In today’s show Beth reviews the latest data on the opiate epidemic in Boulder. You’ll hear from a pharmacologist who studies substance abuse, a DEA agent who oversees the task force on fentanyl, and our state senator who discusses legislation at the state level, as well as a story on a novel, implantable device to monitor for overdoses and autonomously inject the antidote – naloxone.
Executive Producers: Joel Parker and Shelley Schlender Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Benita Lee Engineer: Jackie Sedley
Ibogaine (starts 1:00) The New York Times just featured Ibogaine for PTSD. We revisit a discussion of Ibogaine with Boulder Trauma Therapist Andrew Linares.
Stored Ice Cores
Ice Cores (starts 10:00) The National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility in Lakewood houses thousands of ice cores collected from around the world. Ellen Mahoney takes us there for a first person look.
CU Boulder Neuroscientist June Gruber teaches “Science of Happiness”
CU-Boulder Neuroscientist June Gruber (starts 16:15) June Gruber leads one of CU-Boulder’s most popular classes about the science of happiness. Now Gruber discusses ways to care for health during the darker days of winter, including an ongoing study of “Awe-Walks.”
Executive Producer/Show Producer: Shelley Schlender Host: Benita Lee Additional Contributions: Ellen Mahoney Engineer: Jackie Sedley
On today’s show Beth plays portions of a chat (full version here; actual talk starts at 1 minute in) she had with Katy Bowman who is a nationally-known biomechanist, author, and movement educator. They spoke at the Boulder Bookstore, where Katy discussed her new book, My Perfect Movement Plan. Bowman combines big-picture lessons on biomechanics, kinesiology, physiology, and natural human movement with simple and practical solutions and exercises to get all your body parts moving better. Her ‘Movement is Nutrition’ approach addresses the need of our bodies for a wide variety of daily movements in order to work well. Building off the idea that movement is more than exercise, Katy wants to us to create a movement diet that will provide both macro- and micronutrients that the body needs in order to stay well and work well.
Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Joel Parker Engineer: Jackie Sedley
If you listened to Beth’s chat with author Katy Bowman about her book (Your Perfect Movement Plan) – complete with some audience questions – and want to hear more, here is the full hour plus session. (Actual conversation starts about 2 minutes into the file.)
Tackling Plastic Pollution (start time: 3:50) In this week’s show, host Susan Moran interviews science journalists Fionna Samuels, an assistant editor at Chemical & Engineering News, a publication of the American Chemical Society; and Priyanka Runwal, an associate editor at C&EN. Along with other colleagues, they wrote cover articles in the November 28th issue of C&EN on the sources and impacts of plastic pollution. Indeed, plastics, mostly made from fossil fuels, are wreaking havoc on our environment and potentially our bodies. Although it’s still unclear precisely how much our bodies are accumulating tiny plastic particles, and to what effect, scientists are warning that nanoplastics could be altering our brains, our reproductive system, and our metabolism. Recently, representatives from many nations, including the United States, met to reach a first-of-its-kind United Nations global treaty to tackle plastic pollution. They failed. But outside the realm of treaties, a lot is being done, and far more can be done, to reduce the production, use, and waste of plastic.
Show Host/Producer: Susan Moran Cohost/Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender
Field Report (starts 1:00) We join Boulder naturalists Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman on a Christmas Bird Count as Boulder’s winter water saunas.
Xmas Bird Count’s Bill Schmoker (starts 4:28) Boulder’s Annual Xmas Bird Count is Sunday December 15th. Bill Schmoker is the organizer of this Count, which is one of the longest-running and largest in the nation. He explains how it’s done, and why it’s important to the science of bird ecology.
Host: Benita Lee Show Producers: Elena Klaver/Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Ruth Carol Cushman, Steve Jones Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender
Cocoa Flavonoids (starts 1:00) Could a cozy cup of cocoa help with holiday stress? Nutrition Scientist Catarina Rendeiro explains how chocolate can provide anti-inflammatory flavanoids, but MOST do not. And there’s a way to tell.
CU Boulder Scientist June Gruber
Science of Happiness (starts 10:33) CU Boulder Neuro-psychologist June Gruber explains the Science of Happiness, her Positive Emotion and Psychopathology Lab, how keeping a gratitude journal can benefit health . . . and plans for Thanksgiving. Gruber’s class on the Science of Happiness gets rave reviews.
Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Show Producers: Joel Parker/Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett Engineer: Jackie Sedley
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 05: U.S. President Donald Trump and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, hold a press briefing with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force on April 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recommendation that all Americans should wear masks or cloth face coverings in public settings. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)Today on How on Earth, Beth speaks with Dr Jon Samet, former dean of the Colorado School of Public Health and Professor of Epidemiology and Occupational and Environmental Health. Dr. Samet has served on and chaired numerous committees of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, also chairing the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee of the U.S. EPA and the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. He has an insider view on some of the implications of the newly elected administration for science.
Today’s show features NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which launched on October 14th, 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket, setting the spacecraft on its 10-year journey to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa. Europa Clipper carries nine instruments to study this ocean world covered by an ice shell to determine if there are places in the watery depths below the surface that could support life. The mission’s goals are to study ice shell, the sub-surface ocean, and the moon’s composition and geology. Our guest is Dr. Bonnie Buratti, a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Deputy Project Scientist for the Europa Clipper mission.
Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Show Producer & Engineer: Joel Parker