LEGOs As Fine Art

Guest: Nathan Sawaya, LEGO artist

Nathan Sawaya is a LEGO brick artist who creates everything from pop culture figures to recreations of the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's David (life-size too!). But to become a master model builder, Nathan chose to leave behind a law career and overcome art critics that deemed his medium too childish. Today, his exhibitions smash attendance records and invite everyone to participate in creating art.

Feeling Rejected? Take Ibuprophen

Guest: Roy Baumeister, Professor, Psychology, University of Queensland 

We often describe social rejection as pain. We refer to “hurt feelings,” “broken hearts,” and being “crushed.” In a series of studies over the course of more than a decade, social psychologist Roy Baumeister demonstrated that we experience rejection like we experience pain, and we can treat it in the same way. 

Scientist Finds Shocking the Brain Through Implants Significantly Increases Short-Term Memory

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?

Can Icebergs Solve Cape Town’s Water Problem?

Guest: Captain Nicholas Sloane, South African Marine Salvager

In response to Cape Town, South Africa’s water shortage, Captain Nicholas Sloane has put in motion a plan to snag an iceberg from Antarctica and then melt the iceberg to create a sustainable water source for the parched residents of Cape Town. 

Special Collections: Gangster Museum

Guest: Lorkin Otway, Founder and Curator, Museum of the American Gangster

Speakeasies thrived during Prohibition. Often established and run by gangsters, they were a hidden place where American citizens could sneak past the law and enjoy a drink or two. The illegal smuggling and selling of alcohol was one of the ways American gangsters got their notoriety, along with gambling, racketeering, and murdering. Today as part of our ‘Special Collections’ segment, producer Jeff Simpson explores a former New York speakeasy turned museum.