Since early this summer, WGCU has been covering the blossoming algae crisis along southwest Florida coasts, canals and rivers. Social media is filled with citizen journalists documenting what they’re seeing, hearing, and fearing. There are so many angles to these stories, and so many overlapping issues that a chorus of questions surround every discussion. So, for the past week we’ve asked our listeners for their questions, comments, and proposed solutions, and the response has been overwhelming.

With so much focus on water issues right now because of the nearly year old red tide bloom that continues to devastate marine wildlife, and the several months old toxic blue-green algae bloom that’s being fed by nutrient-rich releases from Lake Okeechobee, we thought it would be a good time to explore the world of xeriscaping .

During the first part of today’s show we were exploring the ways people can reduce the amount of water and fertilizer they use on their yards in order to reduce their environmental footprint, and not contribute to the harmful algal blooms we’re seeing in local waters.

Citrus greening is a disease caused by a bacterium that is spread by a small insect called an Asian citrus psyllid . It first turned up here in Florida in 2005, and since then has caused major impacts to the state’s citrus industry -- reducing production numbers by more than half since it first arrived. Researchers estimate that more than 75% of citrus trees in the state are infected. During this year’s legislative session, Florida lawmakers approved funding for a dozen projects that are looking

While you may already be familiar with the palm disease lethal yellowing , which first turned up in Florida in Sarasota and Manatee Counties about a decade ago, scientists are starting to spread the word about another disease impacting palm trees, mostly natives, called lethal bronzing .

Fort Myers is known as The City of Palms. We're checking back in with historian Jim Powers from the IMAG History and Science Center to find out the backstory behind the nickname.

How long would it take for a dinosaur egg to hatch? A study , led in part by Dr. Gregory Erickson at Florida State University , counted how long it took dinosaur "baby teeth" to develop in the egg to find out. The study, published in the journal PNAS, looked at two dinosaur species: Protoceratops andrewsi and Huypacrosarus stebingeri , studying how quickly the teeth developed in the egg, and how long those teeth would need to develop before the baby dino was ready to hatch. Dr. Ericskon explains

The majority of animals admitted to wildlife hospitals in Southwest Florida suffer from an illness or injury caused by a human. While most people don't intend to hurt wildlife, thousands of animals are admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital due to injuries from car accidents , accidental feedings, or unwanted interactions with windows , fishing lines , and more. That's on top of house pets who can't help but fall back on their natural instincts. We're joined by Joanna Fitzgerald and Colleen

We’re exploring an interesting technology story that’s been in the national, and international news: 3D printed guns. A Texas company called Defense Distributed wants to publish plans it created that allow people with certain kinds of 3D printers to make their own guns at home. A federal judge temporarily blocked the release last week after a number of states filed suit, arguing that the technology would allow criminals to build untraceable firearms. But, it might already be too late, the plans

According to a 2016 study in medical journal The Lancet global, universal breastfeeding would prevent about 800,000 child deaths every year around the world, and create $300-billion dollars in savings annually from lowered health care costs. And while the percentage of women who choose to breastfeed their child had dipped in the U-S, it’s been on the rise since the early 90s, and the trendline continues going up. Today is the last day of World Breastfeeding Week , a global effort to promote the