The KGNU Science Show
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
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:58 — 37.0MB)
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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 in bird forecasting, plus refinements and algorithms, that fine tune the forecasts. We learn about BirdCast’s nationwide live migration maps, and bird migration forecasts for a city or a county, such as Boulder County Migration Forecasts. Additionally, we talk with AeroEcolab scientists Annika Abbott and Mikko Jimenez.
In the last 50 years, North American bird populations have dropped 30%. Light pollution draws many migrating birds to their death. The BirdCast Lights Out program encourages people and cities to turn out nonessential lights during key periods of bird migration in their areas.
Host/Producer: Shelley Schlender
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:56 — 37.2MB)
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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 transcriptions. We also talk with City of Aurora Police Chief, Art Acedvdeo, who helped design this new tech, and is testing it out this year to evaluate its effectiveness in the field. And we talk with Anaya Robinson, Senior Policy Analyst for the ACLU of Colorado.
Host/Producer: Shelley Schlender
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:58 — 37.2MB)
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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
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:58 — 37.1MB)
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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 tropical mosquito borne diseases, such as painful Dengue fever. She also explains how Colorado health experts track West Nile Virus and disease prevention.
Hosts: Beth Bennett, Joel Parker
Producers: Panisara Jaijongkit, Shelley Schlender
Engineer: Shannon Young
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:56 — 37.0MB)
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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. Researchers at Rochester University have claimed success in creating a room temperature superconductor in their high-tech labs. Many scientists warn their method isn’t practical, IF it works at all.
“High Temperature” Superconductor Cables (starts 9:35) Danko Van der Laan, head of Boulder’s Advanced Conductor Technologies, gives a tour of his high-tech lab, where researchers test cables that superconduct when cooled to the “High Temperature” of liquid nitrogen.
Within the decade, this innovation may help lead to electric powered passenger jets and compact fusion reactors that produce much more power than the gigantic fusion reactors being tested today.
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Shelley Schlender
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:00 — 37.2MB)
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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 applications for an Artist in Residence program, where three artists will shadow a scientist or engineer, to learn about the work done at LASP, and to produce artwork inspired by their time at LASP.
Boulder Society for Scientific Exploration (starts 3:05) has many fans among well-known scientists, but it also has many critics, who charge that much of the society’s work promotes pseudo-science. We speak with Paul Sperry, Co-Founder of the Boulder Society for Scientific Exploration, about why he values “fringe science” and how be believes more intuitive approaches to Life and science can benefit scientific discovery. We also discuss the next SSE talk on June 23rd, and how to reserve a seat.
Show Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:46 — 36.8MB)
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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 with the implications for health and health care.
This week, we focus one on of the new findings that will be discussed at the Symposium, in a talk by scientists. Andreas Beyer & Argyris Papantonis
The talk is titled, “Living in the Fast Lane: Accelerated Copying of Genetic Information with Aging.” For more about the science paper from Nature related to this topic, go here.
Host / Producer : Shelley Schlender
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:56 — 37.0MB)
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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 complete 90-minute video recorded panel discussion
Experts featured include:
Also interviewed in this episode is Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center member, Rich Andrews.
Producer/Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender
Music contributions: Bonobo and Hydrogen Seas.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:58 — 37.1MB)
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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 11 AM Seminar is also on Zoom.
The Nuclear Legacy of Rocky Flats. (Starts 3:52) Regis University conducts this symposium tonight with keynote speaker Kris Iversen, author of Full Body Burden, Growing up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats.
Cancer Causing Additives in Easter Candy (Starts 10:20) The Environmental Working Group wants to ban Easter Candy ingredients that carry a cancer risk
Boulder’s Native Easter Daisies (Starts 15:20) We join Boulder Naturalists Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman, as they hunt for a deep-rooted little flower called the Easter Daisy along Boulder’s geologic wonder known as the Six Mile Fold.
Host & Show Producer: Shelley Schlender
Engineer: Shannon Young
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:58 — 37.1MB)
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