KGNU - How On Earth

The Power of Poop (start time: 5:41)  This potent byproduct of our digestive system holds the promise of being a big part of the solution to several public health and environmental challenges of our time, such as drinking water scarcity and degraded cropland. In this week’s show, How On Earth’s Susan Moran interviews Dr. Bryn … Continue reading "From Sewage to Planet Savior?"

Bird Feather Fossils  (starts 1:00)  give new evidence about what we know, and don’t know, about how flying feathers evolved. Boulder Naturalist Steve Jones  talks about the movement to stop naming birds after people. (starts 2:30) Host/Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Susan Moran Headline contributors: Beth Bennett

In this Halloween episode, we talk with Dr. Adam Frank, an astrophysicst/astrobiologist at the University of Rochester, about his recent book: The Little Book of Aliens. We hear some of the stories and learn about the science of life “out there” – astrobiology – and the past, present, and future search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Host/Producer/Engineer: Joel … Continue reading "The Little B...

Over the Seawall (start time: 7:33): One of the key things that makes us human is our ability to problem-solve.  But often our engineered fixes backfire and even make the problem we’re trying to solve much worse. How On Earth host Susan Moran interviews journalist Stephen Robert Miller about how this applies to massive seawalls, … Continue reading "Climate Change Maladaptations"

In this episode of How on Earth we hear the full interview Beth did with physician and author Gavin Frances. CU Kite Fall Flying Expo (starts 1:00) CU Boulder collaborates with NASA and the kite/toy store Into the Wind to share a Kite Flying Expo about how kites can be used for atmospheric science study. … Continue reading "Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence"

As part of the KGNU Fund Drive, this episode of How on Earth features excerpts of Beth Bennett’s interview of Dr. Gavin Francis about his book Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence. We explore the difference between sickness and health, and the gap between them: Recovery. Based on decades of treating disease and injury, Dr … Continue reading "Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence (excerpts) /...

Fall bird migration is reaching its peak, with billions of birds traveling thousands of miles, mostly at night.  We talk with Kyle Horton, director of Colorado State University’s AEROECO Lab, and a key member of BirdCast, which is a collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Kyle Horton shares the history of “weather radar” use … Continue reading "BirdCast Bird Migration Forecasting"

Plastics: From Pollution to Solutions (start time: 0:58)  We all want to think that the yogurt tubs, takeout containers and other plastic products that we toss into our kitchen recycling bin will actually get recycled. Chances are, they won’t.  Plastic product makers have for many years been deceptively applying the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol on … Continue reading "Tackling Plastic Pollutio...

AI for Police Worn Body Cameras (Starts 3:45) Body Cam AI uses artificial intelligence analysis for body cam transcripts.  Can this new tech reduce excessive use of force and help restore public trust in policing?  To learn more, we talk with Anthony Tassone, CEO of Truleo.  Truleo is an AI system for analyzing body cam … Continue reading "Artificial Intelligence for Police Body Cameras"

Wildlife Crossings (start time: 0:58) In this week’s show, host Susan Moran interviews journalist Ben Goldfarb about his new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. It’s hard imagine modern human society without roads, be they  interstate highways or county dirt roads. Love them or hate them, roads make our … Continue reading "Road Ecology // Wildlife Crossings"

Master Hummingbird bander Steve Bouricius does workshops about hummingbirds.   Today, Boulder Naturalists Scott Severs and Ruth Carol Cushman join Steve Bouricius to see the thousands of hummingbirds that visit his mountain cabin, and to talk about their lives and migration. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producer:  Shelley Schlender Engineer:  Shannon Young Listen to the … Continue reading...

