 • 25 minutes, 46 seconds
Everything died under a broiling sky
Extinction at the K-Pg boundary CU professor Doug Robertson and a multidisciplinary team argue afresh that a global firestorm swept the planet in the hours after a mountain-sized asteroid vaporized above the Yucatan, 66 million years ago. When the blown-out rock missiled back to earth, Robertson says the atmosphere became so hot the whole world … Continue reading "Everything died under a broiling sky"
4/4/2013 • 10 minutes, 26 seconds
The Universe Within // De-Extinction
The Universe Within (starts at 4:40) Within each and every one of us is the history of life on this planet, the planet itself and the entire universe. This is the theme of a new book “The Universe Within.” The author, Neil Shubin, is a professor of Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago. … Continue reading "The Universe Within // De-Extinction"
4/3/2013 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Tom’s River // Making Primitive Fire
Tom’s River (starts at 5:03) Susan Moran interviews Dan Fagin, author of the new book Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation. You’ve likely heard of the chemical contamination of Love Canal at Niagara Falls, in the mid-1970s. And the leukemia cluster linked to water pollution in Woburn, Massachusetts,in the mid-80s — made famous by the book Civil Action. But you may … Continue reading "Tom’s River // Making Primitive Fire"
3/27/2013 • 24 minutes, 45 seconds
Neil Shubin -The Universe Within
In this spring pledge drive show, How on Earth’s Chip Grandits talks with Neil Shubin, author of the new book, The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets and People. We offer this book to listeners to who call KGNU to pledge their support and bring you more programs like this. Additionally, we … Continue reading "Neil Shubin -The Universe Within"
3/19/2013 • 25 minutes
Facing the Wave // Pandora’s Lunchbox
Facing the Wave (starts at 04:50) Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked and partially devoured the northeastern coast of Japan. Although prone to earthquakes, the Tōhoku event hit a magnitude of 9.0, tying it for fourth largest earthquake on record according to the United States Geological Survey—a magnitude greater than … Continue reading "Facing the Wave // Pandora’s Lunchbox"
3/12/2013 • 24 minutes, 59 seconds
Facing the Wave – extended interview with Gretel Ehrlich
This is an extended version of the interview we broadcast on March 12, 2013, featuring author Gretel Ehrlich discussing the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
3/12/2013 • 24 minutes, 59 seconds
We Are the Martians
(Start time 5:15) “The Men of Earth came to Mars. They came because they were afraid or unafraid, because they were happy or unhappy, because they felt like Pilgrims or did not feel like Pilgrims. There was a reason for each man. They were leaving bad wives or bad towns; they were coming to find … Continue reading "We Are the Martians"
3/5/2013 • 24 minutes
Parallel Universes
The concept of a parallel universe, a universe remarkably like our own but with some subtle difference, has been the staple of science fiction stories for years. But it is an idea that is seriously discussed in real science starting many decades ago when physicists wrestled with the weird implications of Quantum Mechanics, and recently … Continue reading "Parallel Universes"
2/26/2013 • 24 minutes, 27 seconds
Parallel Universes – extended interview with Brian Greene
This is an extended version of the interview we broadcast on February 26, 2013, featuring Professor Brian Greene discussing the concepts of Parallel Universes.
2/26/2013 • 25 minutes, 33 seconds
Bright Meteor // Dark Matter
Russian Meteor (starts at 4:28) Just a few days ago on February 15th, a large meteor broke up in the skies over Russia, creating an air blast and sonic boom, which caused damage to buildings that injured over 1,000 people. We talk with Dr. Clark Chapman to ask why the universe is taking potshots at … Continue reading "Bright Meteor // Dark Matter"
2/20/2013 • 23 minutes, 52 seconds
U.S. Climate Report // Antarctics Sounds
Feature #1 (starts 05:25): A sweeping new report on the state of climate change and its current and future impacts in the United States was recently released in draft form. It’s called the National Climate Assessment. It comes at a time when major storms and wildfires are increasing in many areas. And last year … Continue reading "U.S. Climate Report // Antarctics Sounds"
2/13/2013 • 24 minutes, 37 seconds
Dr. David Wineland
Today on How On Earth, KGNU’s award-winning science show, we sit down with Boulder’s Dr. David Wineland and chat about his Nobel-prize-winning research. The NIST scientist shared the 2012 physics award with Frenchman Serge Haroche. They’ve developed experimental methods for trapping and holding particles so that weird quantum behaviors can be studied. The research is … Continue reading "Dr. David Wineland"
2/7/2013 • 24 minutes, 52 seconds
Visindi Circus//Life on Other Planets
Headlines: Ice Core Studies How Flu Multiplies Wednesday’s Mini-STEM school features Diana Tomback. Her topic will be: Evolution and the Origin of Life. Features: (5:20 into the show) Shelley Schlender visits the Visindi Circus to learn why some scientists by day become circus performers at night, and how science adds a whole new dimension to circus performances. (13:00 … Continue reading "Visindi Circus//Life on Other Planets"
1/29/2013 • 24 minutes, 33 seconds
Gut Microbes and Autoimmune Disease // What’s in YOUR Gut? The American Gut Project
Headlines: New CU Studies on GroundLevel Ozone, with NOAA’s Sam Oltmans, CU researcher Daven Henze and NASA’s Kevin Bowman Good Cholesterol, Bad Cholesterol and “Ugly” Cholesterol Tonight’s Denver Cafe Sci features Tad Pfeffer: Getting sea level predictions right Features: We look at a new study where researchers, led by Jayne Danska transferred gut microbes from male … Continue reading "Gut Microbes and Autoimmune Disease // What’s in YOUR Gut? The American Gut Project"
1/22/2013 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
Haitian Seismologists//Changing Antarctic Climate
Feature #1: (start time: 06:03) On January 12, 2010, just over three years ago, a magnitude 7 earthquake shook Haiti, taking more than 200,000 lives and displacing an estimated 2 million. Still today, the International Organization for Migration estimates hundreds of thousands of people are without permanent homes, and in many ways Haiti seems no … Continue reading "Haitian Seismologists//Changing Antarctic Climate"
1/15/2013 • 24 minutes, 31 seconds
Medical Marijuana and Traffic Accidents//Ron Rosedale Critiques Body Mass Index Study
HEADLINES: Diabetes Drug Metformin – University of Pennsylvania Researcher Morris Birnbaum reports in Nature that Metformin blocks a hormone that tells the liver to melt muscle to make more blood sugar. (Go here for an extended interview with Morris Birnbaum) Climate Change – Research shows that timely political action has a bigger impact than waiting. … Continue reading "Medical Marijuana and Traffic Accidents//Ron Rosedale Critiques Body Mass Index Study"
1/9/2013 • 23 minutes, 10 seconds
Metformin Lowers Blood Sugars by Blocking the Hormone Glucagon – Extended Interview with Morris Birnbaum
This is an extended version of the January 8th, 2013 interview with Morris Birnbaum, about how Metformin lowers blood sugars in diabetics by blocking the hormone glucagon.
