Science for the People

This week we're looking at the math and science of business decisions. We'll speak to David McAdams, Duke University Professor of Business Administration and Economics, about his book "Game-Changer: Game Theory and the Art of Transforming Strategic Situations." And we'll talk to Vassar College Economics Professor Benjamin Ho about his economic analysis of apologies.

This week, we're listening back to a discussion of taboo sexual practices, and whether they're really as unusual as we think. Psychologist and author Jesse Bering talks about his book, "Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us." And we'll speak to Nicole Prause, Principal Investigator at UCLA's Sexual Psychophysiology and Affective Neuroscience (SPAN) Laboratory, on her neurological perspective that raises doubts about self-reported sex addiction.

This week we're learning about some of the legal chemicals that regulate the moods of millions of people every day. Journalist Murray Carpenter joins us to talk about his book "Caffeinated - How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts and Hooks Us." And science blogger Dr. David Gorski explains the state of research on the effects of e-cigarettes.

This week, we're looking at the social and biological science of female sex organs. We'll talk to Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Institute for Regenerative Medicine, about the creation and use of lab-grown vaginas. Biology professor Marie Herberstein exposes the bias against female genitalia in scientific studies. And science writer Emily Anthes tells us about the history and promising future of female condoms. 

This week, we're looking at the science of the ultimate criminal punishment. Pharmacologist and science writer David Kroll joins us to discuss the chemistry of the drugs used in lethal injections. We'll talk to law professor Samuel Gross, editor of the National Registry of Exonerations, about the rates of false convictions in death penalty cases. And we'll speak to Johns Hopkins University psychiatrist Dr. James Harris about the complex issues at the intersection of capital punishment and intellectual disability.

This week, we're learning how deadly and delightful our planet and its ecosystem can be. We're joined by biologist Dan Riskin, co-host of Discovery Canada's Daily Planet, to talk about his book "Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You: a Lively Tour Through the Dark Side of the Natural World." And we'll talk to astronomer and author Phil Plait about Science Getaways, his company that offers educational vacation experiences for science lovers.

This week, we're looking at how worldwide environmental challenges interact with our increasingly global economy. We'll speak to Amy Larkin, founder of Nature Means Business, about her book "Environmental Debt: The Hidden Costs of a Changing Global Economy." Journalist Ken Silverstein joins us to explain the way climate change is dividing the insurance and energy industries. And we'll talk to Arjen Hoekstra, professor of Water Management at the University of Twente, about the effects of water scarcity on business.

This week, we're exploring the science of sound and hearing. We'll talk to Trevor Cox, Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford, about his book "Sonic Wonderland: A Scientific Odyssey of Sound." And we'll speak to Andrew Wise, Senior Research Fellow at Bionics Institute, about a gene therapy technique to enhance the function of cochlear implants.

This week, we're on the frontiers of medicine, from the fabulous to the foolhardy. We'll talk to Dr. Kevin Fong, co-director of the Centre for Aviation Space and Extreme Environment Medicine at University College London, about his book "Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century." And we're joined by Dr. Sydnee and Justin McElroy, hosts of the podcast "Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine."

This week we're learning about some of the many invisible particles that surround us. We'll speak to astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana about his book "Neutrino Hunters: The Thrilling Chase for a Ghostly Particle to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe." And we'll talk to ecology professor Donald Canfield about his book "Oxygen: A Four Billion Year History."