Oysters with a Mission (Originally aired February 5, 2019)

Guest: Pete Malinowski, Executive Director of the Billion Oyster Project

This week, a whale was sighted at Rockaway Beach. A live one. That’s a big deal because that harbor has been horribly polluted by a hundred years of industrial waste and raw sewage. The whale sighting is a sign that clean-up efforts are working. Those efforts included the Billion Oyster Project –it’s a nonprofit trying to restore the oyster colonies in New York Harbor. Oysters naturally filter pollution from water. And New York was once the oyster capital of the world. 

 

The Truth is Out There, But Most of Us Can’t Find it Online (Originally aired February 28, 2019)

Guest: Sam Wineburg, Margaret Jacks Professor of Education and of History Stanford University, Executive Director of the Stanford History Education Group, Author of “Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone)”

Before the world of the internet, getting the facts meant traveling to the library, searching through books, using a card catalog... but today we have all this information at our fingertips so finding answers isn’t the problem. It’s knowing which answer to trust. And Sam Wineburg says most of us are pretty bad at that. 

 

Suffering in Silence: Depression’s Toll (Originally aired February 6,2019)

Guest: Jane Clayson Johnson, Author, “Silent Souls Weeping: Sharing Stories, Finding Hope”

Most people around the world who experience depression do not seek treatment. They may not have access to help. Or they’re ashamed. Or maybe they don’t realize they’re experiencing depression. In the depths of her first major depressive episode, journalist Jane Clayson Johnson blamed herself for being weak, ungrateful, unfaithful –how could she be so depressed when she was so blessed?

 

How to Turn Bugs into Weapons (Originally aired October 11, 2018)

Guest: Jeffrey Lockwood, Professor of Natural Sciences and Humanities, University of Wyoming

Scientists have modified a fungus to produce spider venom that’s deadly to mosquitoes. So they’ve basically weaponized one insect –spiders –to target another –mosquitoes –in hopes of stopping the spread of malaria. There’s actually a long history of using insects as weapons –not just to fight disease, but also to fight people. During the Cold War, America had a program to use yellow-fever-infected mosquitoes against our enemies.

 

Finding Your Doppelgänger (Originally aired January 29, 2019)

Guest: Niamh Geaney, spokesperson, TwinStrangers.com

Did you ever have “twin day” –where you and your best friend wore the same clothes and called yourselves twins? Most of us may have thought that it would be cool to have a lookalike. The chances are good that somewhere in the world, there is someone who looks just like you. In fact, there’s a website to help you find your doppelganger –it’s called TwinStrangers.com.

 

The Experiential Fun of Escape Rooms (Originally aired January 30, 2019)

Guest: David Spira, Co-Founder, Room Escape Artist

A new study suggests that escape rooms are beneficial for radiology residents –it teaches them how to analyze under pressure and communicate effectively. But they’re not just for people in the medical field –escape rooms are popular for family fun nights, group dates, and team bonding exercises. Believe it or not, just five years ago, there were only 22 escape room companies in the US. Now there are thousands. And it’s caught on globally.