1/9/2013 • 53 minutes, 49 seconds
New Study on BMI (Body Mass Index) and Longevity – Critique by Dr. Ron Rosedale – Extended Interview
This is an extended version of the interview we broadcast on January 8th, 2013, featuring Ron Rosedale discussing the new study about BMI and Longevity.
1/9/2013 • 34 minutes, 16 seconds
Medical Marijuana and Reduced Traffic Fatalities – Extended Interview with Mark Anderson
This is an extended interview with University of Montana Economist Mark Anderson, from the January 8th How On Earth broadcast.
1/9/2013 • 15 minutes, 27 seconds
Marijuana and Pot as Substitutions – Extended Interview with Ben Crost
This is an extended interview from the January 8th, 2013 HowonEarth.
1/8/2013 • 12 minutes, 25 seconds
State Climatologist // Water Contamination
Feature #1: (start time 5:09) Did you know that Colorado, and for that matter most states, have their own “state climatologist” – an expert who keeps tabs on the changing climate and its impacts in the state. In Colorado’s case it’s Nolan Doesken. He’s based out of the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. … Continue reading "State Climatologist // Water Contamination"
12/19/2012 • 24 minutes, 45 seconds
Robert Arentz – Asteroid Impact Hazards & Ball Aerospace
Main Feature (starts at 5:25). We talk with Dr. Robert Arentz from Ball Aerospace in Boulder about what’s new and interesting at Ball and in space missions in general including asteroid impact hazards on Earth and what can be done about it. Hosts: Joel Parker and Jim Pullen Producer: Joel Parker Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Jim Pullen Listen … Continue reading "Robert Arentz – Asteroid Impact Hazards & Ball Aerospace"
12/12/2012 • 22 minutes, 59 seconds
The Fat Switch – Richard Johnson MD
Headlines: Chemicals that make drinking water cleaner, might increase allergies to food Rumors run amok about “historic” Mars Mission press conference West Nile Virus, Lyme’s disease, and Dengue fever on the rise Main feature (6 minutes in): We’re in that time of year when animals hibernate. Before they started their long winter’s nap, they … Continue reading "The Fat Switch – Richard Johnson MD"
12/4/2012 • 24 minutes, 47 seconds
The American Gut – What’s in YOUR Gut?
We share three new findings that include contributions from Colorado scientists: 1. Diane McKnight coauthors study about Bacteria that thrive in a frigid hell-hole – the pitch-dark, super-salty, poisonous Lake Vida in Antarctica, 2. William Colgan offers new ways to calculate a glacier’s melting rates, 3. Alicia Karspeck offers a new weather forecast – Cloudy with … Continue reading "The American Gut – What’s in YOUR Gut?"
11/27/2012 • 23 minutes, 1 second
Bernie Krause
Today on How On Earth we speak with Dr. Bernie Krause about how soundscapes can help us understand the health of ecosystems. Dr. Krause has been recording the whole sounds of nature all over the world for 40 years. His new book is The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World’s … Continue reading "Bernie Krause"
11/25/2012 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Clean Tech Nation//Feedback in Climate Models
Clean Tech Nation (start time: 4:57): Over the last few years renewable electricity generation has doubled, thanks in part to President Obama’s 2009 stimulus package. In fact, many clean technologies and industries have taken off, including solar, biofuels, green building and electric vehicles. But the stimulus money is about to run out, as is the … Continue reading "Clean Tech Nation//Feedback in Climate Models"
11/18/2012 • 23 minutes, 18 seconds
The Dust Bowl / Population Growth
Feature #1: The Dust Bowl (start time 6:53) As bad as the drought has been recently in Colorado and other states, it pales in comparison to the nearly 10-year-long drought of the 1930s. Its unrelenting and gargantuan dust storms inspired the name “The Dust Bowl.” In southeast Colorado and other Great Plains states, children died … Continue reading "The Dust Bowl / Population Growth"
11/6/2012 • 23 minutes, 18 seconds
Stopping Cancer in its Tracks – Telomerase Receptor Inhibition
Last month, CU Nobel Prize Winner Tom Cech (Check) and colleagues announced a breakthrough in their quest to stop cancer. It involves an enzyme known as telomerase (tell-AH-mer-aze), which helps cells divide almost endlessly – helpful when a child is growing. In adults, most cells stop responding to telomerase. Instead they save up a limited number of cell … Continue reading "Stopping Cancer in its Tracks – Telomerase Receptor Inhibition"
11/6/2012 • 12 minutes, 3 seconds
The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson
The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson (start time 6:20). The book Silent Spring, published in 1962, is widely credited for setting the stage for the modern environmental movement. Its author, Rachel Carson, an unassuming field biologist and writer, uncovered how in the process of killing crop pests, chemicals such as DDT were also killing birds, fish … Continue reading "The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson"
10/30/2012 • 23 minutes, 23 seconds
CU Multidisciplinary Oil Production Study
How can we best live with natural gas development? A University of Colorado team has just been awarded an NSF grant to tackle the problem. Here to chat with us about the study is Dr. Joe Ryan, the lead-PI of the multidisciplinary team. And the lead of the study’s air quality task, Dr. Jana Milford, … Continue reading "CU Multidisciplinary Oil Production Study"
10/24/2012 • 23 minutes, 21 seconds
Pledge Drive Show//Genetic-mutant Paganini
This is our 2012 Fall Pledge Drive Show and our subject is Genes Gone Bad, or do you have to be a genetic-mutant superhuman to play Paganini? Helping us answer that question is Boulder’s own and world-renowned Dr. Gregory Walker. And in a very special treat, Gregory plays the magnificent Paganini Caprice No. 24, live … Continue reading "Pledge Drive Show//Genetic-mutant Paganini"
10/20/2012 • 24 minutes, 28 seconds
Boulder Nobel Science Winner//Searching for Sister Earth
We talk with Travis Metcalfe, of Boulder’s Space Science Institute, where he is searching for Sister Earth and also part of the Blue Dot Project. As for why, the past two decades have witnessed accelerating progress on one of the most fundamental questions in astronomy: Are we alone in the Universe? Astronomers have already discovered … Continue reading "Boulder Nobel Science Winner//Searching for Sister Earth"
10/10/2012 • 24 minutes, 17 seconds
Neanderthals//Antarctica
Feature #1: Neanderthals (start time: 6:01) Our Neanderthal ancestors have long been maligned as rather dim-witted cave-dwellers. But they may have been brighter — and more colorful — more like us, shall we say. We turn to the BBC’s Science in Action for a look at new research into who these ancestors really were. Here’s … Continue reading "Neanderthals//Antarctica"
10/2/2012 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Big Waves // Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Big Waves (start time 4:39): When does one plus one not equal two? When waves behave non-linearly, according to CU researchers Mark Ablowitz and Douglas Baldwin. The two have been researching how multiple water waves can add together to form a wave with a height much greater than twice the height of either wave. The mathematicians … Continue reading "Big Waves // Omega 3 Fatty Acids"
9/25/2012 • 24 minutes, 46 seconds
Colorado Drought // A More Perfect Heaven
Colorado Drought Conference (start time 4:35): Experts are meeting at a conference in Denver this week to discuss the implications of prolonged drought conditions here in Colorado. How On Earth’ Susan Moran speaks with biologist Dr. Chad McNutt of the NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information Center about wthe drought means for the ecosystem, and for Western … Continue reading "Colorado Drought // A More Perfect Heaven"
9/18/2012 • 22 minutes, 38 seconds
Higgs-Boson: What is all the excitement about?
