Kgnu - How On Earth

This week on How on Earth we speak with 2 notables. NY Times columnist Carl Zimmer describes his exploration of his genome sequence, yes all 3 billion bases! See the series he has produced detailing this journey at https://www.statnews.com/feature/game-of-genomes/season-one/. Then, local cell biologist Gia Voeltz studies how the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is formed. It is a large continuous structure in the cell, with many different functions and an elaborate shape. The ER was long thought to be the site of synthesis of proteins and other large biologically important molecules. Work in the Voeltz lab has expanded its role considerably. Visit her website to see beautiful moving pictures of ER in action: http://www.voeltzlab.org/#!research-projects/c10g1 Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Susan Moran Listen to the show:

Sustainable Agriculture (starts 3:06): We couldn’t feed the planet without nitrogen, a vital nutrient for crops. But most soils don’t produce enough of it to feed anywhere near our 7 billion-plus humans on the planet. So, for nearly a century we’ve been applying synthetic fertilizer—mainly nitrogen and phosphorus -- to grow crops for animals and people. But we have overindulged, creating vast amounts of waste, in the form of nitrogen pollution of waterways and the atmosphere. State and federal regulations have pressured growers to dramatically reduce fertilizer runoff from their fields. But it's not been enough. Another approach – call it the carrot versus the stick – is also taking hold. Major food retailers, wholesalers, and producers, such as Walmart, United Suppliers and Unilever are transforming their whole supply chains, making food production less carbon- and nitrogen-intensive. Suzy Friedman, a sustainable agriculture expert with the Environmental Defense Fund, discusses with host Susan Moran how prog

Quantum Dot Antibiotics (starts 1:00) This programmable antibiotic might keep pace with quickly evolving superbugs.  Unlike most drugs - it's not derived from biological sources.  It's a tiny version of the semiconductors in everything from TVs to iphones to solar panels.  This "antibiotic" is made of nanoparticles, known as quantum dots.  CU Biofrontiers scientists Prashant Nagpal and Anushree Chatterjee explain their new invention. Shrinking Ozone Hole - (starts 15:24) The ozone hole is finally growing smaller - we’ll find out why and how long it will take to completely "heal" the ozone hole from Birgit Hassler, a researcher with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Hosts: Shelley Schlender, Susan Moran Producer:Shelley Schlender Engineer:Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Susan Moran Listen to the show:

Pollinators Matter (starts at 4:43): Now that backyard gardens are in full bloom it's a good time to think about pollinators. Honeybees, butterflies, beetles and other pollinators depend on many flowering plants for nectar. And we depend on these pollinators for many foods we love in our diet, from almonds to apples to blueberries. Some of these pollinators, especially honeybees and monarch butterflies, are facing severe threats, here in Colorado as well as globally. Among the culprits are habitat destruction and insecticides called neonicotinoids.  The Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster is not only a popular destination for kids and adults who want to walk among butterflies, and tough tarantulas. It is also conducting research on pollinators and their habitat. Mary Ann Colley, vice president of science and conservation at the Pavilion, discusses with host Susan Moran some pollinator-focused research and educational campaigns. Info on Butterfly Pavilion's citizen science efforts--Colorado Butterfly Monitoring

David Sumpter’s new book is Soccermatics--Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game.  It’s about how the mathematical patterns of how to win at soccer — and much much more — like how a math algorithm of how a slime mold seeks out food can help engineers design an efficient subway system.  The math that helps a soccer team win can also help a business team succeed.  . . . and in this special summer pledge drive show, it's also a chance to hear about KGNU Community Radio and how you can make a difference by making it happen. Hosts: Shelley Schlender & Maeve Conran Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender

The Carbon Farming Solution - (Starts 2:13) Carbon Sequestration is the act of removing carbon from the air and putting it . . . somewhere else.  Kendra Krueger talks with author Eric Tunesmeier about his book, The Carbon Farming Solution, with surprising information such as how driving to a remote organic farm stand can cause more carbon pollution than getting groceries at a close-to-home supermarket.  However, done correctly, including thinking through how to get food to people who need it, Tunesmeier says carbon farming could sequester hundreds of billions of metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere . . .  with plants. Light Pollution -  (Starts 17:36) Over one third of all the people on earth live with such extensive light pollution, they can't even see the Milky Way at night.  That's according to an updated world "light pollution" atlas.  Shelley Schlender talks with NOAA scientist Chris Elveidge about NOAA's "Earth at Night" maps and "The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness and the ar

