Water has always been scarce in the West, but climate change and steady population growth require us to come up with more innovative ways to conserve water. In this week’s Brainwaves podcast, we talk to CU Boulder Senior Research Associate Douglas Kenney, who says the hard truth is, “we have to use less water.” We also look at innovative ways to recycle and reuse water; how the water that enters Vegas stays in Vegas; and what the science says about our water future.

LINKS

Douglas Kenney, director of the Western Water Policy Program, University of Colorado Law School’s Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment:

https://lawweb.colorado.edu/profiles/profile.jsp?id=87

CADSWES: The Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems:

https://www.colorado.edu/cadswes/research

See how Nevada saves water during a period of rapid growth:

https://www.snwa.com/

Watch a demonstration of the PureWater Colorado process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VGgUH_ieDo

Music credits:

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

Songe D’Automne by Latche Swing. Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Latch_Swing/demo_2008/Songe_DAutomne

Memories of Thailand by Risey. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/legalcode

Before humans venture farther into space, we have big questions to answer.

When and where will we go?

How will our bodies handle those harsh environments?

How will we interact with life we find there?

Experts weigh in on those questions in this episode of the Brainwaves podcast.

http://sethshostak.com/

https://www.seti.org/

https://www.colorado.edu/faculty/burns/

https://www.colorado.edu/aerospace/louis-stodieck

Music Credits:

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

Adobe Audition sound effects:

Module Production Element - Imaging Alien Movie Trailer

Module Production Element - Imaging Slow Pulse

Module Production Element - Imaging Ambient Spooky

As gender definitions shift, how are they shaping sports, politics and language? That and more on this episode of the Brainwaves podcast.

Music Credits:“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s; Memories of Thailand by Risey. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/legalcode

We normally focus on one topic every week but this week we had an opportunity to talk to some of the world’s top experts at the 71st annual Conference on World Affairs. Guests include SETI’s Seth Shostak, Washington Post political columnist Michael Gerson and Harvard geneticist Matthew Meselson.

Music Credits:

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

This week, we explore the science of improving your health span — living longer AND healthier — and the link between your gut microbiome and heart health, with two researchers from CU Boulder’s Integrative Physiology of Aging lab. And we look at new research on how to lower your blood pressure in 5 minutes a day with no exercise.

Douglas Seals, https://www.colorado.edu/iphy/people/professors/douglas-r-seals

CU Boulder’s Integrative Physiology of Aging lab: (https://www.colorado.edu/iphy/research/integrative-physiology-aging-laboratory).

Story: 5-minute workout may improve blood pressure https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/02/25/novel-workout-improves-health

Music credits:

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

“You Can Use” by Captive Portal: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Captive_Portal/Toy_Sounds_Vol_1/Captive_Portal_-_Toy_Sounds_Vol_1_-_01_You_Can_Use. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

What makes some attempts at humor funny and others fall flat? And why do men win and women suffer when they’re funny at work? This week we speak with CU Boulder marketing and psychology professor Peter McGraw (petermcgraw.org); comedian and “single, stay-away-from-home mom” Nancy Norton, winner of the 2018 Boston Comedy Fest (comedyworks.com/comedians/nancy-norton); and Jessi Rivin (colorado.edu/business/jessica-jessi-rivin), doctoral student in organizational behavior and information systems at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.

Music credits:

“By the Coast” by Antony Raijekov. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Antony_Raijekov/Jazz_U/12_-_Antony_Raijekov_-_By_the_Coast_2004. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

“I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside” by John H. Glover-Kind. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_H_Glover-Kind/. License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

Scientists are making progress against chronic pain. This week, we speak with Linda Watkins, Distinguished Professor in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research has led to a nonaddictive, injectable painkiller that has pain-riddled dogs running around like puppies again: https://www.colorado.edu/psych-neuro/linda-watkins.

And we talk with graduate student,Yoni Ashar, who asks whether we can think ourselves out of chronic pain: https://www.colorado.edu/coloradan/2018/09/01/unlearning-pain.

Music credits

“Zebra” by A.A. Aalto; license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

What are some of the limits of A-I?

And when do the ethics of A-I cross the line?

Our guests this week see artificial intelligence as a force for good—with some caveats. Abigail Posner (http://abigailposner.com), head of strategy for Google’s Brand Unit, and CU Boulder Associate Professor of Law Harry Surden (http://www.harrysurden.com/wordpress/) discuss the benefits and shortcomings of AI.

Music:

Mines of the Dogants (ID 193) by Lobo Loco. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Song d’Automne by Latché Swing. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

So, what does a good night’s sleep feel like?

Does “catching up” on sleep over the weekend really work?

And what are the dangers of night shift work on your body?

These are some of the topics we’ll be talking about on this week’s Brainwaves!

Music Credits:

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

Memories of Thailand by Risey. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/legalcode

What counts as cheating?

Could a prosthetic be a form of cheating?

And does the question of cheating even matter if everyone is cheating the same way.

Music Credits:

Memories of Thailand by Risey. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/legalcode

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie; license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-NEsfl50G7s

Song links:

Memories of Thailand by Risey: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Risey/Best_Bytes_Volume_1/02--Risey--Memories_Of_Thailand_Beat_Doctors_stuck_in_Britain_remix

Air Hockey Saloon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NEsfl50G7s