We’ll talk about the World of a tiny particle called the Higgs-Boson, with CU Physicist Uriel Nauenberg. Nauenberg also speaks tonight at the Boulder Cafe Scientifique. Hosts: Joel Parker and Ted Burnham Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Jim Pullen Executive Producer: Susan Moran
9/12/2012 • 23 minutes, 49 seconds
The Idea Factory – Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
Bell Labs thrived from the 1920s to the 1980s, when it was most innovative and productive institution of the twentieth century. Long before America’s brightest scientific minds began migrating west to Silicon Valley, they flocked to the Bell Labs campus in the New Jersey suburbs. At its peak, Bell Labs employed nearly fifteen thousand people, … Continue reading "The Idea Factory – Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation"
9/4/2012 • 23 minutes, 42 seconds
Public health risks of BPA
(start time: 5:50). We Coloradoans pride ourselves on our healthy habits — eating right, exercising, and paying attention to what’s in the food we eat. Yet many of the things we use everyday, like water bottles, sunscreens, makeup, and – OK, soda cans — are full of toxic chemicals. Many of them are untested, and … Continue reading "Public health risks of BPA"
8/21/2012 • 25 minutes, 10 seconds
Planetary Sciences Budget // Curiosity’s RAD
Curiosity’s RAD (start time 7:14). To design a successful manned mission to Mars, we’ll have to know a lot about the radiation environment between the Earth and Mars and on the planet’s surface. The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument on Curiosity is designed to make those measurements. We talk with Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Donald … Continue reading "Planetary Sciences Budget // Curiosity’s RAD"
8/15/2012 • 25 minutes, 39 seconds
Beer Can Science
Beer Can Science (start time 6:50) If you’re a beer drinker, you’ve probably noticed that there are a lot of cans on liquor store shelves these days. Here in Colorado, and elsewhere, more and more breweries are choosing to put their beer in cans. There are some good reasons for that, as you’ll hear in … Continue reading "Beer Can Science"
8/7/2012 • 23 minutes, 27 seconds
Volcanoes & the Atmosphere // Traffic in Beijing
Volcanoes & the Atmosphere (start time 6:17): We’ve known for a long time that volcanic particles and gases can travel around the world, often affecting climate. The 1815 eruption of the Indonesian volcano Tambora chilled New England and Europe, resulting in what came to be known as “the year without a summer.” More recently, the 1991 eruption … Continue reading "Volcanoes & the Atmosphere // Traffic in Beijing"
8/1/2012 • 24 minutes, 32 seconds
Global Weirdness // Institute for Social and Environmental Transition
We feel it when we step into the heat outside; something weird is up with the climate. . Not only is it hot, we’re weathering a drought of historic proportions. That drought has set the stage for crop losses and for wildfires that are burning up the homes of people who live in the mountains … Continue reading "Global Weirdness // Institute for Social and Environmental Transition"
7/25/2012 • 23 minutes, 51 seconds
Immortality – Science vs Sci Fi
We talk with CU-Boulder’s Tom Johnson and NYT Bestselling author, James Rollins about Rollins’ new book, Bloodline. We also look at immortality, longevity, and aging, comparing the science and the sci fi. And we offer extended versions of the interviews with James Rollins and Tom Johnson. Hosts: Joel Parker and Beth Bartel Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender … Continue reading "Immortality – Science vs Sci Fi"
7/17/2012 • 23 minutes, 54 seconds
James Rollins – Bloodline (SciFi book about immortality)
This is an extended version of the radio broadcast of the interview with James Rollins about his new book, Bloodline. In it, we look at the issues of science versus fiction, and technologies that might lead to life extension through robotics, artificial intelligence, and triple-stranded DNA . . . IF the good guys don’t defeat … Continue reading "James Rollins – Bloodline (SciFi book about immortality)"
7/17/2012 • 17 minutes, 45 seconds
Tom Johnson – Extended Version
This is an extended version of the broadcast interview with CU-Boulder’s Tom Johnson. In this interview, Johnson talks about his pioneering work discovering the first “longevity gene” known as AGE-1. He explains the various functions of this remarkable gene and others like it, and he reviews the science . . . and the fiction . … Continue reading "Tom Johnson – Extended Version"
7/17/2012 • 31 minutes, 19 seconds
Geologic Carbon Sequestration // Clean Technology
Geologic Carbon Sequestration (Start time 4:53): As carbon dioxide emissions continue to skyrocket, researchers are scrambling to find reliable ways to curb emissions of the most persistent greenhouse gas. One of the experimental approaches is geologic carbon sequestration – trapping CO2 from power plants and other sources and pumping it thousands of feet underground in … Continue reading "Geologic Carbon Sequestration // Clean Technology"
7/11/2012 • 23 minutes, 15 seconds
Mountain Wildfires
With record high temperatures along with record low snowpack, the Colorado Front Range has been ravaged by increasingly expensive wildfires. For today’s show, How on Earth brings in two fire experts for a panel discussion. John Daily is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado and the director of the Center for … Continue reading "Mountain Wildfires"
7/3/2012 • 24 minutes, 15 seconds
Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History
In this special summer pledge drive show, the How On Earth science team shares reasons why they volunteer to bring you science. And we share a conversation with Florence Williams, a local author and scientist who has an extensive history of breast and uterine cancer in her family. She decided to do research into the … Continue reading "Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History"
6/26/2012 • 23 minutes, 23 seconds
Engineering Happiness // The Effects of Black Holes
Engineering Happiness (start time 05:09): You may think the key to happiness lies in money, or love, or more vacation days. But what it really comes down to is math — a mathematical formula, actually. At least that’s according to a recently published book, called “Engineering Happiness: A New Approach for Building a Joyful Life.” It’s co-authored by two … Continue reading "Engineering Happiness // The Effects of Black Holes"
6/19/2012 • 24 minutes, 31 seconds
Dr. Paul Lightsey
Dr. Paul Lightsey and JWST (start time: 5:55). Paul Lightsey, mission system engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope, joins us to share his intimate knowledge of the telescope’s optical element. JWST is the replacement for the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. The telescope will stare back so far in time and space that it … Continue reading "Dr. Paul Lightsey"
6/12/2012 • 23 minutes, 52 seconds
Potable water//Electric vehicle infrastructure
Potable Water (start time 5:31). Here on the Front Range, the last three months have been the driest on record. Usually, we get about 8 inches of rain through this time period. This year, it’s more like three inches of rain. A dry year raises a question that’s always a worry in Colorado — what … Continue reading "Potable water//Electric vehicle infrastructure"
6/8/2012 • 24 minutes, 42 seconds
Distributed Energy // Pluto’s Occultation
In today’s How On Earth we have two features: Distributed Energy (start time 5:46): Enjoying the twinkling stars without nighttime light pollution is a luxury for many of us. We can flick on the switch when we return home, after all. But think what would it be like if you were among the 1.5 billion … Continue reading "Distributed Energy // Pluto’s Occultation"
5/29/2012 • 24 minutes, 45 seconds
Thorium // Space Weather
Thorium (start time 4:54). It sits at the bottom of the periodic table of elements, among its fellow radioactive substances, including uranium and plutonium. It’s called Thorium, named for the Norse god of thunder. Decades ago, uranium won out over thorium as the nuclear fuel of choice to power the world’s reactors. A new book … Continue reading "Thorium // Space Weather"
5/23/2012 • 24 minutes, 40 seconds
Why Calories Count//Boulder Gold Lab Symposium
Why Calories Count (start time 7:10). More than a billion people in the world suffer from too few of them. About the same number suffer from too many. We’re talking about calories. They’re vital to human health, indeed our very survival. A new book, called “Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics,” delves into the … Continue reading "Why Calories Count//Boulder Gold Lab Symposium"
5/15/2012 • 25 minutes, 58 seconds
Proteomics and the Search for a Wellness Chip
What if you could find out about dozens of diseases, all at once, from just one tube of your blood? It might happen soon, with proteomics and the search for wellness chip. In this episode, we talk with scientists at Boulder’s Somalogic, Dan Chan, developer of the proteomics based OVA-1 ovarian cancer test, Quest … Continue reading "Proteomics and the Search for a Wellness Chip"
5/8/2012 • 23 minutes, 53 seconds
Climate engineering // Jamie Williams
Jamie Williams (start time 5:40). Today on How On Earth we speak with Jamie Williams about land conservation. It’s safe to say that Williams should take credit for large swaths of land in the West that have been preserved as wilderness. He has served as The Nature Conservancy’s director of landscape conservation for North America … Continue reading "Climate engineering // Jamie Williams"
5/1/2012 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Ron Krauss: Saturated Fat and Red Meat? It Depends
We look at the health effects of saturated fat and red meat with one of the world’s leading scientists in the field – Ron Krauss. His recent studies show that replacing saturated fat with carbohydrates INCREASES heart disease risk. But combining high saturated fat with moderate carbs and then adding red meat — think cheeseburger … Continue reading "Ron Krauss: Saturated Fat and Red Meat? It Depends"
4/24/2012 • 24 minutes, 23 seconds
Communicating with dolphins
Dolphins are intelligent and communicative creatures within their own species and with the other animals native to their waters. Still, a hundred million years of evolutionary history and pressures imposed by radically different environments separate dolphins and humans. Can that enormous chasm be crossed? Can we have a conversation with an alien, a different and … Continue reading "Communicating with dolphins"
4/18/2012 • 25 minutes, 39 seconds
Kinetic Sculptures Refocus the Human Perspective
Jeff Lieberman is a jack of all science trades, and many non-science trades too, actually. He is a mechanical engineer, a design consultant, a photographer, composer and kinetic sculptor. He hosts the Discovery Channel’s “Time Warp” TV show, has performed at Carnegie Hall, and gave a TedX talk at Cambridge. But the common thread that … Continue reading "Kinetic Sculptures Refocus the Human Perspective"
4/10/2012 • 23 minutes, 55 seconds
Bees and Pesticides // Radiometers and Weather
Bees and Pesticides (start at 6:40). Two studies published last week in the journal Science (here and here) make a strong case for beekeepers who worry that a new class of pesticides called “neonicotinoids” hurts honeybees and bumblebees. In recent years, honeybee populations have rapidly declined, in part due to a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. … Continue reading "Bees and Pesticides // Radiometers and Weather"
4/3/2012 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
Pesticides, Bees and Niwot Honey Farm’s Tom Theobald [extended version]
This is an extended interview with Niwot Beekeeper Tom Theobald about three new studies that have recently been published regarding the ways that neonicotinoids harm bees. The studies include one from Purdue, and two from Europe, and all three indicate that these new pesticides are causing more harm to bees than previously thought.
3/30/2012 • 31 minutes, 8 seconds
The Science of Habit Formation
The Power of Habit: If you’re like most of us you’ve tried over and over again to break a bad habit — be it procrastinating, gorging on chocolate chip cookies every night, or watching TV rather than exercising. And you know how hard it is to “kick” bad habits. This week on How On Earth … Continue reading "The Science of Habit Formation"
3/28/2012 • 25 minutes, 14 seconds
The Science of Habit Formation [extended version]
This is the extended version of the interview by How On Earth host Susan Moran of New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg, author of a new book titled The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business. The interview first aired on March 27, 2012
3/27/2012 • 20 minutes, 35 seconds
The Accelerating Expansion of The Universe // Pine Bark Beetles
The Accelerating Expansion of The Universe (start at 5:11). Have you ever had the feeling that things are moving faster and faster these days? Well, maybe it’s not your imagination. Proof that the universe is not just expanding but is accelerating garnered a Nobel Prize last year. To help explain what’s going on, we … Continue reading "The Accelerating Expansion of The Universe // Pine Bark Beetles"
3/20/2012 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
Pine Bark Beetles – Extended Interview with Jeff Mitton and Scott Ferrenberg
3/19/2012 • 28 minutes, 31 seconds
Fukushima Anniversary: global impacts one year later
Fukushima’s impacts a year later: In today’s show we offer a full-length feature (start at 4:57) to mark the one-year anniversary of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster — the worse nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl in 1986. We explore the longer-term impacts on public health, the environment, and the nuclear power industry, both in … Continue reading "Fukushima Anniversary: global impacts one year later"
3/14/2012 • 25 minutes, 18 seconds
The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess
For our annual Spring Pledge Drive, we feature a book about race, religion and DNA. The book is The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess, by Jeff Wheelwright. It’s a story about a beautiful young, Hispano woman in the San Luis Valley of Colorado who one day finds a pea-sized lump in her breast. … Continue reading "The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess"
