Author: Beth Bennett

World Domination…by Slime Molds?

On today’s show, Beth speaks with award-winning science writer Jennifer Frazer about her upcoming book: The Slime Mold’s Guide to World Domination: A Natural Mystery. The book is a funny natural history of slime molds that’s also a mystery that asks: how can a giant crawling cell possibly be intelligent?” Jennifer has degrees in biology and plant pathology from Cornell University and in science writing from MIT, AND has blogged about the natural history of neglected organisms for nine years for Scientific American. Get ready for an eye-opening visit to the peculiar world of slime molds, not the creepy crawly things you may expect. Also, delightful dialog from the new crop of interning journalists, our Earhtlings!

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett and Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Benita Lee and Mac Hebebrand

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Peak Performance: Revisiting a Classic

Five years ago, Beth spoke with Dr Marc Bubbs about his best-selling hardcover book, PEAK: THE NEW SCIENCE OF ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. Since then, Bubbs has been on the leading edge of new developments in the physiology and psychology of athletic performance. Bubbs helps athletes and other clients in Canada and England cope with metabolic diseases, Bubbs is also the performance nutritionist for the Canadian men’s national basketball team, In addition, he consults with teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB. On this week’s show, Beth talks to Marc about his revised edition of the book, just published, and some of the new developments and strategies he describes.
Also on this week’s show, meet our new interns from CU: Owen Latham and Mac Hebrebrand!

Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producers: Beth Bennett and Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Owen Latham and Mac Hebrebrand

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:43 — 38.1MB)

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What About All Those Body Products We Buy?

On this week’s How On Earth, Beth spoke with two cosmetic chemists, hosts of the podcast The Beauty Brains. We touched on some basic questions I have regarding some of the universe of products, such as shampoos, body lotions and sun screens. Beauty Brains Perry Romanowski and Valerie George, are both veteran cosmetic product developers who have worked on some of the most popular beauty products in the world. They’ve written dozens of science articles and books. Their book, Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry is used in several college programs. You can find transcripts of their podcast episodes on their website.

Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producer: Beth Bennett

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:57 — 31.1MB)

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The (ever-changing) Scoop on Vaccines

On this week’s How on Earth, Beth describes recent developments in defunding NIH research and CDC limits on vaccine availability; then digs into vaccine safety and development with global vaccine expert, Dr Dr Kawsar Talaat. Dr Talaat is a physician who is board certified in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and whose research focuses on vaccines. She has worked on clinical trials for a variety of vaccines, including influenza, malaria, Ebola, and several gut bacteria. Currently, Dr. Talaat oversees COVID-19 vaccine trials in adults and children, and is Johns Hopkins Principal Investigator for the CDC Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment project.

Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producer: Beth Bennett

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:23 — 24.7MB)

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Wildfires in a Changing Climate

On this week’s show we replay an interview from two years ago with author John Valliant on his then-newly released book, Fire Weather, the story – and much more- of the groundbreaking wildfire that devastated the oil sands capital city of Fort McMurray in Alberta. Given the current outbreaks of Colorado wildfires, getting bigger and harder to contain each year, Valiant’s message of the changing nature of these horrifying disasters is ever more pertinent. Also, headlines on the evolving nature of science in another changing climate of federal oversight.

Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producer:Beth Bennett
Additional Contribution: Joel Parker

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:40 — 22.4MB)

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The Tumor Microbiome Can Affect Cancer Survival

On this week’s show Beth speaks with computational biologist Justine Debelius about the role of the microbiome. We first discussed a study she was involved in recently that identified how changes in colon cancer tumors can affect survival. Then, she described a large collaborative project she is currently working on to identify factors influencing the development of the microbiome in children and how that affects them later in life.

Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Susan Moran & Joel Parker

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:38 — 21.9MB)

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Viruses are Us!

In this week’s science show Beth talks with genome biologist Ed Chuong of CU Boulder’s innovation incubator, the Biofrontiers Institute. Ed takes us for a whirlwind tour of the evolutionary history of these viral invaders of our genome, and some examples of how they can simultaneously be friend and foe. Teaser, did you realize that the genes that allow the formation of the placenta, the organ that nourishes human (and other mammal) fetuses, came from viruses!

Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Engineer: Jackie Sedley

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:17 — 26.3MB)

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Animal Pandemics?

On this week’s How on Earth, Beth talks with author and science journalist Liz Kalaugher, about her new book, The Elephant in the room:How to Stop Making Ourselves and Other Animals Sick. Think about it this way: When new diseases spread, news reports often focus on wildlife culprits–rodents, monkeys and mpox; bats and COVID-19; waterfowl and avian flu; or mosquitoes and Zika. But, as Liz points out, we see it often works the other way around–humans have caused diseases in other animals countless times, through travel and transport, the changes we impose on our environment, and global warming. In her deeply researched and often entertaining book, Liz introduces the wildlife we have harmed and the experts now studying the crosscurrents between humans, other animals, and health.

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Joel Parker and Shelley Schlender
Engineer:Jackie Sedley

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:11 — 27.8MB)

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Measles: To Vaccinate or Not?

On this week’s show, Beth talks with Brianne Barker, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of Undergraduate Research at Drew University. Dr Barker studies innate immune responses – these are the initial, non-specific actions taken by the immune system – to fight off retroviruses such as HIV (the AIDS virus). We discuss the measles virus, how it gets into cells, travels through the body to cause its many symptoms, which can be long-lasting and even lethal, and its frightening ability to wipe out, or erase, much of the accumulated memory of the immune system to previous infections. For an even deeper dive into this dangerous virus, you can hear Dr Barker and other virologists go into greater detail here.

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Susan Moran
Engineer: Jackie Sedley

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:25 — 21.8MB)

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Train Wolves AND Humans to Coexist

Source: patrice schoefolt / Pexels
On today’s show, Beth speaks with two experts on animal behavior and training about the wolf reintroduction project in Colorado – wins and losses. Mary Angilly is an advocate for force-free, evidence-based training in dogs and other animals. For decades Marc Bekoff has researched animal behavior, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds), behavioral ecology, and compassionate conservation, and he has written extensively on human-animal interactions and animal protection.They have collaborated on essays involving problems faced by both wolves and humans in reintroduction projects. In this episode, they discuss some interesting and innovative solutions.

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Susan Moran
Engineer: Jackie Sedley

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:17 — 22.5MB)

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