Moria Refugee Camp Fire in Greece Prompts Renewed Efforts to Resolve Migration in Europe (0:32)

Guest: Franziska Grillmeier, Freelance Reporter, Based in Lesbos, Greece

Europe’s largest refugee camp burned to the ground two weeks ago, leaving more than 10,000 migrants without even the most basic shelter or access to clean water. The camp was called Moria–it was on the island of Lesbos in Greece. The fire prompted leaders of the European Union this week to propose a mandatory system of migrant resettlement. For years, European countries have been unable to agree on how to deal with migrants, which has meant that large numbers of asylum seekers are stuck in camps in Greece, Italy and Turkey.

UConn Graduate Student Gets Her Crossword Puzzle Published in the New York Times (21:19)

Guest: Anne Marie Crinnion, Doctoral Student, University of Connecticut

There’s a whole industry out there of people making crossword puzzles and selling them to newspapers and magazines. It’s very competitive and getting one published in the New York Times is like winning the gold medal for amateur puzzlemakers, and University of Connecticut grad student Anne Marie Crinnion just pulled it off.

Can Naps Hurt Your Brain? (36:06)

Guest: Lauren Hablitz, Research Assistant and Professor of Neurosurgery, Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester

More than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep. So maybe that means the occasional daytime nap to make up for it? You may wake up feeling refreshed, but sleeping during the day doesn’t give your brain the same benefits as nighttime sleep. In fact, if you’re doing a lot of day sleeping you may be at higher risk for developing neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s.

The Tragedy of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South (52:48)

Guest: Chip Jones, Author of “The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South”

25,000 organ transplants have been happened in the United States so far this year. The fact that they’ve happened despite the pandemic speaks to how urgent transplants are–the person in need of a new heart, or kidney or lung has no time to spare. Once a donor dies, there’s only so much time before his or her organs start to degrade. So the process has to happen quickly. In the early days of transplant science, the need for speed could have tragic results.

The Effect of Disney Princesses on Girls (1:30:38)

Guest: Tom Robinson, Professor and Associate Director for Graduate Studies, Brigham Young University

A lot of girls grow up on a steady diet of Disney princesses. A lot of research says these movies aren’t healthy for young girls since many of these princesses have perfect bodies and unrealistic romantic relationships, and often get rescued to then live in luxury. But a new study out of BYU asked little girls themselves what they thought, and there may be some positive things that come from watching princess movies.