Episodes – Page 15 – How On Earth

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 these inventions. Learn the history about how photographic film was developed, and the surprising use of technological advances in some of our most iconic cameras.

Hosts: Jill Sjong and Beth Bennett

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:35 — 36.5MB)

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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 read the research study here.
Producer: Beth Bennett
Host: Beth Bennett
Additional Contribution: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:04 — 19.0MB)

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Honeybees: Biology & Conservation

detail of bee or honeybee in Latin Apis Mellifera, european or western honey bee sitting on the violet or blue flower

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. Here are some tips from the CSU extension service for providing habitat and food sources.
Host: Beth Bennett
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:21 — 24.1MB)

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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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:58 — 24.7MB)

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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 create plays inspired by scientific research as part of a theatre project produced by the Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. The production is called “Science Shorts“, which will be streaming the performances online Thursday through Sunday this week, January 21-24. The production will feature readings of four short plays by Colorado playwrights, and four short talks by the local scientists who inspired their work.

Our science guests are geophysicist Dr. Neesha Schnepf and biologist Ashley Whipple, and our playwrights are Nigel Knutzen and Ellen K. Graham. Neesha and Nigel collaborated on creating the play Trinal, which takes three different perspectives on tsunamis and their impact. Ashley’s and Ellen’s play, On The Rocks, follows American pikas and what they have to teach us about resilience in the face of environmental and other stress.

Host & Producer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:54 — 37.0MB)

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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.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:55 — 24.7MB)

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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 weight loss because it circumvents the insulin system, activated by carbs, which promotes fat storage. And yet, this diet also produces good health metrics in terms of cholesterol and other outcome measures. The interview starts at about 9 minutes in.

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Producer:Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Joel Parker

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:19 — 26.8MB)

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Recycling Lithium-ion Batteries

figure from Xu et al. 2020, Joule, vol. 4, p. 2609 — Figure from Xu et al. 2020, Joule, vol. 4, p. 2609

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 them? How can we prevent the batteries from ending up in landfills where the toxic metals inside can leak out? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Zheng Chen, a professor of nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego, and co-author on the paper “Efficient Direct Recycling of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes by Targeted Healing” published a few weeks ago in the journal Joule.

Hosts: Jill Sjong, Joel Parker
Feature: Shelley Schlender
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Joel Parker
Engineer: Sam Fuqua

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:14 — 37.4MB)

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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 — Josh Steinsiek, Dustin Goodew of Arapahoe Meat Company, Outdoorspeople Lin and Henry Ballard, Amber O’Hearn and Siobhan Huggins.

Engineer Sam Fuqua
Host/Producer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Edie Hill, Composer
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:09 — 24.9MB)

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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

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:15 — 23.1MB)

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