Illicit Vaping Products Are Making People Sick – Here’s Where They Come From (0:32)

Guest: David Downs, California Bureau Chief, Leafly

The Trump Administration this week formalized a ban on the sale of sweet and fruit-flavored e-cigarette pods that are especially popular with teenagers. A rapid rise in youth vaping is behind the decision. But it’s also fueled by the nationwide outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries that killed 55 people and sent more than 2,500 people to the hospital in 2019. CDC officials now say those injuries are related to vape products that contain THC – the psychoactive component of marijuana. 

A team of investigative journalists at the cannabis publication Leafly was among the first to identify THC vape cartridges contaminated with Vitamin E oil as the cause of the illness. (Originally aired: 10/2/19)

Pacific Northwest Just One of a Dozen “Hotspots” Where Measles Outbreak Likely (22:12)

Guest: Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Author of “Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism”

2019 started with measles outbreaks in the Pacific Northwest and ended with hundreds of cases in New York. Last year was the worst for measles in America in 20 years. 

Thousands of students in Seattle, Washington are right now under a deadline to get vaccinated or be prohibited from attending school in the new year. Why are some communities more susceptible than others? (Originally aired 1/29/19)

Why are we so Afraid of Donating Blood? (36:32)

Guest: Christopher France, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Ohio University

It’s fear that keeps many of us from donating blood. It turns out that feeling faint is the most common negative side effect of donating blood. But it’s also very very rare. People hardly ever experience any negative side-effects from donating blood, yet the fear keeps lots of people from even trying. (Originally aired 1/22/19)

What Makes a Song “Country” – or Not? (50:37)

Guest: Charles Hughes, Director of the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center at Rhodes College, Author of “Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South”

“Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X was THE song of 2019 – it spent a record-breaking 19 weeks at Number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles. It’s one of the top 10 Hot Singles of the entire decade. 

But not one of the top Country songs of the year or decade, because Billboard decided Old Town Road wasn’t country music, even though the song’s most popular remix features Billy Ray Cyrus. Did the decision have anything to do with the fact that Lil Nas X is African American? (Originally aired: 8/22/19)

Composing Music for Video Games (1:06:28)

Guest: Winifred Phillips, Video Game Music Composer, Author of “A Composer’s Guide to Game Music”

Composers of movie scores win Oscars for their brilliance. But if you want to know the truth, it’s a lot harder to compose the score to a video game, because it’s like a choose-your-own-soundtrack that responds to what the player does, while still setting the mood and sounding great.

Winifred Phillips is one of the best composers in the business. In addition to Assassin’s Creed, she’s composed for Little Big Planet, The Sims, Speed Race, God of War and lots more. (Originally aired: 7/2/19)

How Air Guitar Became a Worldwide Phenomenon (1:22:17)

Guest: Byrd McDaniel, Professor of Ethnomusicology, Northeastern University

There is a whole group of people out there proud to be seen strumming an imaginary guitar on stage. They compete all around the world and meet up in Finland every year for the Air Guitar World Championships. (Originally aired: 7/29/19)