KGNU - How On Earth
680 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 20 ratingsThe KGNU Science Show
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Episodes
Want to Save the Amazon? Think Like an Ant.
December 08, 2014 17:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBThe Yasuni National Park in Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse places on earth, but it is currently at risk from oil development. Some of the park’s inhabitants, however, are trying to forge a more sustainable, and less destructive path out of poverty. These indigenous Kichwa people, who have already been caretakers of the … Continue reading "Want to Save the Amazon? Think Like an Ant."
Animal Weapons – The Evolution of Battle (Doug Emlen)
December 02, 2014 20:44 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBWe talk with biologist Douglas Emlen, who says that the evolution of animal weapons, in everything from dung beetles to saber tooth tigers, has him very worried about our HUMAN weapons (starts 4:20) . . . and listeners are invited to join the Sunday, December 14th 73rd Boulder Audubon Christmas Bird Count Hosts: Jane … Continue reading "Animal Weapons – The Evolution of Battle (Doug Emlen)"
Green Chemistry (extended version)
November 25, 2014 21:53 - 3 minutes - 2.98 MBListen here for an extended conversation with John Warner about the difference between enthalpy and entropy and how it relates to our scientific world view.
Green Chemistry
November 25, 2014 05:56 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBThere’s a lot of attention right now on creating environmentally friendly technology, non-toxic and sustainable manufacturing, but as Dr. John Warner explains it, it all has to start with the chemistry. John Warner is a chemist, professor and co-founder of the Warner-Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. He speaks profoundly about learning methods from nature … Continue reading "Green Chemistry"
Science of Booze // Rosetta Mission
November 19, 2014 05:53 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBProof: The Science of Booze (starts at 8:09): Science journalist Adam Rogers, who claims to have taken a liking to single-malt whiskey when he reached drinking age, has immersed himself further into alcohol–particularly, the history and science of making booze, tasting it, and enjoying–or suffering—the effects of it. Booze is a big story: Indeed, making … Continue reading "Science of Booze // Rosetta Mission"
Frontrange Bioneers // Green Electricity or Green Money?
November 04, 2014 21:00 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MB(4:00) Kendra talks with local organizers about the upcoming Front Range Bioneers conference (11:20) Shelley talks with Tim Schoechle about his new position paper for the National Law and Policy Institute, Green Electricity or Green Money? Hosts: Shelley Schlender, Kendra Krueger Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producers: Jane … Continue reading "Frontrange Bioneers // Green Electricity or Green Money?"
Gulp
October 29, 2014 05:06 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBGulp [starts at 4:25] Bestselling author, Mary Roach has been billed as American’s funniest science writer. In “Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal” she takes readers on a journey through the alimentary canal, extolling the marvels of spit on the beginning end, then moving on to the man who had a hole in his stomach that allowed … Continue reading "Gulp"
Do Fathers Matter Pt. 2 // Mercury in Water
October 21, 2014 19:40 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBDo Fathers Matter? (start time: 3:07) If you’re a father or a son or daughter – which pretty much covers everyone – this interview should hit home. Science journalist Paul Raeburn’s latest book — “Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We’ve Overlooked” – explores what seems like a no-brainer question. … Continue reading "Do Fathers Matter Pt. 2 // Mercury in Water"
Do Fathers Matter?
October 15, 2014 04:35 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBDo Fathers Matter? (start times: 9:55 and 20:58) Today’s How on Earth show is part of the KGNU fall membership pledge drive. During this show we preview an upcoming feature of the book: “Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We’ve Overlooked” by science journalist Paul Raeburn. It may seem obvious that fathers … Continue reading "Do Fathers Matter?"