This week on How on Earth, Beth speaks with Robert Crifasi about his new book, Western Water A to Z: The History, Nature, and Culture of a Vanishing Resource. This book is the first ever field guide to Western water. Organized as a collection of terms, the book addresses the most salient water issues and … Continue reading "Western Water"

West Nile Virus and other Mosquito Borne Diseases  (Starts 4:45)  Colorado’s case count from West Nile Virus is starting to rise, with state health officials predicting a histoically high season ahead for West Nile Virus.  How on Earth’s Panisara Jaijongkit explains the origins of mosquito borne diseases, how, even in Colorado, people have stories of … Continue reading "West Nile Virus // Mosquito...

In this week’s How on Earth, we focus on how cities can foster biodiversity in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. First, we speak with author and journalist Tony Hiss (4:29), who says that while the Earth is rapidly losing species, we can still do something about it. In his latest book, … Continue reading "Welcoming Biodiversity Back To Cities"

Multivitamins help prevent memory loss (start time: 8:02) In this week’s  show, How On Earth host/producer Susan Moran interviews Dr. Adam Brickman, a neuropsychologist at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, about a large new study that shows how taking multivitamins can prevent memory loss in older adults. Memory decline is an inevitable, … Continue reading "Memory-b...

This week on How on Earth, Beth talks with Christine Yu – an award-winning journalist who has turned her reporting on women athletes and the relationship between science and athletic performance into a comprehensive book on the subject. In UP TO SPEED:The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes, she covers topics ranging from a historical overview … Continue reading "The Science of Sex in Sports...

Of Bears & Humans (start time: 1:34) If you live on the Front Range or in the mountains, you’ve probably seen a black bear while hiking or in your neighborhood.  Black bears are thriving, but most of the other eight remaining bear species are struggling to survive. How On Earth host Susan Moran interviews journalist … Continue reading "Bears: Beloved & Imperiled"

Room Temperature Superconductors (starts 1:00)  Backyard tinkerer, Joe Eck, maintains a popular website that explains the limitations of “Low Temperature” supeconductors that must be cooled by liquid helium to almost absolute zero.  He describes the benefits that would come from “Room Temperature” superconductors, which he searches for with equipment that includes a table top kiln.  … Continue rea...

On today’s show Beth speaks with biomechanics Katy Bowman about her new book, Rethink Your POsition. Are you a fitness fanatic? Or a couch potato? Whichever, there’s something for you here. Katy’s biomechanics background, allows her to assess the movements of everyday life and describe how to perform them correctly, based on human anatomy. Moving … Continue reading "Biomechanics for Dummies"

Race Science’s Legacy (start time: 0.57): We like to think of science as neutral, beyond politics. But of course it isn’t. After all, science is a product of the political landscape in which it arises. Despite the fact that decades ago the United Nations declared that race has no biological basis, science has continued to … Continue reading "Race Science: Then & Now"

NCAR and NOAA open for visitors (Starts 1:00)  COVID pandemic rules were lifted earlier this year, so Boulder’s  National Center for Atmospheric Research and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are once again open for public tours. LASP Artist in Residence Applications due July 21 (starts 2:12) CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics is accepting … Continue reading "B...

In this week’s How on Earth, Beth speaks with author John Vaillant about his new book, Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World. He explores the phenomena of fire, the wildland urban interface, and climate change in the context of a precedent-shattering combustion in a modern city. This colossal wildfire in Alberta in 2016 … Continue reading "Fire in a Hotter World"

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Ph. D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school … Continue reading "2023 Graduation Special (part 2)"

This week on How on Earth, Beth replays in interview with Professor Mike Breed, who has been studying social insects, including ants and bees, at the University of Colorado here in Boulder, for decades. She spoke with him last year about the fascinating biology of these important pollinators, in an interview that is still timely, … Continue reading "Honeybee Trials and Tribulations"

CU-Boulder’s 14th annual Gold Lab Symposium on the Science of Health takes place this Thursday and Friday at CU-Boulder’s Muenzinger Auditorium and on line.   You can sign up for the symposium  here.   In today’s show, Larry Gold, founder, scientist and entrepreneur, talks about some key scientific discoveries being discussed at this year’s symposium, along … Continue reading "Gold Lab Symposium o...