Science for the People

This week we're learning about the fascinating lives of bees, and the important role they play in our global ecosystem. We'll speak to University of Sussex biology professor Dave Goulson about his book "A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees." And we'll talk to Jocelyn Crocker, founding member of YEG Bees, about the rewards and challenges of urban beekeeping.

Update: A listener of ours sent in some information about the "science says bees can't fly" myth, which he let us post on our news feed. Go have a look!

This week we're exploring the intersection of science, society and sex, and the origin story of the birth control pill. We'll speak to author Jonathan Eig about his book "The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution." And writer Rose Eveleth returns to talk about the history and design of the vaginal speculum.

This week we're learning how private enterprise has jumped in to fill the gap left by shrinking government budgets for space exploration. We're joined by journalist Elmo Keep, to talk about her article on Mars One, a nonprofit planning to make a reality show out of a one-way trip to colonize the red planet.  And we'll get an update on the state of the for-profit space industry with Space News Senior Editor Jeff Foust.

This week, we get a gripping first person account of the challenges involved in mental health diagnosis and treatment. We'll spend the hour with Dr. Christine Montross, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and the Director of Counseling Resources at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, to talk about her book "Falling Into the Fire: A Psychiatrist's Encounters with the Mind in Crisis."

This week, we're learning about the ever-expanding streams of our personal information being collected by businesses and governments. We'll talk to author and futurist Tom Keenan about his book "Technocreep: the Surrender of Privacy and the Capitalization of Intimacy." And security expert Bruce Schneier returns to talk about the use and misuse of passwords to safeguard our most important data.

This week, we're revisiting an epsiode 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 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. And we'll share a list of science-based charities to help you spread evidence-based holiday cheer.

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 observing our annual holiday tradition, helping you find gifts for the science lovers on your list. We'll hear from some of our favorite past guests as they share their most-treasured science books from 2014, as well as classics to help fill out anyone’s science library. And we'll speak to writer/illustrator James Lu Dunbar about "The Universe Verse," a scientifically-accurate rhyming comic book about the origins of the universe.

Visit our blog for more information and links to the books mentioned in this episode.

This week, we’re learning about the limits of the human body, and the essential science of survival. We'll talk to Dr. James Hubbard, creator of TheSurvivalDoctor.com, about emergency measures to take when a disaster has cut off your access to medical care. And Dr. Rob Tarzwell of One Minute Medical School returns to explain what to do - and not do - when you're stranded in the wilderness.

This week we're talking about the mindbending science trying to understand the inner workings of the Universe. Astrophysicist Ethan Siegel returns to discuss the BICEP2 experiment, and its search for the fingerprints of cosmic inflation. And we'll talk to theoretical cosmologist Roberto Trotta about his book "The Edge of the Sky: All You Need to Know about the All-There-Is," which explains the history and concepts of cosmology using the 1,000 most common words in the English language.