KGNU - How On Earth

NCAR Burn site – left of the trail — photo by Steve Jones Pre-dawn Summer Solstice Hike (Starts 1:00) We head out before 5:30 AM, to visit the NCAR Burn site, with Boulder Naturalists Steve Jones, Scott Severs and Ruth Carol Cushman   Hobbit Like Hominoids — Still Here?  (Starts 12:06) Anthropologist Gregory Forth discusses his book, Between Ape and Human – On the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid, about an Indonesian Island that was home to Hobbit-sized, human-like creatures, and how it might STILL be home to these hobbit-like beings.   Hosts: Beth Bennett & Shelley Schlender Producer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Joel Parker Feature contributors:  Shelley Schlender, Beth Bennett

Today’s show features headline news about new methods for detecting skin cancer and using “frequency comb” lasers to sniff out even the faintest traces of methane leaks.  And then we have an encore presentation of How on Earth features about “Engineering Happiness” and a black holes. Hosts: Joel Parker, Susan Moran, Beth Bartel Producer: Joel Parker, Beth Bartel Additional contributions:  Shelley Schlender, Jim Pullen Listen to the show:

This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Dr Seven Hussey about his recent book, Understanding the Heart: Surprising Insights into the Evolutionary Origins of Heart Disease—and Why It Matters. Following his early (34 years old) heart attack, he delved into alternative therapies to heal his heart. In the book he lays out a comprehensive vision of the cardiovascular system and alternative therapies for heart disease. Executive Producer: Joel Parker Show Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special” (you can listen to Part 1). Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Loren Matilsky – University of Colorado, JILA & Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Topic: Dynamics of Rotation and Magnetism in the Sun’s Convection Zone and Tachocline Katie Gach – University of Colorado, ATLAS Institute Topic: How to Delete the Dead: Honoring Affective Connections to Post-mortem Data   Jet Mante – University of Colorado, Biomedical Engineering Topic: Promotion of Data Reuse in Synthetic Biology   Abhijit Suresh – University of Colorado, Computer Science Topic: Automating Feedback to Improve Teachers’ Effective Use of Instructional Discourse in K-12 Mathematics Classrooms Host / Producer : Joel Parker Listen to the show:

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 1 of our annual “Graduation Special” (you can listen to Part 2). Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Varsha Koushik – University of Colorado, Computer Science Topic: Designing Customizable Smart Interfaces to Support People with Cognitive Disabilities in Daily Activities   Sarah Aguasvivas – University of Colorado, Computer Science Topic: Material-integrated Prediction, Control, and Distributed Learning in Soft Robots Jessie Finocchiaro – University of Colorado, Computer Science Topic: Designing Consistent Convex Surrogate Losses for General Prediction Tasks Host / Producer : Joel Parker Listen to the show:

DeepMind – AlphaFold Gold Lab Symposium and DeepMind’s Alpha Fold  (starts 1:00) We continue our discussion with Boulder scientist and entrepreneur, Larry Gold, about the Gold Lab Symposium on the science of Health, taking place this Thursday and Friday.  You can sign up here. Off-Target Drug Effect (starts 5:48 – ends at 10:00)  A local Boulder man recounts his experience with an off-target effect in an FDA approved medication that has left his kidneys permanently damaged. Gold Lab Symposium Discussion Continues (Starts 10:00) HostProducer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Joel Parker Listen to the show:

We explore a wide range of science topics today. Brain Damage – Pink Floyd Brains in Space (starts 1:00) Joel Parker explains how space travel may affect human brains         Altar – photo cc Boundless in Motion Climate Grief (starts 5:17) The United Nations warns that the changing climate will lead to increasing climate grief around the world.  Kritee, a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, has become a Zen priest and national expert on Climate Grief.  She leads community grief circles throug, Boundless in Motion and other meditation gatherings , to help people deal with difficult feelings around climate change.  Melissa Bailey reports. Larry Gold GoldLab Symposium (starts 15:31) Founder Larry Gold shares a highlight coming up in this year’s symposium about science, human health and big data.  The symposium takes place May 19th and 20th.  You can check out topics at this year’s symposium here.   This is the link to register to attend. Hosts: Shelley Schlender & Joel Parker Producer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Joel Parker Feature contributors:  Joel Parker, Melissa Bailey Listen to the show:

This week on How on Earth, Beth speaks with Susan Allport, an award-winning writer who has written extensively on science. They talk about her book on omega 3 fats, The Queen of Fats, namely the touted omega-3 fatty acid. These essential fats can’t be synthesized by the human body and must be obtained from our diets. The conversation ranges widely, including details as to why they are so critical to health and some of the unique evolutionary history of our species that makes them so necessary. You can find out more about these amazing molecules at Allport’s site, and read about her experiment to replace dietary omega-3 with omega-6, an experiment millions of Americans are unwittingly engaging in. Executive Producer Susan Moran Show Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:

Photo credit: Dave Sutherland Climate-conscious, pollinator-friendly gardening (start time: 4:55; scroll down for audio file): This week’s episode of How On Earth features a discussion on how cities, neighborhoods, individual residents can plan their landscapes and gardens for a hotter and drier future here on the Front Range. Host Susan Moran interviews Dave Sutherland, a field naturalist formerly with Open Space Mountain Parks; and Fred Berkelhammer, an arborist and president of Berkelhammer Tree Experts, Inc. Additional relevant resources and how you can get involved: * Dave Sutherland’s upcoming and other guides hikes and pollinator-friendly gardening programs. * Boulder’s Pollinator Gardens and Pathways program. * Boulder’s Cool Boulder campaign. Host: Susan Moran Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Joel Parker Headline contributors: Benita Lee, Joel Parker Listen to the show here:

Image credit: NASA Comedy+Climate Change: (start time: 5:50)  In this week’s show we look ahead to Earth Day by discussing the latest science about climate change, as reported in the recently released assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And we explore the role that performing arts, especially comedy, can play in communicating, and processing emotions around, climate change. Our guests are Max Boykoff, a professor in, and the chair of, the Environmental Studies Department at the University of Colorado Boulder, and a contributing author of the recent IPCC report; Beth Osnes, a professor of Theatre and Environmental Studies at CU Boulder, and co-director of Inside the Greenhouse, a project at the university for creative climate communication; and Henrique Sannibale, an undergraduate student at CU Boulder studying environmental studies and business. Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Joel Parker Additional contributions: Benita Lee Listen to the show here: