The Helium Crisis

Guest: Phil Kornbluth, President of Kornbluth Helium Consulting, LLC

Your contact with helium quite possibly has been limited to birthday balloons, so you may not realize that helium is a rare and valuable element. It's also under increasing pressure for important uses in science and health. Our guest today is a helium broker. We find out what helium is used for, where it comes from, and how it gets distributed.

Why You Need Another Language

Guest: Marek Kohn, author, "Four Words for Friend"

English is seen as the world language today, and native English speakers often don't feel motivated to learn or retain a second language. Kohn, who learned Polish from his parents as a child in England but largely lost his ancestral language, argues that fighting to get or retain pieces of a foreign language helps sharpen our thinking and enrich our lives.

Fun with Spiders

Guests: Christopher Buddle and Eleanor Spicer Rice, co-authors, "Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Spiders"

Do spiders make your skin crawl? According to the Sioux City Journal 2018 survey of phobias, nearly one third of Americans struggle with arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders. But despite all that we have to fear about spiders—those long legs and staring eyes and how they sneak up on you when you’re on the toilet—spiders really are wonderful little critters.  

Finding the Sacred in Everyday Life (Originally aired 4/10/2019)

Guest: Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal, Chaplain and Fellow, Pembroke College, and Lecturer in Theology and Religion within Oxford University

We're used to seeing the Holy Family featured prominently in sacred art. So when Pieter Bruegal the Elder crammed his paintings with ordinary people and took the spotlight off traditional subjects, what was he telling us about the relationship of ordinary people with the divine?

The Helium Crisis

Guest: Phil Kornbluth, President of Kornbluth Helium Consulting, LLC

Your contact with helium quite possibly has been limited to birthday balloons, so you may not realize that helium is a rare and valuable element. It's also under increasing pressure for important uses in science and health. Our guest today is a helium broker. We find out what helium is used for, where it comes from, and how it gets distributed.

 

Why You Need Another Language

Guest: Marek Kohn, author, "Four Words for Friend"

English is seen as the world language today, and native English speakers often don't feel motivated to learn or retain a second language. Kohn, who learned Polish from his parents as a child in England but largely lost his ancestral language, argues that fighting to get or retain pieces of a foreign language helps sharpen our thinking and enrich our lives.

 

Fun with Spiders

Guests: Christopher Buddle and Eleanor Spicer Rice, co-authors, "Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Spiders"

Do spiders make your skin crawl? According to the Sioux City Journal 2018 survey of phobias, nearly one third of Americans struggle with arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders. But despite all that we have to fear about spiders—those long legs and staring eyes and how they sneak up on you when you’re on the toilet—spiders really are wonderful little critters.  

 

Finding the Sacred in Everyday Life (Originally aired 4/10/2019)

Guest: Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal, Chaplain and Fellow, Pembroke College, and Lecturer in Theology and Religion within Oxford University

We're used to seeing the Holy Family featured prominently in sacred art. So when Pieter Bruegal the Elder crammed his paintings with ordinary people and took the spotlight off traditional subjects, what was he telling us about the relationship of ordinary people with the divine?

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.

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.

Curse of Oak Island: the World's Longest Treasure Hunt (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Randall Sullivan, author, "The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World’s Longest Treasure Hunt"

The legendary buried treasure on Oak Island, Nova Scotia has confounded searchers for more than 200 years, killed six people, and contains booby traps that no engineers have been able to figure out or dismantle, even with millions of dollars of today’s cutting edge technology.  What is the true story behind this cursed, real life treasure hunt – which is also the subject of a hit TV show on the History Channel?  

 

Why the World Needs Dung Beetles (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Marcus Byrne, Professor of Entomology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and author of “Dance of the Dungbeetles”

Small phenomena on this planet quite possibly make the world go round, as they say. The fundamental small stuff on which everything else depends. And in the case of dungbeetles, many of them make the world go round by rolling little balls of dung around, as we’ll learn. We’ll learn of their importance in the world’s various ecologies, about how they do their business, and why you should care in the first place.