Buddhist Geeks and The Future Earth Initiative
October 07, 2014 21:43 - 21 minutes - 20 MBVincent Horn and Buddhist Geeks (starts at 4:42): On October 16th the Buddhist Geek Conference comes to boulder. Founder Vincent Horn speaks to us about how mindfulness, compassion and contemplative practice can be integrated into the technical world. http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/conference/ Future Earth (starts at 12:58): On our second feature, CSU Professor Dennis Ojima talks to Susan Moran … Continue reading "Buddhist Geeks and The Future Earth Initiative"
Living Planet Report // Finding Exoplanet Water
September 30, 2014 18:58 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBLiving Planet Report (starts at 5:50): The environmental organization World Wildlife Fund just released its science-based biennial Living Planet Report. It doesn’t paint a rosy picture overall; WWF shows that, for instance, wildlife populations across the globe are roughly half the size they were 40 years ago. And although rich countries show a 10 percent increase … Continue reading "Living Planet Report // Finding Exoplanet Water"
Facts and Faith: A Conversation with Katharine Hayhoe
September 23, 2014 03:14 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBFacts and Faith (starts at 4:30): Two weeks ago Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a professor of atmospheric science at Texas tech came to town to speak at Chautauqua. As a scientist and a Christian, she advocates for illuminating the urgency and reality of climate change to conservative and religious audiences. We had the opportunity to sit down … Continue reading "Facts and Faith: A Conversation with Katharine Hayhoe"
Testing the Water
September 16, 2014 15:30 - 24 minutes - 22 MBTesting the Water (Start time 3:30) What exactly is in our water—the stuff we drink, shower in and use to wash our vegetables? This is a question lots of Coloradans have started to ask in the last few years as oil and gas operations have ramped up in the state. Several communities have become very … Continue reading "Testing the Water"
The Meaning of Wilderness // The Ocean Is Us #5: Living Underwater
September 09, 2014 17:25 - 24 minutes - 33 MBThe Meaning of Wilderness (starts 4:30): Fifty years ago last week, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act. It was then, and remains today, one of the most significant pieces of environmental legislation. It has protected millions of acres of land. And it established a legal definition of wilderness: “an area where the earth … Continue reading "The Meaning of Wilderness // The Ocean Is Us #5: Living Underwater"
Solar Flares — High-Tech Armageddon?
September 02, 2014 17:10 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBRecent headlines warn that Coronal Mass Ejections, better known as Solar Flares, could trigger a high-tech Armageddon, disabling power and communication on a global scale, for months. Today we talk with Boulder scientists Dan Baker, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and Doug Biesecker, National Space Weather Prediction Center, about the risks from Solar Flares, what to worry … Continue reading "Solar Flares — High-Tech Armageddon?"
The Ocean is Us #4: Sustainable Seafood
August 26, 2014 20:04 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBSustainable Seafood: (start time 5:10) This is the fourth feature interview in The Ocean Is Us series, which explores how we in land-locked states are connected to the oceans and what’s at stake. Today we discuss sustainable seafood, which to some critics is an oxymoron, given that some 90% of large fish already have been … Continue reading "The Ocean is Us #4: Sustainable Seafood"
The Ocean Is Us #3 : Marine Sanctuaries
August 19, 2014 15:28 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBMarine Sanctuaries (starts at 5:18) This is the third feature interview In the Ocean Is Us series, which explores how we in land-locked Colorado are connected to the oceans, why they matter so much to us all, and what’s at stake. Today we discuss marine sanctuaries: the conservation science behind establishing them, and their ecological … Continue reading "The Ocean Is Us #3 : Marine Sanctuaries"
Greenback Cutthroat Trout // Migraines
August 13, 2014 01:08 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBGreenback Cuttthroat Trout (starts at 6:06) Colorado has always been a state of nature lovers, which is why, in the era of our great great grandfathers, citizens even designated an official state fish. It’s the Greenback Cutthroat Trout that thrived in the mountain streams above Boulder and Denver. Colorado wildlife officials had long assumed that Greenback … Continue reading "Greenback Cutthroat Trout // Migraines"
A Tough Summer Vacation
August 07, 2014 02:51 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBA Tough Summer Vacation (start time 10:52) It’s summer! And although the town feels empty of students for many around here, some researchers may be feeling a sad little void this week as summer internships tie up and interns leave town for a short break before beginning their normal school years. Three Boulder institutions run … Continue reading "A Tough Summer Vacation"
Rosetta // Autism & the Microbiome
July 29, 2014 14:35 - 24 minutes - 22 MBWe talk with Joel Parker about his Denver Science Museum presentation. Joel is a project leader for one of the scientific instruments on board the Rosetta space mission. We also discuss new findings about how improving the health of the human digestive tract, with the use of beneficial microbes, might improve mood disorders, including reducing … Continue reading "Rosetta // Autism & the Microbiome"
Earth-friendly Landscaping
July 23, 2014 17:33 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBSummer is a time to celebrate our bursting gardens. But you may be wondering why your neighbor’s garden seems to be attracting all the butterflies, honeybees and hummingbirds, while yours seems to be attracting mostly aphids and raccoons. Our guest, Alison Peck, owner of Matrix Gardens in Boulder, talks with How On Earth host Susan … Continue reading "Earth-friendly Landscaping"
The Oso Landslide
July 22, 2014 16:39 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBJim Pullen speaks with Dr. David Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington about the landslide that buried Oso, Washington, in March 2014. Host: Kendra Krueger Producer: Jim Pullen Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Joel Parker Listen to the show:
The Ocean Is Us #2 : Endocrine Disruptors in Drinking Water
July 09, 2014 17:43 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBEndocrine Disruptors and Drinking Water (starts at 3:12) Today we continue our series called The Ocean is Us, which explores our vital connection to the oceans. Alan Vajda, an environmental endocrinologist at the University of Colorado Denver, talks with How On Earth’s Susan Moran about a rare success story: why fish in Boulder Creek are … Continue reading "The Ocean Is Us #2 : Endocrine Disruptors in Drinking Water"
Astronomy Through the Ages
July 01, 2014 16:04 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBAstronomy Through the Ages (starts at 4:10): If I ask you to close your eyes and imagine an astronomer, what do you see? Maybe you think of a lone figure hunched all night over the eyepiece of a telescope in a big, domed observatory. Maybe you think of Jodie Foster, as Ellie Arroway in the movie … Continue reading "Astronomy Through the Ages"
The Ocean Is Us #1 : Teens4Oceans – Marine Science Education
June 26, 2014 16:49 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBTeens4Oceans (starts at 9:15): Today, we’re kicking off a series of interviews on the show called The Ocean Is Us. We’ll explore how all of us living in land-locked Colorado are connected to the ocean — whether it’s through our watershed that flows into the Gulf of Mexico, or the fish we buy at the grocery … Continue reading "The Ocean Is Us #1 : Teens4Oceans – Marine Science Education"
Caffeine and Athletics
June 17, 2014 15:48 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBCaffeine and Athletics (starts at 4:35): Chances are you’ve already had a cup of coffee this morning or, if you are like me, it was a cup of tea. Or maybe, if you are truly hedonistic, you started the day with a bar of chocolate. Either way, if any of these options are part of your … Continue reading "Caffeine and Athletics"
Hope On Earth
June 10, 2014 19:23 - 25 minutes - 34.6 MBHope On Earth (starts 7:08): Few people have thought as critically and deeply about the state of Earth and our role on it than Paul Ehrlich. Over the course of several decades, the Stanford University biologist and ecologist has written many books, including 1968’s controversial The Population Bomb, in which he predicted that hundreds of millions … Continue reading "Hope On Earth"
Wireless Dawn or Electronic Silent Spring?
June 04, 2014 04:10 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MB(1:00) Cell Phone Radiation – Headphones please? Chris Farnsworth uses a microwave meter to measure cell phone radiation, to urges people to at least use headphones with a mobile phone. (7:50) CU Engineering Emeritus Professor Frank Barnes talks with Katie Singer, author of An Electronic Silent Spring. We also offer an extended interview. Producer, Engineer, … Continue reading "Wireless Dawn or Electronic Silent Spring?"