3/6/2012 • 26 minutes, 54 seconds
Fukushima Cleanup // Space Debris
Today, Feb. 28, we feature two interviews. Fukashima Cleanup (start at 7:23). A daunting and ongoing cleanup task is that of removing radioactively contaminated material from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The plant suffered a meltdown in the wake of a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011. The tsunami swallowed whole … Continue reading "Fukushima Cleanup // Space Debris"
2/29/2012 • 23 minutes, 58 seconds
Fukushima Cleanup [extended version]
This is an extended version of an interview the KGNU Science show, How on Earth broadcast on February 28th, 2012 about radiation clean-up efforts for Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Power plant. This interview features Steve Rima. He’s Vice President of Radiological Services and Engineering at AMEC, in Grand Junction, Colorado. He’s been working in Japan … Continue reading "Fukushima Cleanup [extended version]"
2/28/2012 • 20 minutes, 22 seconds
Leaky Natural Gas Wells // Measuring Glaciers and Ice Caps
Leaky Natural Gas Wells (start time 6:22). We speak with Greg Frost, a scientist from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about a new study, which is being published by the Journal of Geophysical Research. The study indicates that natural gas drilling creates higher amounts of methane leakage into … Continue reading "Leaky Natural Gas Wells // Measuring Glaciers and Ice Caps"
2/21/2012 • 23 minutes, 48 seconds
Leaky Natural Gas Wells [extended version]
This is an extended version of the KGNU Science Show, How on Earth. It features Greg Frost, a scientist with the University of Colorado at Boulder and with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He’s on the team led by Gabrielle Petron which has been studying leaks from natural gas production. In this … Continue reading "Leaky Natural Gas Wells [extended version]"
2/21/2012 • 27 minutes, 19 seconds
Boulder Robotics // Compassion
Boulder is for Robotics (start time 4:00). “It starts really with the fact that a lot of robotics materials, sensors and manufacturing are here in Colorado.” Boulder as a hub for robotics? You bet. KGNU’s Tom McKinnon reports from the first Boulder is for Robotics meetup, which drew over 100 participants. Learn about some local projects, … Continue reading "Boulder Robotics // Compassion"
2/14/2012 • 23 minutes, 58 seconds
Snowshoe Hare // Cubelets Robotics
Snowshoe Hare Faces Uncertain Future (start time 6:35). They don’t get much cuter than bunnies. One of the cutest of them all is the snowshoe hare. It’s elusive, and well camouflaged, so you may well never have seen one. To survive, these hares change their coats with the seasons – white in the snowy winter and rusty … Continue reading "Snowshoe Hare // Cubelets Robotics"
2/7/2012 • 24 minutes, 32 seconds
Algae oil omega-3 // Little Ice Age
Algae Oil Omega-3 (start time 5:28). Omega-3 dietary supplements are all the rage. Many studies claim that this family of fatty acids benefits your brain, heart and vision, among other things. A non-fish source that already is infused in milk and other foods we consume is oil derived from marine algae. Cohost Susan Moran interviews Dr. Bill … Continue reading "Algae oil omega-3 // Little Ice Age"
2/1/2012 • 23 minutes, 54 seconds
Underwater Volcanoes // Sleep
Underwater Volcanoes (start time 5:45). Most of our planet’s volcanoes are out of sight, and largely out of mind. Hidden under sometimes thousands of feet of water, volcanoes on the sea floor bubble and boil away without our knowledge and largely without our understanding. We talk with Oregon State University volcanologist Bill Chadwick about some … Continue reading "Underwater Volcanoes // Sleep"
1/24/2012 • 23 minutes, 46 seconds
20th Anniversary Science Show
We celebrate 20 years of How on Earth, featuring the 1st ever KGNU science show, 20 years ago, including Bucky Balls, Electromagnetic Radiation and Cows, Hubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble, and along the way, we give updates on current science issues, including Tom McKinnon talking about applications for Bucky Balls (Fullerenes) today, a conversation with … Continue reading "20th Anniversary Science Show"
1/17/2012 • 24 minutes, 1 second
The first KGNU science show (Jan 1992)
Here is the ORIGINAL KGNU science show, broadcast 20 years ago in January 1992. For our science show on January 17, 2012, we’ll feature excerpts from this show, along with interviews with two of the show’s originators, KGNU station manager, Sam Fuqua, and KGNU Volunteer, Jeff Orrey.
1/16/2012 • 31 minutes, 45 seconds
Nicotine Patches // Restoring the Desert
Do nicotine patches really help you stop smoking? Shelley Schlender interviews a scientist who says they don’t. Lois Biener and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts and Harvard University have done a study that indicates that out in the real world, people who use nicotine replacement therapy in the hopes of an easier “quit” … Continue reading "Nicotine Patches // Restoring the Desert"
1/10/2012 • 24 minutes, 31 seconds
Nicotine Patches Don’t Work [extended version]
This is an extended version of the interview with researchers at Harvard and the University of Massachusetts, which indicates that out in the real world, people who use nicotine replacement therapy in the hopes of an easier “quit” don’t fare any better than people who use will power and community support. Some people who use … Continue reading "Nicotine Patches Don’t Work [extended version]"
1/10/2012 • 7 minutes, 34 seconds
Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth
We hear about a book called Logicomix, featuring Christos Papidimitriou, who is one of the world’s leaders on computational complexity theory, and what happens when he consents to be interviewed by two 10-year olds. And in the headlines, we delve into a new report published in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & … Continue reading "Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth"
1/3/2012 • 24 minutes, 47 seconds
Clean Water Struggles // 2011’s Big Sci-Enviro-Tech Stories
Mining retention pond in Colorado. Image courtesy of the EPA. Clean Water Struggles. Co-host Susan Moran interviews journalist Judith Lewis Mernit about how small rural communities in the West are struggling to afford complying with federal water-quality standards as they relate to water pollutants. Mernit wrote an article on the topic in High Country News’ Dec. … Continue reading "Clean Water Struggles // 2011’s Big Sci-Enviro-Tech Stories"
12/27/2011 • 23 minutes, 42 seconds
Holiday Sci & Tech Gifts // Eating Your Heart Out?
We take a look at favorite holiday sci-tech gifts, including the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit, Logicomix, Manga Guide to Electricity, Lego Mindstorms, a fun new novelty for anyone on your list – giant microbes. After the show, we also voted to add yet one more item to your last-minute gifts – a mesh bag of … Continue reading "Holiday Sci & Tech Gifts // Eating Your Heart Out?"
