The physiology of deciduous trees (start time: 11:09) For many people living in places with four distinct seasons, such as here in Colorado, a favorite pastime at this midpoint in autumn is watching the faded leaves fall from their branches, and listening to the crackling sound while raking up the dried leaves. In this week’s … Continue reading "Winter is Coming: Why Leaves Fall"
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, … Continue reading "Peak Performance: Revisiting a Classic"
Into The Unknown (starts at 9:05) What do we know about the universe, and how do we know we know it? Conversely, what do we know we don’t know, what don’t we know that we don’t know, and why not? To help us unravel these age-old philosophical questions in the context of current science, our … Continue reading "Into The Unknown (Part 2)"
Into The Unknown (starts at 7:57) What do we know about the universe, and how do we know we know it? Conversely, what do we know we don’t know, what don’t we know that we don’t know, and why not? To help us unravel these age-old philosophical questions in the context of current science, our … Continue reading "Into The Unknown (Part 1)"
Science & Songs of Katydids, Cicadas, etc. (start time: 3:08) It’s the time of year to savor listening each night to the pulsating and clicking sounds of katydids, cicadas, crickets and other straight-winged insects, all crying out for a mate. Soon, with the first big frost, the songs, along with the arthropods themselves, will disappear. … Continue reading "Autumn Insects and their Songs"
Helping Wild Animals Roam (start time: 3:29) Wild animals, whether buffalos or bats, need space to move around–not just to survive, but to forage, reproduce, migrate, and generally thrive as a species. But it’s getting increasingly difficult for so many species to do this, thanks to humans breaking up their habitats to build roads, fences, … Continue reading "From Habitat Loss to Repairing Connectivity"
This episode features Miles O’Brien, a science journalist who has been a correspondent for PBS News and CNN. He talks about his experience breaking in to science journalism, past and current science reporting, public and political views of science, the value of scientific research, and some particular stories including beavers, prostheses, and climate change research in … Continue reading "Science Journalism with Miles O’Brien // Acetaminophen and Autism"
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 … Continue reading "What About All Those Body Products We Buy?"
Menopause & HT (start time: 0:58) It happens to every woman with a uterus who reaches midlife. Menopause is a major hormonal transition that, although very challenging for some women, is natural, and (get this!) even advantageous to civilization. Think grandmothers! Yet menopause has been largely dismissed by the medical community. As a result, too … Continue reading "Menopause, Hormone Therapy, Science"
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 … Continue reading "The (ever-changing) Scoop on Vaccines"
Climate change. Astronomy. A canine astronaut. They intersect in our guest, astronomer and author Dr. Jeff Bennett. Among other things, we focus on climate change and policy – present and future. Dr. Bennett got his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado, and he served two years as a Visiting Senior Scientist at NASA … Continue reading "Climate Change, Astronomy, Canine Astronauts"
US Critical Earth Metals “Hiding in Plain Sight” (starts 1:00) Colorado School of Mines has just published a new study that indicates the US has enough critical earth metals to stop importing them from other countries . . . if we develop the capacity. Bill McKibben – Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for … Continue reading "Bill McKibben – Here Comes the Sun"
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 … Continue reading "Wildfires in a Changing Climate"
Standing Up for Science (start time: 6:39) Since President Trump began his second term in January, his administration has been on a rapid-fire campaign to slash federal funding for scientific research, particularly in the fields of climate and earth systems science. Colorado is feeling the pain. President Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 includes … Continue reading "Climate Science, Human Lives at Risk"
The history of astronomy has many stories of trying to understand our universe, and those stories are connected by a common thread: looking at the sky, whether with our eyes or with increasingly powerful telescopes. The newest entry in this telescopic journey is the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Located in Chile, this observatory has … Continue reading "The Vera Rubin Observatory"
A Common Sugar Substitute Increases Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke. (starts 11:00) CU-Boulder Integrative Physiologist Chris DeSouza explains his recent study that shows why the commonly used artificial sweetener, Erythritol, may be increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. 50 Years of Open Space! (Starts 1:00) Boulder County Parks and Open Space staff members … Continue reading "50 Years of Open Space! // Heart Attack and Stroke Risk from Common Sugar Substitute"
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 … Continue reading "The Tumor Microbiome Can Affect Cancer Survival"
Tackling Climate Change and Science Cutbacks (start time: 7:03) In this week’s show we discuss the ongoing barrage of executive orders by the Trump administration; and the impacts of defunding of federal agencies, scientific research and scientists focusing on climate change and the environment. We also explore how the legal and political landscape, including pushback … Continue reading "Climate Science, Cutbacks, Litigation"
Teens are in Crisis – Some people warn that Cell Phones are to blame. But Colorado Native and Pulitzer prize winner Matt Richtel says our tech can be a useful tool, IF we better understand the purpose of adolescence, That’s the focus of Richtel’s brand new book – How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence … Continue reading "How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence by Matt Richtel"
Merlin Bird ID App (starts 1:00) Boulder Naturalists Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman explore the benefits of the Merlin smartphone app, along with its sometimes hilarious mistakes. Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (Start 5:48) Crew Leader Eric DeFonso explains how the Conservancy’s Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions Program provides detailed data about birds … Continue reading "Bird Conservancy of the Rockies – Eric DeFonso"