Wireless Technology – Extended Version of Interview with Frank Barnes and Katie Singer
June 03, 2014 14:48 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBCU-Boulder Electrical Engineering Emeritus Professor Frank Barnes is the past president of the BioElectroMagnetics Society. He recently chaired a National Research Council panel on research priorities related to the potential health effects of exposure to radio frequency energy from the use of wireless technology, such as cell phones. As a scientist, Frank Barnes recently talked … Continue reading "Wireless Technology – Extended Version of Interview with Frank Barnes and Katie Singer"
Massive Stars
May 27, 2014 22:37 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBMassive stars (start time 6:45) Dr. Emily Levesque is an astronomer who studies big stars, distant stars, exploding stars, and truly weird stars called Thorne–Żytkow objects. All of these topics relate to massive stars – stars that are more than eight time more massive than our Sun. Dr. Levesque is a postdoctoral Hubble fellowship and … Continue reading "Massive Stars"
Colorado’s Science Fair Stars // Rosetta Comet Mission
May 20, 2014 17:19 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBColorado’s Science Fair Stars (starts at 3:18) As the end of the school year approaches for high school students, it’s a good time to celebrate the achievements and passion of students in Colorado who have excelled in science, technology, math and engineering (STEM). Two of them — Hope Weinstein, a senior at Fairview High in … Continue reading "Colorado’s Science Fair Stars // Rosetta Comet Mission"
Gold Lab // National Climate Assessment
May 13, 2014 19:23 - 24 minutes - 22 MBFor our May 13th show we offer two features: Gold Lab Symposium (starts at 3:42): Biotech entrepreneur Larry Gold, a CU Boulder professor at the BioFrontiers Institute, talks with How On Earth’s Shelley Schlender about the annual Gold Lab Symposium, which will be held in Boulder May 16th and 17th. This year’s theme is Embracing the … Continue reading "Gold Lab // National Climate Assessment"
Hacking Happiness
May 06, 2014 16:00 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBYou drive to Starbucks with your cell phone in your pocket, go online, read your favorite newspaper, share an interesting book review on Facebook and then go and order the bestseller from Amazon. It’s only 9:00am, but you’ve already left a data trail—a big one—on your whereabouts, your taste, your friends, and your financial habits. … Continue reading "Hacking Happiness"
Baseball Vision // Emerald Ash Borer
April 30, 2014 04:10 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBToday, April 29th, we offer two features: Baseball Vision (starts at 5:42): The major league baseball season is now in full “swing.” Fans may take it for granted that these professional athletes are in top physical condition. What’s less known is how important it is for baseball players to have perfect eyesight. Batters in particular … Continue reading "Baseball Vision // Emerald Ash Borer"
NASA Visit // IPCC Report
April 25, 2014 05:25 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBEarth Day gives us plenty of reason to reflect on the state of the planet and the impact we humans have had on it. This week’s show featured Dr. Linda Mearns, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, who is among hundreds of scientists who produced the latest report on global … Continue reading "NASA Visit // IPCC Report"
Space Dust
April 15, 2014 16:30 - 24 minutes - 33 MBDr. Mihaly Horanyi and his colleagues at the University of Colorado are on the brink of watching an instrument they developed crash into the moon. It’s okay—it’s designed to. In the meantime, the instrument, LDEX, is measuring impacts from dust particles a fraction of the width of a human hair on NASA’s LADEE mission. It’s measured … Continue reading "Space Dust"
Space Dust – Extended Version
April 15, 2014 15:00 - 15 minutes - 20.8 MBFor the patient and interested listener, here’s more of How On Earth host Beth Bartel’s conversation about space dust with University of Colorado’s Mihaly Horanyi. We talk about why we should colonize the moon, how Dr. Horanyi got into studying dust in the first place—which is a very interesting Cold-War-era story—how space dust may give us … Continue reading "Space Dust – Extended Version"
Conquering the Energy Crisis
April 10, 2014 19:54 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBWelcome to this special edition of How on Earth. This week, the 66th annual Conference of World Affairs is happening on the campus of CU-Boulder, and today’s show is one of the events. The speaker and guest in our studio today is Maggie Koerth-Baker. She writes a monthly column, “Eureka,” for The New York Times … Continue reading "Conquering the Energy Crisis"
Quantum Computers
April 01, 2014 23:29 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBQuantum Computers [starts at 7:05] Dr. David Wineland has worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, for 38 years. In 2012, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with France’s Dr. Serge Haroche for “ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems”. Dr. Wineland and his colleagues use electromagnetic … Continue reading "Quantum Computers"
1964 Alaska Earthquake // Neuroscience of Dying
