Category: Episodes

West Nile Virus // Mosquito Borne Diseases

A Culex pipiens mosquito isolated on white. This species of mosquito is important in the West Nile Virus transmission cycle. (A Culex pipiens mosquito isolated on white. This species of mosquito is important in the West Nile Virus transmission cycle

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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Welcoming Biodiversity Back To Cities

Photo by Benita Lee

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, Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth (Vintage), Hiss recounts the numerous ways in which grassroots movements around the world are creating habitats that are allowing biodiversity to thrive, including in least obvious of places — cities.

Next, we discuss how this is being done in Colorado by the nonprofit organization, Denver Urban Gardens (DUG). Creighton Hofeditz (14:37), the Director of Permaculture and Perennials at DUG, tells us how he turns empty city lots into “food forests” — a type of agroforestry — for residents in the metro area. The creation of these gathering spaces for humans also gives nature a place to thrive.

Hosts: Beth Bennett, Benita Lee
Producers: Benita Lee, Alexis Kenyon
Engineer: Shannon Young
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:07 — 22.5MB)

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Memory-boosting via Multivitamins?

Image credit: Hiroshi Watanabe/Getty

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, if cruel, component of aging. And there’s been much debate about what interventions can arrest the pace of memory loss. The new study, which Dr. Brickman co-authored, replicated results of a previous study that he led; both found that people age 60 and older who take multivitamin supplements daily can stave off normal age-related memory loss. (The study does not apply to people with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.)

Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker
Producer: Susan Moran
Engineer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender

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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 of women in sports to the role of hormones on performance to the physics of designing jog bras, and much more. If you’re an athlete, a woman, or simply interested in sports, you’ll enjoy the conversation with Christine.

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Engineering and Headline Contribution: Shannon Young

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:29 — 20.9MB)

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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 Gloria Dickie about her just-published debut book Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future  (W.W. Norton). It explores conservation efforts to preserve the remaining species. Spoiler alert: the eight bears who inhabit Dickie’s book (and parts of the planet) are the black, brown, panda, moon, sun, sloth, and spectacled bears.  Dickie’s work has appeared in many publications, including  The New York Times, High Country News and National Geographic. She is currently based in London, as a global climate and environment correspondent for Reuters.

Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker
Producer: Susan Moran
Engineer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:39 — 24.4MB)

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Superconductors for Better Energy

Joe Eck “If we could achieve ROOM temperature superconductivity, there would be no cooling required whatsoever.” photo by S Schlender

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.

Danko Van der Laan with Liquid Nitrogen Tank photo by S Schlender

“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.

“Hi Temp” Superconductive Tape

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.

“High Temp” Superconductive Cable containing dozens of woven tapes may make it possible for electric passenger jets and compact fusion reactors

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Shelley Schlender

 

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:00 — 37.2MB)

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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 from the head down, she dissects everything from sitting at the computer to running marathons and gives easy-to-follow instructions for improving. You can find video and more at her website.
Executive and Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Rosanna Longo-Better and Shelley Schlender
Engineer: Shannon Young
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:02 — 37.1MB)

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Race Science: Then & Now

Phrenology sketch of skull, 1807 Image credit: Countway Library

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 be co-opted to justify racial inequality–namely, the intellectual superiority of whites. Recently scientists have been reckoning with the damaging legacy of race science. In this week’s show host Susan Moran interviews two journalists: Angela Saini, a science journalist and author of several books, including Superior: The Return of Race Science; and Ashley Smart, senior editor of Undark magazine, and associate director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. See Undark’s Long Division Project, a series of articles exploring the persistence of race science.

Host & Producer: Susan Moran
Engineer: Shannon Young
Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:31 — 25.2MB)

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Boulder Society for Scientific Exploration

Paul Sperry in Egypt – c Paul Sperry

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

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:46 — 36.8MB)

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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 almost consumed a city of nearly 100,000. In the process the fire blew up expectations and responses to wild fires. Vaillant gives an in depth exploration of the rapidly changing relationship between fire and humankind along with personal stories of loss and bravery on the front lines of this horrifying event.
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Headline: Shelley Schlender
Engineer: Shannon Young

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:11 — 37.3MB)

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