Science for the People

This week, we're tackling more controversial topics in the realm of healthcare. We'll speak to Edward Archer, post-doctoral fellow in the Nutrition and Obesity Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, about the tendency toward psuedoscience in nutrition data gathering. And Dr. Keith Norris, editor-in-chief of the journal Ethnicity & Disease, joins us to talk about the intersection of race and medicine.

This week, we're looking at the power of stories and innuendo to shape the public perception of science. We'll speak to author Jon Lee about his book "An Epidemic of Rumors: How Stories Shape Our Perceptions of Disease." And we're joined by Dr. Paul A. Offit, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, to get the scientific perspective of the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations.

This week, we're looking at the relationship between insects and humans, both mental and physical. We'll speak to entomologist and essayist Jeffrey Lockwood about his book "The Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects." And we'll talk to entomologist Eric Benbow about the use of insects as a tool for forensic investigation.

This week, we're looking at controversies over connectivity, both online and in the physical world. University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist walks us through the arguments over net neutrality. And we'll speak to researcher Rob van Kranenburg about his book "The Internet of Things. A critique of ambient technology and the all-seeing network of RFID."

This week, we're exploring genetics, neuroscience, and psychology, to find out what makes every person - and personality - unique. We'll talk to science writer Jennifer Ouelette about her newest book "Me, Myself and Why: Searching for the Science of Self." And science writer Ed Yong takes a critical look at the hype surrounding the hormone oxytocin.

This week, we're learning about some of the most fortunate accidents and fascinating personalities in the history of science. We'll talk to astrophysicist and author Mario Livio about his book "Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein - Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe." And we'll talk to historian W. Bernard Carlson about his book "Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age."

This week, we're looking across the Periodic Table and assessing the scarcity of modern society's essential elements. We're joined by Dr. Thomas Graedel, Director of the Center for Industrial Ecology at Yale University, to talk about the rare metals that play a role in our electronic devices. We'll speak to physics Professor Dr. Moses Hung-Wai Chan about our dwindling supply of helium. And we'll talk about the phosphorous that plays a critical role in modern agriculture, with ecology professor Dr. James Elser, co-organizer of the Sustainable Phosphorus Initiative at Arizona State University.

This week, we're peering out into the black to learn about deepest space, and our own night sky. We'll talk to Bad Astronomer Phil Plait, about recent measurements of gravity waves, and what they tell us about the birth of the Universe. We'll speak to journalist and essayist Paul Bogard about his book "The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light." And Noisy Astronomer Nicole Gugliucci tells us about a project using citizen science to map the surface of the moon.

This week, we're discussing invading organisms large and small. We'll talk to Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, to learn why (and how) researchers are creating new strains of flu virus. We're joined by marine invertebrate researcher Dr. Benjamin Miner, to talk about the wasting disease killing starfish on the west coast of North America. And we'll talk to physicist Ross Lockwood about the HI-SEAS project, exploring the psychological conditions facing a human crew on a mission to Mars.

This week, we're learning about the science and history of lighter-than-air flight. We'll spend the hour with biographer and science writer Richard Holmes, to talk about his newest book, "Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air." We'll talk about the technology of 19th century ballooning, and the pioneering men and women who took to the skies and changed our view of the world.

(For more information on the Strathcona Freethought Society, check out their Facebook and Meetup pages.)