KGNU - How On Earth

Preserving prairie dog+raptor ecosystem (start time: 5:03)  Spring has just begun, even if winter hardly visited Colorado. On the plains, prairie dog colonies seem to be in full swing.  However, populations of these keystone species have plummeted, as the grasslands they and raptor predators rely on are being fragmented by urban development, as well as … Continue reading "Conserving Imperiled Prai...

The Power of Precarity of Pollinators (start time: 8:01) This extremely warm winter in Colorado has delivered early spring blooms, and thus early appearances of some pollinators. In this week’s show we explore the world of pollinators, such as such as butterflies, bees, moths, hummingbirds and certain flies. Pollinators are responsible for roughly one third … Continue reading "Pollinator Power & P...

How big is the universe – not just in the scale of  distance but also the scale of time?  What do those…astronomical…scales mean about us humans on Earth and how can we understand and measure such vast expanses? In this episode, our guest, astronomer and author Dr. Jeff Bennett, helps us wrap our minds around … Continue reading "The Scale of the Universe"

On this week’s How on Earth, we hear from a climate scientist about the implications of our changing weather patterns for winter recreation. It’s a warm, dry winter, throughout the Rocky Mountain West and elsewhere in the country, the weather has been a mixed bag. Dr. Elizabeth Burakowski, a Research Faculty member in the Institute … Continue reading "Winter Recreation in a Warmer World"

We hear an interview aired by our sister community radio station’s, Science MOAB. Ecologist Brooke Osborne talks about how dryland ecosystems – such as the grasslands east of Boulder – influence the whole planet. Dryands cover 40% of the earth; they support a third of the planet’s humans, and while their roots store lots of … Continue reading "What do Grasslands Have to do with Climate Change?"

Truths & Tips About Women’s Heart Health (start time: 7:33)  February is American Hearth Month, a nationwide observation  spotlighting cardiovascular disease, and a call for all of us to take care of our hearts.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, for both men and women, and for most racial and … Continue reading "Women’s Health Pt. II: Heart Health"

New Rules of Women’s Health (start time: 6:26) If you’re female, you may have come of age reading the landmark feminist health book Our Bodies, Ourselves. Originally published in the 1970s, it yielded several revised editions up to 2011. Well, get ready for an even more comprehensive tome. It’s called The New Rules of Women’s … Continue reading "Women’s Health Pt. I: Menopause, etc."

On today’s science show we hear from vaccine researchers Rochelle Walensky and Angela Ulrich, and physician/scientist Peyton Thompson, about the safety and efficacy of the hepatitis B vaccine. This is one of 6 that have been removed from the list of recommended childhood vaccines by the CDC. You’ll hear about the history of the vaccine … Continue reading "Hepatitis B Vaccination: Just the Facts"

Water your trees!  This warm, dry winter means urban trees need extra water to stay healthy.  City of Boulder foresters Patrick LaPhilliph and Andrew Holt, and City of Longmont forester Brett Stadsvold share how and why the cities waters trees once a month during dry winter months, how citizens can properly water winter trees, and resources … Continue reading "Water Your Winter Trees"

We speak with experts about how artificial intelligence combined with Police Body Camera footage improved professionalism in the Aurora Colorado Police Department.  Guests include Anthony Tassone, CEO of Truleo and Ian Adams, Criminologist at the University of South Carolina and co-author of a new study about this tech in the journal Criminology We also discuss … Continue reading "Improving Law En...

Protecting Wolves, ferrets, prairie dogs, vultures, etc. (start time: 3:39) How effective are Colorado’s efforts to preserve vulnerable species – wolves, black-footed ferrets, bears, prairie dogs and others? And what ingredients make it possible, including throughout the U.S. and the world, for wild animals and humans to get along when their homes overlap? Today How … Continue reading "Colorado’s...

Wolves, bears, prairie dogs and more (start time: 7:12) A couple of months ago, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency released a plan to support biodiversity and guide how the state conserves some of the state’s most vulnerable species and habitats. Everything from iconic bears, wolves and prairie dogs, to tiny humble invertebrates and even … Continue reading "Colorado’s Wildlife Action plan: Pt....

In this week’s show Beth speaks with science writer, educator, and scientist Dr. Lisa Gardiner about her recent book Reefs of Time: What Fossils Reveal about Coral Survival. Lisa studied the fossil remains of ancient coral reefs, which also suffered from environmental challenges. In our conversation, you’ll hear about how the past shapes the present, … Continue reading "Coral: Past, Present, Futur...

The Force of Wind (start time: 7:10)  For those living here on Colorado’s Front Range, you’ve likely had close encounters with wind — whether you’ve witnessed in fear branches snapping off trees in a windstorm, or simply looked up to marvel at the UFO-like lenticular cloud formations created by fast westerly winds. Love it or … Continue reading "Wind: It’s Past & Future"

On today’s show, Beth speaks with award-winning science writer Jennifer Frazer about her upcoming book: The Slime Mold’s Guide to World Domination: A Natural Mystery. The book is a funny natural history of slime molds that’s also a mystery that asks: how can a giant crawling cell possibly be intelligent?” Jennifer has degrees in biology … Continue reading "World Domination…by Slime Molds?"

Critical Earth Minerals  Hiding in Plain Site – Colorado School of Mines professor Elizabeth Holley shares  how the US could break its dependency on critical earth mineral imports, and lead the world in environmentally safe ways to do it. Show Producer/Host/Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

Great Steam . . . from a Heat Pump (starts 1:00)  Time Magazine named CSU Engineer Todd Bandhauer one of 2025’s top climate innovators.   His heat pump makes steam better than fossil fuel steam boilers.  Interview thanks to Rocky Mountain Community Radio and Aspen Public Radio. CU-Boulder at COP30 Climate Conference  (Starts 7:05) CU Boulder’s … Continue reading "Better Steam//CU-Boulder at World...

Dustbowl Days Today (starts 5:00)  Colorado State University grasslands scientist Melinda Smith explains the study she conducted with the grassroots help of nearly 200 scientists around the world. Their research indicates grasslands are vulnerable to Megadroughts, which climate change is making more common.  Just 4 years of drought in a row may trigger Dust Bowls … Continue reading "Megadroughts C...

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 C...

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 Con...

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...