The Science of Heartbreak

Heartbreak in Our  Bodies: (start time: 6:58) This week on How On Earth, host Susan Moran talks with science journalist Florence Williams about her newly published book, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, in which she goes on a quest to understand why, and how, the heartbreak she felt when her marriage fell apart was wreaking havoc on her body. The book, and this interview, also explore various methods of healing and the science behind them.

Host: Susan Moran
Engineer: Rossana Long
Headline contributors: Beth Bennett, Shelley Schlender

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Climate Change and Local Fires

This week on How on Earth, Beth talks to 2 climate scientists about their (very different) fields, and how climate change can play into local disasters, especially the recent fires that devastated the Front Range towns outside Boulder. Twila Moon is a glaciologist turned climate scientist who researches the effects of ice sheet melt on climate. Her TED talk conveys this message clearly. Brian Buma is Associate Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Colorado at Denver. He studies landscape ecology and is especially interested in natural disasters, like the recent Marshall fire. You can hear Shannon Young, KGNU’s station manager talk to Brian about his recent book here.
Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producer: Beth Bennett

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30th Anniversary Show

(Image courtesy of Wiki images)

In this episode, we celebrate the show’s 30th Anniversary with Dave Atkins and Jeff Orrey, How on Earth’s original  hosts.

We’ll play some excerpts from the pilot January 14, 1992 episode and update the science from a 2022 perspective.  Subjects range from Chinook winds and Colorado fires, finding exoplanets, the history of Hubble telescope, Halley’s Comet and blood pressure.

Hosts:   Jill Sjong, Beth Bennett, Dave Atkins, Jeff Orrey
Producer:    Jill Sjong
Additional Contributions:   Joel Parker, Beth Bennett
Executive producer:   Beth Bennett

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Top Ten from 2021

2021 saw many remarkable science stories making it difficult to pick the top contenders. The How on Earth team struggled with these decisions but here they are!

Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additonal contributions by: Benita Lee, Joel Parker, Jill Sjong, Shelley Schlender

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Defy Aging // Green Recycling // Corona (not virus) News

Corona (Not Virus) News (starts 1:00)  Astrophysicist Joel Parker explains the probe that touched the sun’s corona.

Green Recycling from Discarded Electronics (starts 3:59) Benita Lee talks with Penn State Scientist Amir Sheikhi about recycling neodymium.

Defy Aging:  A Beginner’s Guide to the New Science of Longer Life and Better Health.  (starts 9:28)  Science Show volunteer, Geneticist and Defy Aging  author Beth Bennett, explains how to promote longevity and  healthspan. 

Host/Contributors: Jill Sjong, Joel Parker, Benita Lee
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Shelley Schlender

 

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The Fentanyl Epidemic: Why It’s Growing and Some Solutions

This week on How On Earth, we welcome Benita Lee who brought up the growing problem with fentanyl – a new street drug that’s killing many. Benita talks with DEA agent David Olesky about the scope of the problem and what the agency is doing to combat it. Beth talks with pharmacologist and policy maker Robert Valuck about how the drug affects the brain, causes death, and the protective effect of the blocking drug naloxone.
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Benita Lee

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Can Cattle Reduce Climate Change?

This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Professor Fred Provenza, author of the book Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering our Nutritional Wisdom. He returns to discuss his current venture into the utility of grazing animals in regenerating soil and reducing our carbon footprint. Yes, cows may actually reduce the rate of climate change.
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Producer: Beth Bennett

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Wild Strawberries, Wild Turkeys & Farewell to Bernie Rollin

Bernie Rollin

Green Building Handbook (starts 1:00) CU Boulder Engineering Professor Wil Srubar is the co-author of a new report highlighting innovative building materials that actually store more CO2 than the emissions from their manufacture, making these building materials what’s known as “carbon sinks”

Wild Strawberry Flavor from Fungi (starts 3:29) Holger Zorn explains how and why his team of scientists have identified a fungus that provides a wild strawberry flavor to foods.

Wild Turkeys at Sandstone Ranch (starts 9:07) Naturalists Steve Jones, Ruth Carol Cushman and Scott Severs visit Longmont’s Sandstone Ranch to look for a . . . sometimes elusive . . .  flock of wild turkeys.

Farewell to Animal Rights Activist Bernie Rollin (starts 12:44) CSU Philosopher, Vet Scientist and Animal Rights Activist Bernie Rollin died last week.  We share excerpts from a past interview, plus a story about the friendship between a turkey and a dog, from his memoir, Putting the Horse Before Descartes

Hosts: Benita Lee, Stacie Johnson
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Shelley Schlender

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Building Bones without Drugs

On today’s show, Beth talks with Dr John Jaquish about his novel method for treating osteoporosis, using ‘osteogenic’ loading. His method has been shown in clinical trials to build bone without drugs, and consequently without the serious side effects of these drugs. The loading method has been validated in using the classic DEXA screening method as well as blood markers such as NTX or CTX (which measure bone breakdown) and P1NP (which measures bone formation).
Show Producer: Beth Bennett

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It’s A Dog’s World!

Ever wonder what the world would be like without us humans? Professor Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce answer that question from a dog’s eye perspective in their book, A Dog’s World. In addition to speculating about the future of our canine friends without us, they provide a thorough and well-researched look at all aspects of dog biology.
Show Producer: Beth Bennett

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