Why do you enjoy food that sets your mouth on fire?

Guest: Paul W. Bosland, Professor of Horticulture and Director of Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University

Many pregnant moms have this internal debate: If I love spicy food, and I order that hot salsa or that Indian vindaloo curry, will it hurt my baby? Or at the very least, maybe irritate the baby? Or, on the other hand, will the baby be born with a love for onions and chilepeppers?

Chile peppers are a staple in many cuisines, but some people really can’t tolerate them at all. Why is that?

 

A Refugee Gives Back, and How You Can Help

Guest: Leonard Bagalwa, Founder and Executive Director, Utah Community and Refugee Partnership Center

Leonard Bagalwa has defied kidnappers, run for his life through the African jungle, and ultimately made an entirely new life for himself in America. But instead of resting comfortably and forgetting his past, he has taken on a mission to help other refugees naviate life in America. 

What can you do, in your community, to help the refugees you may not even know are there?

Find out more about the Utah Community and Refugee Partnership Center here.

 

Has Gene Therapy Cured the Bubble Boy Disease?

Guest: Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Back in the 70s, there was a made-for-tv movie starring John Travolta called “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” It was the story of a boy who lived in a small sanitized room behind a plastic sheet because his immune system couldn’t fight infection. It was heartbreaking, because the boy eventually died and heartbreaking because it was based on a true story. Since then many other “bubble boys” have been born . . . and they are usually boys. But now there may be new hope that the immune systems of these children can be fixed, maybe even cured. 

 

Scientists Discover the First Evidence of Dinosaur Dandruff

Guest: Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol

When you have a chance to visit a dinosaur museum, it’s easy to feel small next to a 20- to 30-foot long skeleton of, say, a stegosaurus. But it’s fun to imagine paleontologists assembling all those massive bones and plates to solve the puzzle of what dinosaurs looked like. Except, the puzzle isn’t really complete once the skeleton is put back together again. Because, there’s the skin to consider . . . and feathers. And, scientists now even look at dinosaur dandruff to figure out how these creatures moved. Because something as small as a flake of skin can actually be just as important to understanding these creatures as a skull, or a leg bone.

 

The Future of Meat(Originally aired April 9, 2109)

Guest: David Welch, Director of Science and Technology at the Good Food Institute

Science may have the answer to creating meat alternatives that can provide the same nutritional value and textures, aromas, and flavors of your favorite protein dish but require about 100 square feet inside a lab instead of 100 acres of land. This future is closer than you think.