March 25, 2014 23:11 - 24 minutes - 33 MB1964 Alaska Earthquake (start time 04:37) This week 50 years ago, in 1964, the Beatles were huge, Alaska had only been a state for a mere five years, and the theory of plate tectonics was in toddlerhood. This Thursday, March 27, also marks the 50th anniversary of the magnitude 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964. … Continue reading "1964 Alaska Earthquake // Neuroscience of Dying"
1964 Alaska Earthquake – Extended Version
March 25, 2014 23:00 - 34 minutes - 47.5 MBToday marks the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake. To commemorate the quake, we’re posting this extended version of the interview we broadcast on March 25, 2014, with Dr. Mike West, the Alaska State Seismologist and Director of the Alaska Earthquake Center. How On Earth host Beth Bartel talked with Dr. West about his recent … Continue reading "1964 Alaska Earthquake – Extended Version"
Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You
March 18, 2014 19:34 - 14 minutes - 6.49 MBWelcome to the Spring Pledge Drive edition of How On Earth. I’m this quarter’s Executive Producer, Jim Pullen. We, the How On Earth team, encourage you to take a different take on the world, to examine assumptions, ideas and evidence critically. The great philosopher of science Karl Popper, a champion of the essential role of … Continue reading "Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You"
Plants in Space // Relativity
March 11, 2014 19:48 - 24 minutes - 33.1 MBPlants in Space (start time 04:36) What would you miss if you were to spend an extended time in space—driving a car? Going to the movies? Hiking? Playing with your dog? Gravity, maybe? Or maybe something as simple as eating good, nutritious vegetables. How On Earth’s Beth Bartel speaks with University of Colorado undergraduate researcher Lizzy … Continue reading "Plants in Space // Relativity"
Beringia // Dolphins & Climate Change // The Ogallala Road
March 04, 2014 20:39 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBBeringia (start time 0:55). We present an excerpt of Shelly Schlender’s interview with University of Colorado scientist John Hoffecker, lead author of a recent paper in Science magazine about the Beringia land bridge and the people who lived there 25,000 years ago. The full interview can be found here. Dolphins & Climate Change (start time 4:40). Dr. Denise … Continue reading "Beringia // Dolphins & Climate Change // The Ogallala Road"
How Native Americans Came to Be – Extended Version – Beringia
March 04, 2014 03:09 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBI’m Shelley Schlender for How on Earth. Here’s an extended version of an interview about how Native Americans came to be. It’s about a CU-Boulder study that appeared in Science Magazine in February 2014, and promptly made headlines around the world. The study involves top-notch detective work that shows how, almost 30,000 years ago, a … Continue reading "How Native Americans Came to Be – Extended Version – Beringia"
Tracing Methane’s Source in Drinking Water // Safe Place for Captive Wolves
February 25, 2014 19:26 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBMethane in Drinking Water (start time 05:36) Flaming water faucets were infamously exposed in the documentaries Gasland and Gasland 2. The water isn’t catching fire–methane in the water is. People are deeply concerned that methane, dredged from kilometers down, is leaking into our drinking water supplies through poorly constructed and maintained oil and gas wells, … Continue reading "Tracing Methane’s Source in Drinking Water // Safe Place for Captive Wolves"
Molecular Gastronomy
February 18, 2014 18:45 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBWelcome to a special Radio Nibbles version of How On Earth. Nibbles’ (and pie aficionado) John Lehndorff, chef Ian Kleinman and How On Earth’s Jim Pullen set to work making and eating high-tech delicacies. Liquid nitrogen sorbets, strawberries floating above superconducting magnets, and more! Food and tech on the show that makes you smarter. Yum! … Continue reading "Molecular Gastronomy"
CO2 from the Amazon // US Smokestacks
February 11, 2014 21:44 - 24 minutes - 22 MBAmazon CO2 (start time 04:37) The Amazon basin contains the largest tropical rainforest on the planet. It’s been critical not only for its beauty and biodiversity but also for its ability to store more carbon dioxide than it emits. The soil and above-ground biomass of the Amazon makes it one of the largest reservoirs of … Continue reading "CO2 from the Amazon // US Smokestacks"
Arctic Thaw // Methane Study // Bonobo Conservation
February 06, 2014 13:42 - 23 minutes - 26.9 MBToday’s show offers three features: Arctic Dispatch: (start time: 1:02) Co-host Susan Moran returns from Tromso, Norway, with a dispatch from the Arctic Frontiers conference, which addressed the human health and environmental impacts of a rapidly thawing Arctic. Lars Otto Reierson, executive secretary of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program within the Arctic Council, discusses … Continue reading "Arctic Thaw // Methane Study // Bonobo Conservation"
Newton’s Football // Strontium Clock
January 28, 2014 19:13 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBNewton’s Football (start time 5:45) This Sunday the Denver Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, so we thought we’d bring you a scientific perspective on the game of football. How on Earth’s Ted Burnham talks with the co-authors of the book Newton’s Football: The Science Behind America’s Game, journalist Allen St. John … Continue reading "Newton’s Football // Strontium Clock"