Please Explain (The Leonard Lopate Show)

The hormones estrogen and progestin have been prescribed to women to relieve symptoms of menopause. Studies have shown that hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of cancer, but earlier this month, a new study showed that among some women, it can reduce the risk of breast cancer and heart attack. The conflicting information has left many women confused. Dr. Andrea LaCroix, Professor of Epidemiology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and Dr. Rowan T. Chlebowski, Professor and Chief, Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology/Hematology, talk about the safety and effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy and try to clarify some of the confusion.  

Apartments are a hallmark of city living, and on today’s Please Explain, we’ll take a look at how they’ve evolved. New York Magazine architecture critic Justin Davidson and architect and writer James Sanders talk about the variety of New York apartments—from co-ops and condos to tenements and railroad flats to lofts and the classic six—and about how rent control and co-op boards function.

We want to hear your apartment stories! Tell us about the kinds of apartments you’ve lived in, and what you think the pros and cons of apartment living are!  

Anger is one of the forces that has sparked protests across the Middle East, from Egypt to Libya to Syria. It can be a motivating force, but it can also be destructive and damaging when it goes unchecked. On this week’s Please Explain, we’re taking a look at the roots and consequences of anger. Dr. Philip Muskin, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, and Dr. Howard Kassinove, Professor of Psychology and Director, Institute for the Study and Treatment of Anger and Aggression, and author of Anger Management: The Complete Treatment Guidebook for Practitioners and Anger Management for Everyone, explain when anger becomes a problem and how anger management works.  

The crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has raised many questions about what kind of radiation is leaking and what the health risks of it are. Kenneth Mossman, Professor of Biomedicine and Biotechnology at the University of Arizona, and radiation physicist Jacqueline Yanch, senior lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explain radiation—from nuclear fallout, to airport body scanners, to x-rays and medical treatment. 

This morning, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake occured 230 miles northeast of Tokyo, Japan, causing a large tsunami. The full extent of the impact of the tsunami is not yet known, and there are tsunami alerts for Russia, Hawaii, and the West Coast of the United States. On today's Please Explain, we'll try to answer all of your questions about tsunamis with Humboldt University Professor of Geology Lori Dengler who is currently at the National Weather Service monitoring the situation, and Geoff Abers, a seismologist at the Lamont Doherty Center at Columbia University. 

Today's Please Explain is all about accents in the English speaking world--how did Australians come to sound different than New Zealanders? Why do some people lose their accents quickly...while others can hold on to them for decades? NYU Professor of Linguistics Gregory Guy and North Carolina State University Distinguished Professor of English Walt Wolfram will discuss the various accents in the English-speaking world and even analyze some samples from volunteers!

The first silk textiles were created some 5000 years ago. This week's Please Explain is all about silk, and how fibers made by worms create versatile fabrics and have helped shape the culture of much of the world. Mark Norell, Chair of the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, who is currently finishing a book on the Silk Road, talks about the history of silk; Ingrid Johnson, professor of Textile Development and Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology; and Rebecca Robertson, Decorating and Home Editor for Martha Stewart Living join us to discuss how silk is produced, processed, used, and how it should be cared for.

This week’s Please Explain investigates a common phenomenon that’s mysterious to many of us: sneezing! Dr. Marjorie Slankard, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, and Director of the Allergy Clinic at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and Dr.Neil Kao, allergy and asthma specialist with the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville, South Carolina, join us.

This week’s Please Explain is about computer worms and viruses. Richard Ford, from the Center for Security Science at the Florida Institute of Technology, and Lance Ulanoff, Editor in Chief of PC Magazine, tell us how viruses and worms are created, how they infiltrate individual computers, explain the damage they can wreak and how we can best protect our machines.

Salt is found on most dining tables and in most kitchens—but this ubiquitous household item has a long and curious history. It’s a flavor enhancer, an ice melter, has been used as a currency, and has shaped civilization. Mark Kurlansky, author of  Salt: A World History, and Dr. Sonia Angell, Director, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control, New York City Health Department, explain what salt is, where it comes from, and discusses its influence on history and on our health.