 

Kumari: Time to Say Good-bye to a Goddess? (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Isabella Tree, author, "The Living Goddess: A Journey Into the Heart of Kathmandu"

In recent years in Nepal, the practice of designating a young girl as a Kumari, a goddess, has come under scrutiny as an archaic practice. The problem, is that getting rid of of the practice would mean, essentially, the demise of a goddess. Take away the practice, and you destroy what some have deemed to be a fundamental pillar of the society. Who are these girls called Kumari? What is the tradition? Just how old is the practice and how essential is it, or is it not, to the cultural identity and political stability of a country?

 

How to Write about the Life and Legacy of Someone You've Never Met (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Adam Bernstein, obituary editor for "The Washington Post"

Gary Vaynerchuk once wrote “please think about your legacy because you are writing it every day.” In the smash Broadway musical "Hamilton," Alexander Hamilton says that a legacy is “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” But how do you go about literally writing a legacy?

Curse of Oak Island: the World's Longest Treasure Hunt (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Randall Sullivan, author, "The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World’s Longest Treasure Hunt"

The legendary buried treasure on Oak Island, Nova Scotia has confounded searchers for more than 200 years, killed six people, and contains booby traps that no engineers have been able to figure out or dismantle, even with millions of dollars of today’s cutting edge technology.  What is the true story behind this cursed, real life treasure hunt – which is also the subject of a hit TV show on the History Channel?  

Why the World Needs Dung Beetles (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Marcus Byrne, Professor of Entomology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and author of “Dance of the Dungbeetles”

Small phenomena on this planet quite possibly make the world go round, as they say. The fundamental small stuff on which everything else depends. And in the case of dungbeetles, many of them make the world go round by rolling little balls of dung around, as we’ll learn. We’ll learn of their importance in the world’s various ecologies, about how they do their business, and why you should care in the first place.

Kumari: Time to Say Good-bye to a Goddess? (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Isabella Tree, author, "The Living Goddess: A Journey Into the Heart of Kathmandu"

In recent years in Nepal, the practice of designating a young girl as a Kumari, a goddess, has come under scrutiny as an archaic practice. The problem, is that getting rid of of the practice would mean, essentially, the demise of a goddess. Take away the practice, and you destroy what some have deemed to be a fundamental pillar of the society. Who are these girls called Kumari? What is the tradition? Just how old is the practice and how essential is it, or is it not, to the cultural identity and political stability of a country?

How to Write about the Life and Legacy of Someone You've Never Met (Originally Aired 4/17)

Guest: Adam Bernstein, obituary editor for "The Washington Post"

Gary Vaynerchuk once wrote “please think about your legacy because you are writing it every day.” In the smash Broadway musical "Hamilton," Alexander Hamilton says that a legacy is “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” But how do you go about literally writing a legacy?

The Museum Heist That Netted . . . Bird Feathers

Guest:  Kirk Wallace Johnson, author,  “The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century” 

A thrilling tale of a major museum heist of rare bird feathers. Featuring a Hollywood-style break-in and an unlikely cast of otherwise genteel characters. 

To catch the author on his book tour, click here. 

 

Eight-five Years Later, the Reichstag is Still Burning

Guest: Benjamin Hett, Professor of History, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, author, "Burning the Reichstag"

The Reichstag fire in 1933 resulted in both an ending and a beginning for the country of Germany. Ending was the democratic Weimar republic, but just beginning was Nazi rule. How did arson aid the Nazis in starting their dictatorship over Germany, and why does the Reichstag fire matter today?

 

Your Life Depends on Horseshoe-Crab Blood

Guest: Jay Bolden, Senior Consultant Biologist, Eli Lilly and Company

Horseshoe crabs have been around since the dinosaurs.  They lived through the mass extinction that killed almost everything else, not to mention the subsequent 65 million years.  And yet, possibly the strangest experience they’ve been subjected to is that of being pulled out of the ocean by soft, fleshy hands, lined up in buildings miles from shore, and drained of their blood.  

 

Nurturing Nature in Urban LA

Guest: Irma Muñoz, President, Mujeres de la Tierra

Los Angeles is famous for tough streets, bad air, frozen freeways and fake body parts, so the idea of connecting with nature in the heart of LA's urban neighborhoods may sound counterintuitive. We celebrate Earth Day today by talking with a woman whose job is to help women and children do just that.

