Author: Joel Parker

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Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence (excerpts) / 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 Francis proposes a more active role of the individual in their recovery.  We also talk about the importance of self-care and compassion, the role of the environment we create for ourselves, and the importance of caregivers.

Producer/Engineer: Joel Parker
Hosts: Joel Parker, Shelley Schlender
Feature Contribution: Beth Bennett
Executive Producer: Susan Moran

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2023 Graduation Special (part 2)

diploma-and-graduation-hatWith 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 experiences, and what they have planned next.

Dhruv Kedar – Physics
Topic: A Fully Crystalline Cryogenic Reference Cavity

 

Kathleen McGuire – Anthropology
Topic: Navigating the Needs of the Many and the Few: Examining the Relationship between Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) Group Function and Individual Variation on St. Catherines Island

Brian Alden – Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Topic: Investigating the Properties of Merging Galaxy Clusters with Radio Halos/Relics Using X-ray Derived Pressure Maps

 

You can listen to Part 1 of this year’s special or all past year Graduation Special episodes.

Host / Producer : Joel Parker
Executive Producer : Shelley Schlender

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2023 Graduation Special (part 1)

diploma-and-graduation-hatWith 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 experiences, and what they have planned next.

Rob Streeter – Electrical Engineering
Topic: High-resolution Deep-tissue Microwave Thermometry

 

Amanda Hampton – Applied Math
Topic: On the Three-Dimensional, Quadratic Diffeomorphism: Anti-integrability, Attractors, and Chaos


Jacob Kravits – Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
Topic: Balancing Cost, Water, Emissions, and Reliability in Power Systems Operations

You can listen to Part 2 of this year’s special or all past year Graduation Special episodes.

Host / Producer : Joel Parker
Executive Producer : Shelley Schlender

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AI or not AI, that is the question — ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Human World

A DALL-E generated image of this interview
A DALL-E generated image of this interview.

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 KGNU radio science show How on Earth to discuss generative AI and its recent breakthroughs, such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. Fiesler explains that these AI models use deep learning algorithms to generate new content, such as text or images, based on patterns found in existing data. She acknowledges the impressive capabilities of these models, such as DALL-E’s ability to create highly realistic images from textual prompts. However, Fiesler also raises concerns about the potential negative impacts of generative AI, including the perpetuation of biases found in training data or the creation of harmful fake content. Fiesler emphasizes the importance of responsible development and use of these technologies, as well as ongoing research into addressing these issues.

After you listen to the show, you can determine how accurate is that description.  And can you identify the three interview questions we asked that were generated by ChatGPT?

Host & Producer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Featured Music: “Reflection” – generative music by Brian Eno

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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:

Check out Part 1 of this feature (2022 Dec 20)

Host & Producer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Featured Music: “Floating in Heaven” by Graham Gouldman and Brian May

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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:

Check out Part 2 of this feature (2023 Jan 31)

Host & Producer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Featured Music: “Floating in Heaven” by Graham Gouldman and Brian May

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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 meat. They talk about how this ancient method of animal husbandry can restore degraded farmland, increase biodiversity, combat climate change by reducing emissions and sequestering carbon and produce nutrient-dense, healthy meat for consumers.  More information at Big Picture Beef.

Also, Shelley Schlender talks with Sarah Johnson, a professor of food, science and human nutrition at Colorado State University, about a recent study indicating that in mice prone to artery disease, those that ate belgian endive reduced the instability of artery plaques. That may be important, because in people, unstable plaques can trigger heart attacks.

Hosts: Joel Parker, Beth Bennett
Producer: Joel Parker
Additional contributions: Shelley Schlender
Executive Producer: Susan Moran

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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 remarkable technologies that can help us hear better.

Hosts: Joel Parker, Beth Bennett
Producer: Joel Parker
Additional contributions: Benita Lee, Shelley Schlender
Executive Producer: Susan Moran

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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 the fittest into every examination of wildlife and mankind.

Hosts: Joel Parker, Shelley Schlender
Show Producer and Engineer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Feature Contributors: Benita Lee, Susan Moran

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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 gut microbiome in people as young as infants.

Folding Proteins (starts at 15:53) Proteins are essential for the function of our bodies and other biological systems.  One mystery is how proteins containing hundreds of amino acids are able to quickly and efficiently fold into  the necessary complex structures.  How on Earth’s Shelley Schlender talks with Dr. Larry Gold about this origami mystery and how the Deep Mind artificial intelligence consortium created the AlphaFold program, which predicts the 3D structure of proteins and won a Breakthrough prize.  Also check out this presentation about identification of protein structures given by Dr. Krzysztof Fidelis.

Host: Joel Parker
Show Producer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Feature Contributors: Shannon Young, Shelley Schlender

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