The Solar Eclipse that Rocketed Albert Einstein to Fame

Guest: Matt Stanley, Professor, History of Science, New York University; author, "Einstein’s War: How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I"; and host, “What the If?” science podcast

Did it ever occur to you that there was a time when Albert Einstein was not famous? One hundred years ago, in 1919, Einstein exploded onto the scene with the help of a total solar eclipse and two British astronomers.

Special Collections: The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum

Guests: BYUradio host Jeff Simpson; Andrea Ludden, founder, The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum 

This unusual museum is home to more than 20,000 salt and pepper shakers, and just as many stories. 

Cockroaches Can Develop Resistance to Pesticides in a Single Generation

Guest: Michael E. Scharf, Professor & O.W. Rollins/Orkin Chair, Entomology, Purdue University

There’s a joke that cockroaches are so hard to kill that they’ll survive the apocalypse and be the last critters left on Earth. A few years back, the show Mythbusters even tested whether they can withstand radiation. Spoiler alert: actually, no, they can’t. But city dwellers will tell you, the pests really are die-hards. If you feel like you're fighting the plague, it might be time to upgrade your arsenal. 

What if you remembered every moment of your life?

Guest: Rebecca Sharrock, autism advocate and writer

Some people seem to be unable to forget anything – but there are only about 60 known people in the world who, quite literally, remember every day of their lives, down to the weather! What’s it like to live an unforgettable life?

Scientist Finds Shocking the Brain Through Implants Significantly Increases Short-Term Memory (Originally Aired on 6/21/2019)

Guest: Robert E. Hampson, Professor, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neurology, Wake Forest School of Medicine

Shockingly, Robert Hampson has shown that sending an electrical pulse through a person’s brain via implant will increase short-term memory by over 30 percent. But how long will it be until this can be replicated outside of a lab? And who would be willing to get brain implants to increase their short-term memory?