12/20/2011 • 23 minutes, 41 seconds
Incentives for Renewable Energy//Climate Change and Biodiversity
In last month’s election, Boulder voters gave the go-ahead for the city to move forward on municipalizing the electrical utility. The chief motivation for that decision was to put more renewable energy on the grid. There are a large number of policy options to incentivize renewable energy – so many that it’s hard to keep … Continue reading "Incentives for Renewable Energy//Climate Change and Biodiversity"
12/13/2011 • 23 minutes, 53 seconds
Future of Electric Vehicles//Diet and Acne
Jim Motavalli joins us by phone from his home in Fairfield, Connecticut. Jim is the author of a new book titled “High Voltage: The Fast Track to Plug In the Auto Industry” and helped us sort out some of the issues around EVs. Mr. Motavalli is an auto journalist who writes for the New York … Continue reading "Future of Electric Vehicles//Diet and Acne"
12/6/2011 • 22 minutes, 28 seconds
Of Math and Wizards
One often hears people state “I’m not good at math” or that they don’t like math because it they don’t think it has any relevance to their day-to-day life (other than, maybe, to balance a checkbook). However, both of those myths are addressed head-on in a new book titled “Math for Life: Crucial Ideas You … Continue reading "Of Math and Wizards"
11/29/2011 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
Wild Turkeys // Light Pollution
In celebration of Thanksgiving, Beth Bartel interviews Stan Baker of the National Wild Turkey Federation about wild turkeys in Colorado. You may be surprised at the story of the wild turkey in North America and just how different the wild turkey is from the domestic turkeys we’re used to. There’s a reason Benjamin Franklin wanted … Continue reading "Wild Turkeys // Light Pollution"
11/22/2011 • 24 minutes, 19 seconds
Water Crisis // Maker Movement
Susan Moran has a telephone interview with Cynthia Barnett. Cynthia is a journalist and author of Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis.” She calls the U.S. one of the most “water-wasting places on the planet.” But in her book she also draws from positive examples of water conservation in the country to propose a new … Continue reading "Water Crisis // Maker Movement"
11/15/2011 • 22 minutes, 38 seconds
Colorado & Oceans // Nitrogen & Snails
Feature #1 (time mark 5:30) When people think of Colorado, they usually don’t think about “oceans”. After all, Colorado doesn’t have much of a coastline these days, though it was definitely had oceanfront property a few hundred million years ago. However, being in a landlocked state doesn’t mean that there isn’t any thing we … Continue reading "Colorado & Oceans // Nitrogen & Snails"
11/9/2011 • 23 minutes, 40 seconds
Urban Parks // Pythons and Heart Disease
Today, November 1, we offer two features. Feature #1: Co-host Susan Moran interviews Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, who discusses NPS’ quest to lure more people to urban parks, not just the iconic national parks such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. These “threshold” experiences can lead people to appreciate, and help … Continue reading "Urban Parks // Pythons and Heart Disease"
11/2/2011 • 23 minutes, 42 seconds
National Parks: Extended interview with Jonathan Jarvis
11/2/2011 • 24 minutes, 15 seconds
National Perspective on Municipalization//Science of Fall Colors
Tom McKinnon and Peter Asmus of Pike Research discuss electrical utility municipalization from a national perspective. Peter adds an interesting statistic — the photovoltaic industry already has created more jobs than coal mining even though at present it produces much less power. Shelley Schlender interviews Bill Hoch of Montana State University about why leaves turn … Continue reading "National Perspective on Municipalization//Science of Fall Colors"
10/25/2011 • 23 minutes, 50 seconds
Extended Interview: Richard Dawkins, The Magic of Reality
On today’s pledge drive show we played excerpts from an interview with evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins about his new book, The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True. The book was also featured as a promotional gift for listeners who chose to support KGNU, the independent community radio station that makes … Continue reading "Extended Interview: Richard Dawkins, The Magic of Reality"
10/18/2011 • 18 minutes, 36 seconds
Post-Wild Nature//LED Lighting
Nature means something different to everyone. It’s a towering old-growth redwood forest to some. Deep silent canyons to others. And urban community gardens to others. Defining what is “pristine nature” is even more dicey. Just ask conservation biologists trying to figure out the best ways to preserve ecosystems and their flora and fauna. Co-host Susan … Continue reading "Post-Wild Nature//LED Lighting"
10/11/2011 • 23 minutes, 30 seconds
Wildfire Science
October is Wildfire Awareness Month, so on today’s show we look back at the Fourmile Canyon wildfire and hear from local researchers about some of the scientific opportunities that the fire afforded over the last year. Jim Roberts, an atmospheric chemist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tells us about some of the unexpected … Continue reading "Wildfire Science"
10/5/2011 • 24 minutes, 18 seconds
We Breathe Microbes with Noah Fierer
We explore the world microbes, and how they’re everywhere, and how the University of Colorado at Boulder has scientists such as Noah Fierer who are trying to track all those microbes down and figure out which ones help us and which ones don’t, and how they interact. These scientists have studied the microbes on a … Continue reading "We Breathe Microbes with Noah Fierer"
9/30/2011 • 24 minutes, 20 seconds
Pine Beetle Kill // Plight of Sharks
Feature #1: If you live on the Front Range, or just about anywhere else in Colorado, you don’t have to go far to notice huge swaths of rusty brown that have replaced green conifer forests. By now, many people are familiar at least with the devastating effects of the mountain pine beetle. But far fewer … Continue reading "Pine Beetle Kill // Plight of Sharks"
9/14/2011 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
Plight of Sharks – Extended Interview with Juliet Eilperin
9/13/2011 • 15 minutes, 25 seconds
Wind Energy
In today’s show take a look at the future of wind energy. We have with us in the studio Sandy Butterfield. Sandy is the CEO and co-founder of Boulder Wind Power. Prior to his starting this venture, Sandy spent over 24 years at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s National Wind Test Center. Co-hosts: Tom McKinnon and … Continue reading "Wind Energy"
9/7/2011 • 24 minutes, 49 seconds
GMOs & Health: The Loss of Small Farms and the Rise of Immune Disorders
We look at the strange rise in autoimmune diseases, allergies and asthma, with experts from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center and with National Jewish Health Immunlogist Andy Liu in Denver. And, we explore whether genetically modified crops might be increasing our chance of getting ill, with Agricultural Scientist, Charles Benbrook of The Organic … Continue reading "GMOs & Health: The Loss of Small Farms and the Rise of Immune Disorders"
8/30/2011 • 25 minutes, 7 seconds
GMOs and Health – Extended Interview with Andy Liu – National Jewish Health
8/30/2011 • 37 minutes, 30 seconds
GMOs and Health – Extended Interview with Stefano Guandalini – Celiac Disease Center
8/30/2011 • 27 minutes, 54 seconds
GMOs and Health – Extended Interview with Carol Shilson, Celiac Disease Center
8/30/2011 • 19 minutes, 36 seconds
GMOs and Health – Extended Interview with Charles Benbrook, The Organic Center
8/30/2011 • 13 minutes, 26 seconds
Nitrogen pollution // Electric vehicles
On today’s show we offer two interview features. Feature #1: Last week the Environmental Protection Agency published a seminal report about nitrogen, which is an enormous environmental and public health problem that some scientists put on par with the carbon imbalance. Nitrogen is essential for all life, including ours, but excess nitrogen in the environment … Continue reading "Nitrogen pollution // Electric vehicles"
8/24/2011 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