Beth interviews Dr Sarah Spaulding, of the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research here in Boulder. Sarah studies microscopic single celled algae, creatures that photosynthesize but aren’t plants. She discusses their ecological roles in numerous ecosystems as well as challenges in identifying them and her long term goals in studying these elusive but ubiquitous creatures. See more at https://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/ Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

Cell Phones & Cancer  (Starts 1:00) A $25 million study reports cell phone radiation boosted brain cancer in rats . . . and rats exposed to radiation lived longer.  Frank Barnes, CU-Boulder Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, explains these paradoxical findings and implications for people.  (Related stories -- 2011 Cell Phone Radiation and 2014 An Electric Silent Spring) Narcotics Prolong Chronic Pain (Starts 11:35)   CU-Boulder neuroscientist Peter Grace explains his team's new findings about how and why morphine can prolong chronic pain.   Rats with induced nerve pain received morphine for 5 days; their pain lasted nearly three months -- twice as long as the nerve pain for rats that got no morphine.  This is one of the first studies to test long-term effects of treating chronic pain with opioid painkillers.  (Related story: KGNU call-in show on the opioid addiction epidemic) Host/Producer/Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

Microbes and Stress Resilience (starts 5:13) If you’re worried that some dirt still clings to your skin under your fingernails after planting or weeding in the garden, fear not. In fact, the more you feel and even breathe its fumes, the better, research suggests. As part of our series called “Our Microbes, Ourselves,” we explore today a newly published study that adds to a growing body of research into the benefits of certain soil and gut microbes on our mental and physical health. Dr. Christopher Lowry, an associate professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, discusses with host Susan Moran the study, which he led. It shows that a common soil bacterium called M. vaccae can boost the immune system to help fight stress and inflammation. The research, published last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was conducted on mice, but the health implications for humans are far-reaching. Hosts: Joel Parker, Susan Moran Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel

((Starts 00:00)) Today we speak with Larry Gold, founder of the GoldLab Symposium that brings scientists and thinkers from around the world to share their perspectives about health and healthcare.  The theme of this year’s symposium is: Standing Together—Health Care for Our Common Good Host / Producer / Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender

In this follow-up episode of our "Graduation Special" we talk with three more guests graduating with science Ph.D.'s from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  They join us to talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next: Carleigh Samson - Environmental Engineering Program Topic: Modeling Relationships between Climate, Source Water Quality and Disinfection Byproduct Formation and Speciation in Treated Drinking Water   Patrick Barbour - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Topic: Property-Guided Synthesis of Tricyclic Indolines to Confront Antibiotic Resistance in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Greg Thompson - Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Topic: Advances in a Microphysics Parameterization to Predict Supercooled Liquid Water and Application to Aircraft Icing Host / Engineer : Shelley Schlender Producer : Joel Parker Executive Producer : Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

The graduation season is upon us and our guests in today's show will be graduating with science Ph.D.'s from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  They join us to talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next: Greg Salvesen - Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Topic: Rethinking Accretion Disks Around Black Holes   Jesse Nusbaumer - Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Topic: An Examination of Atmospheric River Moisture Transport and Hydrology Using an Isotope-enabled Climate Model Odessa Gomez - Environmental Engineering Program Topic: Characterizing Responses of Primary Biological Aerosols to Oxidative Atmospheric Conditions   Host / Producer / Engineer : Joel Parker Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

(Starting at 6:30) FLOWS bridges social justice and environmental issues. FLOWS provides leadership training opportunities, green job skills, and free energy and water upgrades while building partnerships between CU students and staff and community members.  They partner with and work primarily for low-income communities for water and energy conservation (the communities most in need of lower energy and water bills).  They joined us to talk about their new training program coming up this May.  Find out more about their program here . (Starting at 20:14)Michael Skirpan is a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Computer Science Department. He worked with a collaborative team to create a project called quantified self, an immersive data experience that debuted the last weekend in April.  Listen in to hear more about this half performance-half data experience and find out when it will be happening again here. Hosts:Kendra Krueger Producer: Kendra Krueger Engineer: Kendra KRueger Additional

