How Global Laws Try to Contain Coronavirus (0:30)

Guest: Eric Jensen, JD, Professor of International Law, Brigham Young University

COVID-19. That’s the official name the World Health Organization announced for the disease caused by the new coronavirus that has spread to 24 countries and killed more than a thousand people. The vast majority of infections and deaths have been in China, where the outbreak remains a serious emergency. Other countries have shutdown travel from China and quaranted travelers from the country. Let’s take a look at the laws in place to manage a global health emergency like this.

The Carrot Is Mightier Than the Stick (19:15)

Guest: Paul Caldarella, Professor of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, Brigham Young University.

There’s a guideline for teachers that their praise for students should outnumber reprimands at least 3-to-1. It’s a nice idea, but really hard to pull off when you’re wrangling 30 third-graders in a classroom all day. The other thing is that there’s really not been much research to back up the 3:1 ratio.

Why Is a Chilean Dog the Face of NYC Subway Protests? (34:51)

Guest: Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond, Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature, University of California San Diego

If you ride the subway in New York City, you may find a stray sticker of a black dog with a red bandana left over from protests in November. The dog’s name is Negro Matapacos, and he was face of the movement protesting excessive police force in subway stations. But he’s not from around here – the black dog is Chilean. So how did drawings of him end up plastered in the New York City subway?

Dopamine Fasting, Explained (50:39)

Guest: Cameron Sepah, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California San Francisco Medical School

Intermittent fasting is the dieting trend du jour. And now there’s dopamine fasting, where people abstain from things that bring pleasure – including food, social interaction and the internet. The idea is to recalibrate reward pathways in the brain that have grown out of whack from constant stimulation. But the Silicon Valley psychologist who helped popularize dopamine fasting says it’s gone too far.

Creating a Sustainable Food Future for the World’s Growing Population (1:09:36)

Guest: Richard Waite Is an Associate With the World Resources Institute and Author of the World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future.

In another 20 or so years, the planet will have an estimated two billion more mouths to feed. And so, we’ll just grow more crops, right? But the catch is that farming more land means clearing that land of forest or grassland to make room for crops. Globally, we’ve already cleared an area roughly the size of South America to grow food. For raising livestock, we’ve taken over an area roughly the size of Africa. And we’re running out of water to keep up with all that agricultural demand. So how do we feed a growing population without ruining the planet? Primarily by changing what we eat and getting more out of the fields we're already farming.

What Are the Health Risks of 5G? (1:26:22)

Guest: Christopher Collins, PhD, Professor of Radiology at New York University. 

A federal judge this week ruled that Sprint and T-Mobile can go ahead with their merger. It won’t hurt customers in terms of prices or products, the judge says. But there are people out there – a lot of people around the world – who are more worried about the physical harm cell phones may do to use when they’re connected to super-fast wireless 5G networks. (Getting up to that speed is a big reason Sprint and T-Mobile want to merge.) 5G uses higher-frequency electromagnetic waves. What will all that radiation mean for our brains and bodies?