Pluto’s Moons // Wildlife Preservation
Feature #1: Last month, astronomers working on the Hubble Space Telescope announced the discovery of another, fourth moon around Pluto; this moon is so small that it could fit easily inside Boulder County (a pretty tricky thing to find at a distance of three and a half billion miles). The researchers who found the new … Continue reading "Pluto’s Moons // Wildlife Preservation"
8/16/2011 • 24 minutes, 36 seconds
Extended interview with Alan Stern
On today’s show we featured an interview with Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, who is principal investigator on NASA’s New Horizons mission. He told us about a fourth, tiny moon orbiting Pluto—found last month by his team during observations in support of New Horizons, which will arrive at Pluto in 2015. Here’s an … Continue reading "Extended interview with Alan Stern"
8/16/2011 • 10 minutes, 16 seconds
Lean Deli Meat vs A Big Fat Steak . . . and Water in Outer Space
We talk with one of the nation’s leading nutrition scientists . . . whose opinions about food and health might not be popular with the American Salt Institute . . . OR with the USDA. Dariush Mozaffarian is with the Harvard School of Public Health, in the department of epidemiology. Current projects include leadership of … Continue reading "Lean Deli Meat vs A Big Fat Steak . . . and Water in Outer Space"
This podcast provides extended version of our interview with Janos Perczel about his new Invisibility Cloak. Background: An undergraduate at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland has overcome a major hurdle in the development of invisibility cloaks by envisioning an optical device that would allow the cloak to hide things against CHANGING backgrounds. The … Continue reading "Janos Perczel – Invisibility Cloak (Extended Version)"
8/9/2011 • 17 minutes, 8 seconds
Harvard Epidemiologist Dariush Mozaffarian on Salt (extended version)
Here’s an extended version of Shelley Schlender’s interview with Dariush Mozaffarian on Salt. Note that in the interview, Shelley asks Dr. Mozaffarian to comment on some of the assertions made in the popular press, Scientific American story, It’s Time to End the War on Salt.” The interview mentions a citation in the popular press article … Continue reading "Harvard Epidemiologist Dariush Mozaffarian on Salt (extended version)"
8/9/2011 • 23 minutes, 52 seconds
Tech aspects of Boulder utility municipalization
In November Boulder will be asking the voters to approve the conversion of the electrical utility from one run by Xcel Energy to one run by the city. While there are many, many political issues associated with this vote, there are technical ones as well. We have on our show today Ken Regelson. Ken is a … Continue reading "Tech aspects of Boulder utility municipalization"
8/2/2011 • 23 minutes, 51 seconds
Music producer Tom Wasinger comments on HOE theme song entries
Grammy Award-winning music producer Tom Wasinger comments on the entries to the How on Earth theme song contest. Give us comments on your favorite theme song here. The winner will be announced on August 12, 2011. Co-hosts: Ted Burnham and Tom McKinnon Engineer: Tom McKinnon Executive Producer: Susan Moran Producer: Tom McKinnon
7/26/2011 • 23 minutes, 11 seconds
Green Tech Author // NCAR Climate Scientist
This week’s How On Earth offers two features: Co-host Susan Moran interviews Alexis Madrigal, a senior editor for The Atlantic magazine and author of the new book, Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology. Madrigal spins tales of the bicycle boom in the 1800s and how it paved the way for cars, … Continue reading "Green Tech Author // NCAR Climate Scientist"
7/20/2011 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Ocean Acidification // Citizen Science
Feature #1: Many problems plague the oceans and the fish and other species that inhabit them: overfishing, pollution, and much more. But perhaps the greatest threat to sea life – and possibly to humans – is ocean acidification. That’s when the chemistry of the ocean changes and causes seawater to become more … Continue reading "Ocean Acidification // Citizen Science"
7/13/2011 • 24 minutes, 39 seconds
Science Education, Evolution & Creationism
At its most basic level, science can be considered as non-political or at least politically neutral: science is dedicated to the collection of facts and interpreting them to help us understand the universe and how it works. For that reason, many people – one may even say our culture in general – places a high … Continue reading "Science Education, Evolution & Creationism"
6/28/2011 • 25 minutes, 9 seconds
Beekeeping in Troubled Times
This week on How On Earth co-host Susan Moran interviews Hannah Nordhaus, Boulder-based author of the new book, The Beekeeper’s Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Feed America. Nordhaus describes how one passionate, colorful and quixotic beekeeper named John Miller struggles against all odds to keep beekeeping–and bees–alive at a time … Continue reading "Beekeeping in Troubled Times"
6/22/2011 • 24 minutes, 19 seconds
Cell Phone Safety
The World Health Organization has officially listed cells phones as a possible carcinogen. One expert who ’s not surprised at the designation is University of Colorado, distinguished professor Frank Barnes. For decades, Barnes has cobbled together hard-to-find research dollars to study the biological effects of magnetic fields and radiation, including cell phone radiation. In 2008, he … Continue reading "Cell Phone Safety"
6/14/2011 • 24 minutes, 45 seconds
Cell Phone Safety – Extended Version
Here is the extended version of the interview with CU Electrical Engineering Professor Frank Barnes about cell phone safety.
6/14/2011 • 32 minutes, 22 seconds
Cavemen Stayed Local while Women Left Home
We talk with Sandi Copeland, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at CU, about this story: Two million years ago, two-legged apes roamed the African landscape. Many of these ancient hominins, lived in limestone caves in what is now South Africa. We know this through fossilized skull fragments and teeth from those caves. But fossils only tell … Continue reading "Cavemen Stayed Local while Women Left Home"
6/7/2011 • 23 minutes, 37 seconds
Colorado river crisis // “The Believing Brain”
This week co-host Susan Moran speaks with Dr. Doug Kenney, director of the Western Water Policy Program at the Natural Resources Law Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder’s law school. Kenney sheds light on the Colorado River Compact and how population growth, climate change, and water politics, are expected to further threaten our future … Continue reading "Colorado river crisis // “The Believing Brain”"
6/1/2011 • 24 minutes, 39 seconds
Moonwalking with Einstein (Part 2) // Brain Evolution
We present the second part of Joel Parker’s interview of Joshua Foer, author of the book “Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything” (the full interview can be found here). To round out the “brain theme” of the show, we also include an excerpt of BBC’s Science in Action where Jon Stuart … Continue reading "Moonwalking with Einstein (Part 2) // Brain Evolution"
5/24/2011 • 24 minutes, 40 seconds
The Future of Space Flight: Alan Stern & Elon Musk
We share excerpts from a talk about the Future of Spaceflight, presented at CU-Boulder in April, featuring Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute and Elon Musk of Space X. Producer: Shelley Schlender Co-hosts: Joel Parker, Ted Burnham Engineer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:
5/17/2011 • 24 minutes, 1 second
Gold Lab Symposium & Fat for Stronger Muscles
We learn about new research that indicates that the combination of exercise plus eating high cholesterol foods may help build lean body mass, even in older adults. What’s more, eating high cholesterol foods such as cheese, beef fat and eggs, when combined with exercise, also seems more heart safe than most people think, according to … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium & Fat for Stronger Muscles"
5/10/2011 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
Climate-health link//Smart grid
