Science for the People

Once again, we're here to help you with all your nerdy holiday shopping with our annual gift guide for science lovers. We brought in science librarian John Dupuis and Skepchick book club columnist Mary Brock who give us their top picks from 2015 that will make great additions to any nerd's library. And -- just to shake things up this year -- we spend the second half of the show with GeekWrapped's Simon Saval and Mad Art Lab's Courtney Caldwell, who give their recommendations for science-themed gifts you won't find in a library. And we'll speak to Skepchick founder Rebecca...

This week we're exploring the hidden history of autism. We'll spend the hour with award winning science writer Steve Silberman, talking about his book "Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity."

This week, we're learning how science can boost the effectiveness of philanthropy. We'll talk to philosophy professor William MacAskill about his book "Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and How You Can Make a Difference." And we'll speak to education researcher Brendan Rigby about the ethics and impact of "voluntourism."

This week we're exploring the science that informs our understanding of death and dying. We'll talk to Simon Davis about Post Mortem, his VICE column that explores death and other morbid topics. And analytical chemist Raychelle Burks returns to share strategies and techniques employed by forensic scientists.

This week we're learning how science can shed light on the stories told by our ancestors. We're joined by folklorist and science historian Adrienne Mayor, author of "The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World," to learn what archaeology can tell us about legendary warrior women in cultures from around the world. And we'll talk to anthropologist John Hawks to learn how researchers gain insights from ancient human remains.

This week, we're talking about powerful mind-altering substances, and their potential to help treat serious mental and physical illness. We'll spend the hour with Brad Burge, Director of Communications and Marketing at Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), talking about their research and advocacy around the medical, legal, and cultural context of the therapeutic use of psychedelics.

This week, we're talking about disease prevention, public health, and whether or not some types of vaccinations should be mandatory. We'll spend the hour in a panel discussion with Barry Bloom, Harvard University's Distinguished Service Professor of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto public health ethicist Alison Thompson, pediatrician and University of Pennsylvania vaccinology professor Paul Offit, and Nicholas Little, Vice President and General Counsel at the Center for Inquiry.

This week we're learning about distributed science projects that get the public involved in testing hypotheses and crunching data. We're joined by physicist Eric Donovan to talk about the Auroral Zone, a website that crowdsources the classification of auroras in Earth's atmosphere. We'll talk to molecular biologist Gabriel Licina of Science for the Masses about testing eyedrops to enhance night vision. Geography and environmental studies professor Robert McLeman introduces us to NatureWatch and RinkWatch, two projects that recruit people across Canada to report their observations of climate and the environment. And we'll speak to Anna Goldstein and Macon Lowman of Letters...

This week, we're talking about politics, and the prospects for pro-science politicians, parties and voters in Canada. We'll spend the hour with panelists Katie Gibbs, Executive Director of Evidence for Democracy, science librarian John Dupuis, journalist Mike De Souza, and former Canadian government scientist Steven Campana, for an in-depth discussion about the treatment of science by the current Canadian government, and what's at stake for science in the upcoming federal election.

This week we're celebrating exciting science and entertainment focused on Mars, by listening back to two interviews about the fascinating red planet. We're joined by "lifelong space nerd" Andy Weir, to talk about "The Martian," his gripping debut novel that was recently adapted into a big-budget movie. And we're joined by journalist Elmo Keep, to talk about her article on Mars One, a nonprofit that claims to be planning a reality show about a one-way trip to establish a Martian colony.