Effects of School Shootings on Victims

Guest: W. Carson Byrd, Professor of Sociology, University of Louisville

At least eight have happened in the US so far this year. Two of the deadliest were in the last two and a half weeks at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and at a high school near Denver, Colorado. Four young people died and 12 were injured in those shootings. The Washington Post estimates that more than 200,000 youth have been affected by school shootings since the Columbine High massacre 20 years ago.

Lights Are Causing Problems for Sea Turtle Hatchlings

Guest: David Godfrey, Executive Director of Sea Turtle Conservancy

Nesting season is underway for sea turtles on Florida’s coast. Soon the little hatchlings will emerge from the warm sand where they’ve been incubating and make a dangerous scramble toward water. Tens of thousands of them will be waylaid by misleading lights along the shoreline. The Sea Turtle Conservancy has an all-out plan to dim the lights on Florida’s coast so the hatchlings don’t end up disoriented in swimming pools, on porches or smushed under cars.

The WhoDunIt Mystery of the Hamburger’s True Origins

Guest: Christopher Carosa, Author of “Hamburger Dreams: How Classic Crime Solving Techniques Helped Crack the Case Of America’s Greatest Culinary Mystery,” President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists

The hamburger is a multi-billion-dollar money maker. It’s quintessentially American. And its origins are mired in controversy. Four different turn-of-the-century food sellers claim to have invented the burger.

Why are we so Afraid of Donating Blood? (Originally aired January 22, 2019)

Guest: Christopher France, Professor of Psychology, Ohio University

Up until quite recently, I refused to donate blood. I did it once or twice in college and nearly fainted both times. So I spent the next 20 years convinced I just couldn’t donate. But it turns out I can give blood, if I master the panic that rises in my gut when the needle goes into my arm and I see my own blood start flowing out. I’ve donated successfully a few times recently –so I know it’s possible. Fainting –or feeling faint –is the most common negative side effect of donating blood, but it’s actually very rare. Yet, many of us think it’s common, and it’s a reason people steer clear of donating. 

Using Nerve Transplants to Battle Paralysis (Originally aired December 6, 2018)

Guest: Amy Moore, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Millions of Americans are living with some form of paralysis –most often due to a spinal cord injury, stroke or other illness that damages the nervous system. While doctors haven’t yet discovered how to return full mobility in extreme cases of paralysis, they are making major strides in a technique called nerve transfer –which basically means taking a healthy nerve from one part of the body and plugging it in to the paralyzed area. 

Sumo Wrestling in the United States (Originally aired December 17, 2018)

Guest: Andrew Freund, Founder, Director, US Sumo Open

When you hear Sumo you think of big, really BIG, Japanese guys trying to wrestle each other out of a circular ring. But did you know Sumo has a following in the US? The US Sumo Open is in fact the largest annual Sumo competition in the world outside of Japan. It takes place in Los Angeles and the 2019 US Sumo Open attracted thousands of fans who watched wrestlers from around the world. This year Ukraine was the big winner... only one gold medal went to Japan.