Duke University researchers have recently developed a simple, low-cost technique for assessing the ability of different face masks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. We interview Drs. Eric Westman and Martin Fischer about how they compared 14 different masks for their efficacy in reducing respiratory droplets. Find out their results here!

Their article was published in the September 2, 2020 issue of 'Science Advances': https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/36/eabd3083

Thanks to Ruth Newman for facilitating this interview.

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

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Bench Talk | What are the Best and Worse Face Masks to Wear? | Dec 21 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Join us as we celebrate our 100th episode! Hear more from Dr. Steven Stack (Kentucky Department of Public Health) about COVID-19. He also has general advice for scientists. This is a continuation of his plenary talk to the 2020 conference of the Kentucky Academy of Science (listen to our Nov 23 episode for the start of this talk). Then Professor J Scott Miller fills us in on the night sky in December. Don't miss the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter this month! The show finishes with a stellar poem written by Dr. Leslie Moise. It's called 'Mythic Skies'.

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

The song 'Mambo Italiano' was recorded in 1954 by Kentucky's own Rosemary Clooney.

Bench Talk | Dr. Stack on Science & COVID-19; December Night Sky; 'Mythic Skies' poem; Nov 30 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Hear the first half of Dr. Steven Stack's keynote address to the 2020 annual conference of the Kentucky Academy of Science. Dr. Stack is the Commissioner of the KY Department of Public Health. The title of his address is 'COVID-19: Applied Science in Action'. The rest of his talk will be broadcast in a later episode.

Thanks to Dr. Stack and the Kentucky Academy of Science for letting us rebroadcast this talk. The weblink to this talk is https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1036854563393864&ref=watch_permalink

Thanks to Scott Holmes for his song 'Positive and Fun' (freemusicarchive.org).

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/l

Bench Talk | COVID-19: Applied Science in Action (Dr. Stephen Stack) | Nov 23 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

J Scott Miller describes what's to be seen in the night sky in November, 2020. In another story, Scott discusses the various ramifications of sea level rise due to climate change. Then, hear House of Representative Thomas Massey (KY) grill former Secretary of State John Kerry about climate change, in what has been called 'the dumbest line of questioning in Congressional history'. After that 'Lesley the Bird Nerd' provides evidence that watching birds is good for your mental health. The show ends with a poem by Leslie Moise about birds. It's called 'Interspecies Communication'.

Here is 'Lesley the Bird Nerd's' original video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9TD90EuwtE

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

BenchTalk | November Sky; Sea Level Rise; Massie vs Sci; Birds & Mental Health; A Poem | Nov 2 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Hear Al Franken, Laurie Garrett, and Andy Slavitt discuss the approaching rollout of a vaccine for the SARS CoV-2 coronavirus. How is the White House interfering with public health policy-making and science? Then hear updates on the FDA meeting slated for Oct. 22nd.

Part of this episode is from the Al Franken Podcast of Sept. 13 2020: https://alfranken.com/listen/laurie-garrett-pulitzer-prize-winner-for-her-writing-on-pandemics-and-andy-slavitt-obamas-head-of-medicare-and-medicaid-on-the-most-likely-premature-introduction-of-a-coronavirus-vaccine

Here is the link to the online FDA meeting (10 am, Thurs, Oct. 22): https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-october-22-2020-meeting-announcement

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

A coalition of science advocacy groups recently sent out a questionnaire about science policy to all of the candidates running for the US House and Senate, as well as Kentucky Assembly and Senate. The results from this survey have just been released! Hear from the KY Academy of Science, the National Science Policy Network, KY March for Science, KY Paleontological Society, and KY Advocates for Science Policy & Research about this survey. Here are the results: https://www.kyscience.org/kentucky_candidates_survey_202.php

Then, Jon Dixon discusses recent publications about science skeptics. How can we approach people who deny science?

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

Bench Talk | Science Policies of Kentucky Candidates; Dealing with Science Denialism | Oct 12 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

What three planets can we see this month? J Scott Miller tells us about the October night sky. Then, hear a summary of how the White House is interfering with COVID science. This was originally broadcast on Slates' 'Political Gabfest' (see link below). Finally, Leslie Moise discusses research on the emotions of isolation (and pandemics) and provides tips on how to deal with it. She finishes with two powerful poems.

Here is the link to the original broadcast of 'Political Gabfest': https://slate.com/podcasts/political-gabfest/2020/09/unseemly-rush-to-replace-justice-ginsburg

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

BenchTalk | October Sky; Science Interference by White House; Emotions of Isolation | Oct 5, 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Hear an update on the controversial article about teenage gender dyspohoria that was published in PLOS One in August, 2018. This episode also discusses the ins and outs of retractions of scientific articles.

Here is the link to the original research article: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202330. Parts of this episode were originally broadcast on Dec. 10, 2018.

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

Bench Talk: The Week in Science | Update on Gender Dysphoria Article of 2018 | Sept 14 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Find out where to look to see Jupiter, Saturn and Mars this month, as well as popular constellations and asterisms. J Scott Miller leads you on this trek across the sky. Then, Tim Knittel (owner of 'Distilled Living') provides us with a primer on Bourbon production, just in time for the Kentucky Derby. Finally, in recognition of the 75 years since the start of the 'atomic age' you can hear what Dr. Barry Commoner (the 'Paul Revere of Ecology') had to say about the role of independent scientists, and informed citizens, in protecting our environment.

If you want to watch Tim Knittel's lecture on Bourbon, here is his website: distilled-living.com/

Here is the link to the entire Barry Commoner interview: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/interview-with-barry-comm/

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

Bench Talk: The Week in Science | September Night Sky; Bourbon 101; Barry Commoner |August 31 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Are 'big tech' companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple guilty of unfair business practices or acting like monopolies? Are we going to see more advances in online tech in the future? Hear a debate between Sarah Miller (American Economic Liberties Project) and former Republican Representative Barbara Comstock who is now a lobbyist for computer technology companies.

This debate concerns the July 29, 2020 hearing in the US House of Representatives with the CEOs of these four 'big tech' companies. This debate originally aired on CSPAN on July, 30 2020: https://www.c-span.org/video/?474385-1/communicators-sarah-miller-barbara-comstock

Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/

Bench Talk: The Week in Science | Is 'Big Tech' Too Big? | August 17, 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.