How to Help Your Child Navigate the Stresses Of College (Originally aired May 1, 2019)

Guest: B. Janet Hibbs, Psychologist and Family Therapist, Author of “The Stressed Years of Their Lives Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years”

Parents around the country are packing their kids up for college. Sending a freshman off for the first time is stressful for both parents and their kids. More and more college students are being treated for anxiety and depression. B. Janet Hibbs was confident that she had prepared her son for life on his own when she sent him off to college. So, when he had a mental health crisis, Hibbs was shocked and decided that there must be more that parents can do to prepare their children for the emotional demands of school. She co-authored a book for parents with the psychiatrist who treated her son. It’s called, “The Stressed Years of Their Lives.”

 

A New (Old) Cure for Malaria (Originally aired April 29, 2019)

Guest: Pamela Weathers, Professor of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

More than 1,800 people have died of malaria in the African nation of Burundi this year. While it may not make headlines, malaria continues to be a life-threatening disease for many, and treatment is complicated by both drug resistance and cost. The answer might be a new plant, rather than a new medicine. 

 

The Debate over Supervised Injection Sites (Originally aired May 1, 2019)

Guest: Peter Davidson, PhD, Associate Adjunct Professor of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of California San Diego Medical School

Philadelphia nonprofit is suing the federal government for permission to open the first supervised injection site in the country. A dozen mayors and attorneys general from other states have thrown their legal support behind the effort –hoping to have another tool for combatting the opioid overdose death crisis. “Supervised injection sites” are places where people can inject heroin under the supervision of medical staff trained to reverse an overdose. They’re illegal in the US but have been operating for years in Canada and Australia.

 

The Uncertain Future of Antibiotics (Originally aired June 3, 2019)

Guest: David Shlaes, member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership. Author of "Antibiotics, The Perfect Storm" and "The Drug Makers"

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new antibiotic for treating tuberculosis this week. Doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a big deal because more and more bacteria are becoming resistant to existing drugs –and yet there aren’t many companies interested in developing new antibiotics. Apparently, there’s not much money in these drugs, even though millions of people die around the world every year from bacterial infections.  This new one for treating tuberculosis was developed by a nonprofit, rather than a corporation.

 

What to Beelieve (Originally aired May 8, 2019)

Guest: May Berenbaum, PhD. The Department Head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Species all over planet Earth are going extinct at an historic –and alarming –rate according to reports from a UN panel of experts. More than 40 percent of all amphibian species are at risk of extinction, 33 percent of corals and around 10 percent of insects. It’s for sure a bummer if the beautiful coral or the cute frogs disappear. But insects? Hey, I’m happy to have a few less mosquitos to worry about this time of year.

 

How Coders Shape the World (Originally aired April 17, 2019)

Guest: Clive Thompson, Science and Technology Journalist, Author, "CODERS: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World"

If it’s really true that our world runs on software, then the people who build that software are enormously powerful. Who are they? What do they want? If they took us to their leader, would it be a guy in a dark room pounding energy drinks and wearing yesterday’s clothes? If that’s who is running our world, that’s a bit terrifying.