((Starts 00:00)) We speak via Skype with Renowned English Ornithologist Tim Birkhead, about “The Most Perfect Thing.”  That’s the title of his new book.  It’s all about taking a scientific look inside, and outside, a bird’s egg. Host:  Shelley Schlender Producer:Shelley Schlender Engineer:Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender

Host Beth Bennett interviews Bob Crifasi, author of A Land Made of Water (starts at 4'55"). Bob works in water management and planning and is an environmental scientist with over 25yr experience. He was the Water Resources Administrator for the city of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks Dept. He has served on board of directors of 11 ditch companies and as the president of several, supervising all aspects of ditch operation. Hosts: Beth Bennett, Alejandro Soto Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Additional contributions: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

This special edition of How on Earth is produced in conjunction with the Conference on World Affairs.  Our guests are two of the participants of the Conference: astrobiologist Dr. David Grinspoon and physicist Dr. Sidney Perkowitz.  In keeping with the traditional format of the conference panels, our guests will start by talking about their interpretation of the topic "Across the Universe - You Can't Get There From Here", and we’ll go from there and see where in the universe we end up. Host / Producer / Engineer : Joel Parker Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Click below to listen to the show:

Prairie Fire (start time: 0:57) Journalist and Megafire expert Michael Kodas discusses the raging Kansas prairie fire and how it compares to wildfires in Colorado. Pacific Temperatures Predict New York Heat Waves (start time: 6:58) Climatologist Karen McKinnon says it's possible to use precise monitoring of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures to predict heat waves on the East Coast 50 days in advance. Mapping Nitrogen Pollution (start time: 15:45)  CU scientist Sam Simkin explains how human-caused nitrogen pollution  may be killing off plant diversity throughout the US . . . and his maps show where. Hosts: Shelley Schlender, Susan Moran Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Tom Yulsman Executive Producer: Joel Parker Click below to listen to the show:

Mind+Body Science (start time: 4:52): If you've ever struggled  to decide whether to see a Western conventional doctor or an  “alternative” medical practitioner for ailments ranging from a compromised immune system to irritable bowel syndrome, you are aware of a deep divide between the two camps. Dr. Jo Marchant, a British geneticist and science writer, has delved into the science and politics of mind-body connections in her new book. It’s called Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body. She discusses this journey with host Susan Moran. (We played snippets from the interview during the recent  pledge-drive show. Thanks to you, listener-members, for your support! And thanks, Crown Publishers, for allowing KGNU to give copies of Cure to those who pledged during the show. Headlines (0:56 - 4:30) 1) Analyzing the molecular signature from our body's microbial communities might be used in the future to link suspects to crimes definitively. 2) New research explores whether molecules behave like predatory

In today's spring pledge-drive show we play clips from an interview with  Jo Marchant, author of the new book Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body. (Stay tuned for the extended interview on next Tuesday's show.) And we highlight another book, Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection with Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep, by Marah Hardt. Call KGNU (303-449-4885) or pledge online (www.kgnu.org) and you will have the chance to make either of these books yours. Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Additional contributions: Beth Bennett Executive Producer: Joel Parker Listen to the show here:

Today's show offers two features: High School STEM Stars (start time: 5:00): Developing polymers to reduce waste from biodiesel production. Using 3D printing to design ocean textures, such as fish gills and waves, that blind students can use in textbooks to better understand nature. These are the kind of vexing challenges of seasoned scientists. Well, a select group of high school students here on the Front Range are also diving into this research, through the University of Colorado's Photo-Origami Research Project. It's part of the Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program. Our guests--Lindsey Welch, a sophomore at Centaurus High; and Tyco Mera Evans, a senior at Northglenn High-- will give poster presentations at the Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM, in Washington, D.C.  this week. Joining them in the studio is Kathryn Penzkover, who directs high school programs through CU Science Discovery. Sex & Evolution Beneath the Waves (start time: 14:45) Ever wonder about the sex lives of gende