On this How On Earth show we explore how climate change is taking a toll on human health, and then how “smart grid” technology can help reduce the carbon footprint of electrical power generation. Co-host Susan Moran interviews Paul Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School; … Continue reading "Climate-health link//Smart grid"
5/3/2011 • 23 minutes, 21 seconds
Virtual power plants//Wildfires and climate change
Tom McKinnon interviews, via phone, Peter Asmus of Pike Research about Virtual Power Plants. This emerging information technology may help to integrate more renewable power onto the gird. And even save money for customers who are willing to turn down their energy demand when the grid is stressed. At the recent Conference on World Affairs, … Continue reading "Virtual power plants//Wildfires and climate change"
4/26/2011 • 23 minutes, 2 seconds
Natural Gas Boom//BP Oil Spill’s Human Toll
We discuss the environmental and human costs of natural gas drilling practices, and then the human toll of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico one year after the disaster. On natural gas drilling practices, Susan Moran interviews Steve Torbit, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Rocky Mountain Center; and Steven … Continue reading "Natural Gas Boom//BP Oil Spill’s Human Toll"
4/20/2011 • 24 minutes, 27 seconds
Extended interview with Anjali Bhatara
Here’s a longer version of my interview with Anjali Bhatara, which aired on today’s program. Dr. Bhatara is with the Laboratory of the Psychology of Perception at the University of Paris, where she studies the interactions between music and the brain, the mind and the emotions. She has published several papers on music perception in … Continue reading "Extended interview with Anjali Bhatara"
4/12/2011 • 16 minutes, 27 seconds
Theme Song Contest // Science of Music
Today we announce a contest to find new theme music for How On Earth! Our current theme has served us well for more than 20 years, but we feel it’s time to change our tune. We’re looking to local musicians for that new “How On Earth” sound. Check out our Contest Page for more information, … Continue reading "Theme Song Contest // Science of Music"
4/12/2011 • 23 minutes, 25 seconds
Pseudoscience // Conservation
Welcome to a special edition of How on Earth, done in conjunction with the Conference on World Affairs, which is being held this week on the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus. Our two guests are participants in the Conference on World Affairs. This first part of the show is Conference Panel 2051 titled “Pseudoscience”, with … Continue reading "Pseudoscience // Conservation"
4/6/2011 • 27 minutes, 43 seconds
Ocean thermal energy//Climate and drought in the Rockies
Our live guests are consultant Dr. Robert Cohen and CU scientist Kristen Averyt. Dr. Cohen discusses ocean thermal energy — a method to harvest some of the almost limitless solar energy captured daily by the oceans. Dr. Averyt surveys the future of the Intermountain West as we increase temperature and put increasing population pressure on … Continue reading "Ocean thermal energy//Climate and drought in the Rockies"
3/29/2011 • 23 minutes, 59 seconds
Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Reactor Accident
In-studio guests Jeff King, Director of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program at the Colorado School of Mines, and Len Ackland, Co-Director of the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado, discuss the recent nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. We look at the accident itself and how it might impact the future of … Continue reading "Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Reactor Accident"
3/22/2011 • 23 minutes, 45 seconds
Moonwalking with Einstein // Pledge Drive Show
In this Spring Pledge Drive Show, we share an update on the crisis in Japan from Kathleen Tierney of CU-Boulder’s Natural Hazards Center, and then Joel Parker interviews Joshua Foer, author of the runaway bestseller, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. (the full interview can be found here) Hosts: Joel Parker, … Continue reading "Moonwalking with Einstein // Pledge Drive Show"
3/16/2011 • 24 minutes, 29 seconds
Scientific Citizen Astronauts // Scientific Performance Art
This week on How On Earth, we talk with two Boulder researchers, Dan Durda and Cathy Olkin, who are training to become “scientist astronauts” on some of the first suborbital space flights provided by private companies in the post-shuttle era (extended interview available here). We also hear about a show performed by Michelle Ellsworth, and developed in … Continue reading "Scientific Citizen Astronauts // Scientific Performance Art"
3/8/2011 • 25 minutes, 36 seconds
Colorado Growth Model is Replacing CSAPs // Boulder Valley Science Fair
In honor of KGNU’s Kid’s Week, we go to the Boulder County Science Fair with How on Earth’s Tom McKinnon. In turns out three of the five students Tom interviewed before the judging began ended up as winners at the science show! Then, we look at CSAPs-Colorado’s Student Assessment Program. That style of standardized test … Continue reading "Colorado Growth Model is Replacing CSAPs // Boulder Valley Science Fair"
3/2/2011 • 23 minutes, 49 seconds
Bioastronautics at CU Bioserve // Boulder County EnergySmart energy efficiency service
Ted Burnham inteviews CU PhD student Christine Fanchiang on her role in helping the BioServe program prepare experiments for a ride on the Space Shuttle. Tom McKinnon talks to Beth Beckel, an Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Specialist with Boulder County EnergySmart Service. Beth tells us how this new county program can help homeowners and renters … Continue reading "Bioastronautics at CU Bioserve // Boulder County EnergySmart energy efficiency service"
2/22/2011 • 23 minutes, 35 seconds
CU Medical Professor Shares Love of Science
This week we’ll feature CU Medical School Immunologist John Cohen, who has just received the American Association for the Advancement of Science top award for promoting public understanding of Science. In addition to teaching at the Medical School, Cohen is the founder of Mini Med and the lead “disorganizer” of the Denver Cafe Sci. We’ll … Continue reading "CU Medical Professor Shares Love of Science"
2/15/2011 • 23 minutes, 29 seconds
Front range water / Kepler planet-hunter
Our two features for this week’s show: Susan Moran interviewed Joel Smith, principal at Stratus Consulting in Boulder, who has been helping the city adapt to climate change—in particular, by smartly managing its water supply; and Tom Yulsman interviewed John Troeltzsch, the Kepler mission program manager for Boulder-based Ball Aerospace, which built one of the … Continue reading "Front range water / Kepler planet-hunter"
2/8/2011 • 23 minutes, 54 seconds
From Jars to the Stars / Plants moving uphill
Our guest this week is Todd Neff, who was a science reporter for Boulder’s Daily Camera newspaper and is author of a new book, From Jars to the Stars: How Ball Came to Build a Comet-Hunting Machine, about the history of Ball Aerospace. Neff joins us to speak about that history and the challenges Ball … Continue reading "From Jars to the Stars / Plants moving uphill"
1/25/2011 • 25 minutes, 6 seconds
Earthquakes & corruption / Astrology shake-up
This week on How On Earth, University of Colorado earth scientist Roger Bilham joins us in the studio to talk about his latest study, which shows a correlation between the prevalence of corruption in a country and the likelihood of civilian deaths during an earthquake. And Shelley Schlender talks to HOE contributor and astrophysicist Joel … Continue reading "Earthquakes & corruption / Astrology shake-up"
1/18/2011 • 23 minutes
MAVEN: Mission to Mars // Communicating geophysics
On this week ’s How On Earth, we’re joined by the University of Colorado’s Bruce Jakosky, principle investigator on the MAVEN satellite mission that will investigate Mars’ upper atmosphere. NASA granted final approval to MAVEN last fall, and the spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2013. Also, Ted Burnham speaks with Carol Finn, incoming president of … Continue reading "MAVEN: Mission to Mars // Communicating geophysics"
