Did you know 75 percent of animals in the ocean glow?

From single-celled organisms to terrifying creatures like the anglerfish in the Pixar movie “Finding Nemo,” living things bring light to the darkest depths of our world.

This hour—why do so many creatures create their own light?

We’ll learn the differences between bioluminescence and biofluorescence.

And what happens when you take the glow out of the ocean and into the lab?

We’ll hear how scientists harness certain proteins from sea creatures and fireflies to illuminate everything from sleep to human diseases.  

What can glowing cells teach us about our own bodies?

GUESTS

• Dr. Edie Widder - CEO and Senior Scientist of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association
• Dr. Marc Zimmer - Professor of Chemistry at Connecticut College in New London and author of Illuminating Disease: An Introduction to Green Fluorescent Proteins
• Dr. Carl Johnson - Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University

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Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on December 21, 2017.

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Dogs are man’s best friend, but what’s really going on inside of their heads?

This hour, we talk with canine cognition researcher Brian Hare.

Hare runs Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center, and is the co-author of the new book: Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity.

Hare’s research says what makes our furry friends such great companions also gives them a unique cognitive edge: their social intelligence.

We learn more about the evolutionary history of how dogs became so attuned to our emotions and interactions. What can we learn from the success of our canine companions?

GUEST:

• Brian Hare - Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University and co-director of the Duke Canine Cognition Center. He is co-author, along with Vanessa Woods, of the new book Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has dazzled readers for nearly a century. This year, 96 years after publication, The Great Gatsby has entered the public domain.

This hour, we talk with Gatsby expert Maureen Corrigan about the novel’s legacy.

The Great Gatsby entering the public domain has opened a world of possibilities for adaptations and retellings. Author Nghi Vo’s novel The Chosen and the Beautiful, puts a unique spin on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s roaring 20s classic by reimagining the Gatsby story from the perspective of Jordan Baker, who she writes as a queer Vietnamese-American adoptee. We talk with Vo about the book.

We want to hear from you: Are you a Gatsby fan?

GUESTS:

• Maureen Corrigan - Book critic for NPR’s Fresh Air and English professor at Georgetown Universtity; she’s the author of So We Read On: So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures
• Nghi Vo - Author of The Chosen and The Beautiful

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Love is what most people are looking for in a spouse or life partner. But this hour, we take a look at marriage, an institution that for much of history had very little to do with love at all.

We also talk about the right to end a marriage by divorce. And we want to hear from you, too.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

• Stephanie Coontz - Author of Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage, and Director of Research and Public Education for the non profit group, Council on Contemporary Families; she also teaches history and family studies at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington (@StephanieCoontz)
• Meghan Freed - Managing attorney at Freed Marcroft, a Connecticut divorce and family law firm (@MeghanFreed)

Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 13, 2020.

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This hour, a member of Congress from Connecticut now holds a key post as House Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.  Rosa DeLauro will play a significant role in approving a federal budget, released by the president Friday.

And she oversees earmarks. Those are spending perks for lawmakers that some see as wasteful, but that others see as necessary to the legislative process. 

DeLauro’s new position could give her additional opportunities to continue her fight for a generous tax break to low-income families.

Guests:

• Rosa DeLauro -- Third District Congresswoman 
• Paul Bass -- Editor of the New Haven Independent

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Some see State Senator Dennis Bradley as a rising star in Bridgeport-area politics.

Now, he faces federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

Several politicians from Bridgeport have faced corruption charges in recent years. We talk with a community leader about the political culture in Connecticut’s ’s largest city.

We want to hear from you. Are you a Bridgeport resident? What’s your reaction to the arrest of Senator Bradley?

GUESTS:

• Brian Lockhart - Reporter covering Bridgeport for the Connecticut Post and Hearst Connecticut newspapers
• Gemeem Davis - Codirector of Bridgeport Generation Now, a nonpartisan grassroots organization that promotes civic engagement
• Mark Pazniokas - Capitol bureau chief for the Connecticut Mirror

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The world of craft beer is having its own #MeToo moment.

A wave of women working in the beer industry have shared stories of misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace. 

This hour, we talk with women working in Connecticut’s craft beer industry and hear about the systemic changes needed to address these issues.

Do you work at or own a brewery in our state? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Jessica Infante - Reporter at Brewbound, a trade publication based in Newton, Massachusetts
• Jess Bautista - Content creator at New England Brewing Company, and craft beer instagram blogger in Connecticut (@jessbeerme)
• Mariah Billian - Taproom and event manager at Outer Light Brewing Company in Groton, Connecticut. She is also the co-lead of the Pink Boots Connecticut Chapter, an organization for women in the brewing industry
• Heather Wilson - CEO and Head Brewer at Hop Culture Farms and Brew Co. in Colchester, Connecticut; she is also the secretary of the Connecticut Brewers Guild

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When the preview for musical artist Sia’s debut film Music was released---- it received backlash from individuals on the autism spectrum. But it also sparked a conversation about neurodiversity.

This hour, we talk about how the mainstream portrays autism. In the film Music, the central character “Music” is played by Maddie Ziegler, a neurotypical actress leading many to ask, why couldn’t someone on the autism spectrum be cast to play this role.

How should we approach portraying autism and other disabilities in film and television? We want to hear from you.

We also hear from Connecticut’s Child Advocate, Sarah Eagan on how schools are addressing educational needs of student with disabilities during this pandemic. GUESTS:

• Sarah Eagan - Child Advocate for the State of Connecticut
• Charlie Hancock - Student at Oxford studying human sciences and news editor at Cherwell, Oxford's independent student newspaper

• Sara Luterman -  freelance journalist covering disability policy, politics, and culture

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This hour, State Senator Dennis Bradley is indicted in a campaign finance case and removed from his leadership post on the Public Safety Committee.  That committee had handled a major proposal to allow online gambling and sports betting. The bill was approved by the state senate last night. It heads to the governor's desk.

Meanwhile, negotiations are underway on a 2-year state budget. With Democrats holding the governor’s office and both houses of the General Assembly, is the GOP at the table?

Guests:

• Paul Formica -- State Senate Republican Leader Pro Tem
• Julia Bergman -- Hearst Connecticut Media Politics Reporter

We want to hear from you.

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In 1884, a young Hartford woman named Ada Brown was murdered in her home.  It made national news, but Ada’s story faded into obscurity. This hour, we learn why a history class at University of Saint Joseph spent the past semester digging into her story, 136 years later.

And we learn what it meant to one of Ada’s descendants.

 

GUESTS:

• Jennifer Cote - Associate Professor of History at University of Saint Joseph
• Lily Stilson - 2021 graduate of University of Saint Joseph, where she majored in history
• Eileen Newman - descendent of Ada Brown

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