What We Learned About Amy Coney Barrett at the Confirmation Hearings (0:30)

Guest: Rebecca Gill, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination on Thursday. The vote is expected to go in her favor there, and in the Senate. Senator Lindsey Graham predicted that in his opening speech, before we ever even heard from Judge Barrett. So if the hearings aren’t for senators to figure out how they want to vote, then what are they for?

 

Video Games That Teach Healthy Masculinity (23:00)

Guest: Amy Green, Associate English Professor-In-Residence, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Author of "A Cure for Toxic Masculinity: Male Bonding and Friendship in Final Fantasy XV"

There’s a lot of questions about what impact video games have on people. But there’s a positive new trend: some video games are starting to portray deep and vulnerable male friendships. In the video game Final Fantasy XV there is a lot of emotional connection between characters. You wouldn’t expect that kind of emotional friendship from a video game, right? 

 

The InvestEGGator: Using Decoy Turtle Eggs to Track Trafficking (37:58)

Guest: Sarah Otterstrom, Executive Director, Paso Pacifico

Almost all species of sea turtle are endangered, some of them critically. Poachers play a key role in that–they steal sea turtle eggs from the beach nests and sell them on the black market. So a group of scientists came up with a creative solution to track the movement of stolen eggs: GPS eggs. They look just like the real thing, except they have a tracking device inside.

 

Flying Race Cars Are Coming in 2021 (52:50)

Guest: Matt Pearson, CEO and Founder, Airspeeder

We’re finally going to get some flying cars next year. No, they won’t be for people like you and me to drive to work–they’re for racing, and they’ll only have room for one person.

 

The Software Tracking Every River In The World (1:10:34)

Guest: Jim Nelson, professor of hydrology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at Brigham Young University

Landslides and floods in Nepal killed 130 people back in July, but it could have been much worse. A computer program predicted the flood and gave Nepali officials advanced notice. This new technology can model the rise and fall of every river in the world.

 

Housing Struggles for College Students with Kids (1:27:18)

Guest: Autumn Green, Research Scientist, Wellesley Centers for Women

One in five college students are also parents. That’s according to estimates out of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Balancing school, work, and kids would be hard enough, but many also have to worry about basics like having a place to live and food to eat.