The Museum Heist That Netted . . . Bird Feathers

Guest:  Kirk Wallace Johnson, author,  “The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century” 

A thrilling tale of a major museum heist of rare bird feathers. Featuring a Hollywood-style break-in and an unlikely cast of otherwise genteel characters. 

To catch the author on his book tour, click here. 

Eight-five Years Later, the Reichstag is Still Burning

Guest: Benjamin Hett, Professor of History, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, author, "Burning the Reichstag"

The Reichstag fire in 1933 resulted in both an ending and a beginning for the country of Germany. Ending was the democratic Weimar republic, but just beginning was Nazi rule. How did arson aid the Nazis in starting their dictatorship over Germany, and why does the Reichstag fire matter today?

Your Life Depends on Horseshoe-Crab Blood

Guest: Jay Bolden, Senior Consultant Biologist, Eli Lilly and Company

Horseshoe crabs have been around since the dinosaurs.  They lived through the mass extinction that killed almost everything else, not to mention the subsequent 65 million years.  And yet, possibly the strangest experience they’ve been subjected to is that of being pulled out of the ocean by soft, fleshy hands, lined up in buildings miles from shore, and drained of their blood.  

Nurturing Nature in Urban LA

Guest: Irma Muñoz, President, Mujeres de la Tierra

Los Angeles is famous for tough streets, bad air, frozen freeways and fake body parts, so the idea of connecting with nature in the heart of LA's urban neighborhoods may sound counterintuitive. We celebrate Earth Day today by talking with a woman whose job is to help women and children do just that.

How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls: Animal Movement and the Robots of the Future

Guest: David Hu, PhD, associate professor of mechanical engineering and biology, Georgia Institute of Technology and author of “How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls: Animal Movement and the Robots of the Future”

Have you ever wondered how a snake slithers? Or how do certain insects walk on water? What about the ability that certain species have to navigate on both water and land? What is it about these animals that allows them to move, and why should we care? What can animal motion tell us about the future of robotics?

 

Making Music with Icestruments

Guest: Tim Linhart, Founder of Ice Music in Luleå, Sweden 

What does it take to make a cello or guitar? Probably some suitable wood. String of some kind would be good. And a fair amount of know-how. But what if you were to make them out of water instead of wood? Water would trickle away … so maybe snow and ice instead? Tim Linhart makes icestruments, and they make an amazing sound.

 

When Medical Marvels and Movie Magic Collide

Guest: Gregory Loan, Simulation Engineer for the Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program

Gregory Loan helped build lifelike models for films like Jurassic Park. He now works at Harvard making props so realistic that doctors can perfectly practice surgeries before getting to a live patient.

 

Building a Garden of Eden

Denise Devynck, Founder, Utah Valley Permaculture Classroom Gardens & Greenhouse

We’re going to teach you how to design a garden that recirculates water, maintains and fertilizes itself, attracts native pollinators and produces a bountiful harvest. Your very own Garden of Eden.

How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls: Animal Movement and the Robots of the Future

Guest: David Hu, PhD, associate professor of mechanical engineering and biology, Georgia Institute of Technology and author of “How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls: Animal Movement and the Robots of the Future”

Have you ever wondered how a snake slithers? Or how do certain insects walk on water? What about the ability that certain species have to navigate on both water and land? What is it about these animals that allows them to move, and why should we care? What can animal motion tell us about the future of robotics?

Making Music with Icestruments

Guest: Tim Linhart, Founder of Ice Music in Luleå, Sweden 

What does it take to make a cello or guitar? Probably some suitable wood. String of some kind would be good. And a fair amount of know-how. But what if you were to make them out of water instead of wood? Water would trickle away … so maybe snow and ice instead? Tim Linhart makes icestruments, and they make an amazing sound.

When Medical Marvels and Movie Magic Collide

Guest: Gregory Loan, Simulation Engineer for the Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program

Gregory Loan helped build lifelike models for films like Jurassic Park. He now works at Harvard making props so realistic that doctors can perfectly practice surgeries before getting to a live patient.

Building a Garden of Eden

Denise Devynck, Founder, Utah Valley Permaculture Classroom Gardens & Greenhouse

We’re going to teach you how to design a garden that recirculates water, maintains and fertilizes itself, attracts native pollinators and produces a bountiful harvest. Your very own Garden of Eden.