Kgnu - How On Earth

In this final show in our four-part series on CU Boulder & COVID, we look at how CU Boulder Contact Tracing and CU data collection has revealed that the biggest spreader of COVID-19 on CU Boulder's campus is students "socializing" in risky ways, particularly in off-campus parties at sororities, fraternities and large student apartment buildings on "The Hill" near CU Boulder.  In contrast, attending in-person classes on CU is not a spreader of COVID-19, and neither are the residential halls.  This show features news from the CU Chancellor's office about a stronger call to reduce the spread, the leader of CU Contact Tracing Matthew McQueen, and Boulder County Spokesperson Chana Goussetis, explaining Boulder County Covid Data.   Producer:  Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Angele Sjong Engineer: Maeve Conran

PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN COVID-19 TESTS  (starts 1:00)  Beth Bennett reviews the years progress and challenges in COVID-19 Tests, including the latest tests at CU Boulder. CU UPDATE ON COVID-19 (starts 4:15) CU Media Relations spokesperson Candace Smith gives an update on the CU COVID-READY DASHBOARD including progress on getting the Sawyer Lab ultrafast test back in action at CU-Boulder. WASTEWATER TESTING AT CU DORMS (Starts 9:50)  CU Environmental Engineer Cresten Mansfeldt explains how and why CU Boulder is testing for evidence of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 with daily checks of wastewater coming from CU dorms. Producer:  Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran

Ultrafast COVID Test Update (starts 1:00)  Sara Sawyer's ultrafast COVID saliva test might be an option sometime soon for allowing visits inside senior care facilities. CU COVID-READY DASHBOARD (starts3:35) CU Media Relations spokesperson Candace Smith gives an update, and How on Earth's Beth Bennett shares comparisons with other university successes and failures at opening up. KEEPING INDOORS COVID-SAFE (Starts 9:25)  CU Aerosol Experts Shelly Miller & Jose Luis Jimenez have become world-renowned for their expertise in how to reduce the risk of aerosol transmission of COVID-19, plus how CU Boulder is working with them to increase the safety of in-person CU Classrooms from COVID-19 for more, see.  CU Boulder Covid Research Strategies Webinar Producer:  Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Angele Sjong, Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran  

CU Boulder has just opened up dorms and in-person classes.  The CU Boulder Covid Research Strategies Webinar presents innovative testing plans that include ultra-rapid tests from the Sara Sawyer Lab and an automated sewage sampling system from Creston Mansfeldt.  Both tests may speed early warning of Covid.  Both testing strategies are innovative and ambitious.  But funding and testing capacity allows only dormitory students to receive these tests.  Meanwhile, the 80% of of CU students live off-campus (not in the dorms) are not slated to receive these tests.  How does all this influence the ability of CU-Boulder to stay open?   Hosts:  Beth Bennett, Angele Sjong, Shelley Schlender Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Maeve Conran  

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition for millions of people worldwide.   But what role does our brain play in processing pain?    Cognitive neuroscientists, using advanced imaging techniques, are gaining a better understanding of how our brain processes pain.   They can now measure and model brain systems linked to our pain and emotions.   This is shedding new light on interventions for people who suffer from chronic pain. In this How on Earth episode, Angele Sjong speaks with Tor Wager, an expert in the neuroscience of pain, and formerly a professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder.   Angele also speaks with Charlie Merrill, a Boulder-based physiotherapist who works with local athletes, many of whom suffer from chronic pain. Host:   Angele Sjong Executive Producer:   Susan Moran Engineer:   Maeve Conran Listen to the show:

This week How on Earth producer Beth Bennett spoke with Professor Jose Jimenez, a professor in the Chemistry Dept here at CU in Boulder. His research background for over two decades has focused on detecting and measuring aerosols. Recently he became involved in applying this expertise to the question of how the corona virus is transmitted. He and his team have developed a model that predicts the likelihood of transmission of the virus from an infected person to other people in an indoor space. Here are find links to the model, a webinar describing its development and use and his website. The interview starts at ~8 min. Executive Producer: Susan Moran Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Joel Parker Engineer: Maeve Conran Listen to the Show:

Salmonella Biofilms -- Inside of Us.  (starts 4:06) Foodborne Salmonella infections MIGHT pave the way for arthritis, Parkinson’s disease and even Alzheimer's.  We talk with Aaron White, co-author of a new study documenting how a salmonella infection can "leak" out of the intestines and form velcro-like biofilms in body tissues.  These biofilms are made of curly-shaped, curli (scientific name) proteins on the surface of a Salmonella bacteria.  These curli proteins help the cells stick together.  They're hard for the body to scrub away, and they might contribute to a number of health problems.  (GO HERE for Extended Version TRANSCRIPT with links to related research) Headlines - WHY Covid causes loss of smell; Sensors from Louisville Vaisala on new Mars Explorer, Perseverance.   Host/Producer:  Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Susan Moran  

Five years ago today on July 14, 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft made the first reconnaissance of Pluto, collecting data that continue to be analyzed and provide surprises of this distant world.  On this 5th anniversary of the Pluto flyby, our guest is Dr. Carver Bierson, who is a planetary scientist at Arizona State University.  Carver has been involved with the New Horizons mission, and recently published a paper about Pluto based on data from the mission.  We talk with him about results in the paper titled: "Evidence for a Hot Start and Early Ocean Formation on Pluto" Host / Producer : Joel Parker Engineer: Maeve Conran Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:

This week on How on Earth, Beth interviewed Scott Lehman of the University of Colorado here in Boulder. Dr Lehman collaborated with a team at NOAA, to develop a novel technique to identify the CO2 released by burning of fossil fuels, allowing its exact calibration in the global carbon budget. Due to technical difficulties, you can't hear Beth's questions in the audio, but Scott's responses are very clear. You can find more information at his website and read his recent paper published two weeks ago in PNAS. Host:Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer:Joel Parker Listen to the show:

In this episode Angele Sjong interviews Tyler Lyson, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, about his team's extraordinary fossil discovery at the Corral Bluffs. When the asteroid destroyed most of life on earth 66 million years ago, including the dinosaurs, this cataclysmic event ended the Age of Reptiles and began the Age of Mammals.Paleontologists have long struggled to understand the first million years of the Age of Mammals, however.  What kinds of mammals survived this event?   When and how did mammals become big again?  When did mammals begin to diversify?  What was the plant life and climate like at this time?   The animal and plant fossils at Corral Bluffs shed light on this critical time period in earth's history that has been a mystery for so long. The Corral Bluffs have been featured on the PBS Nova show titled "Age of Mammals."   Nova show, "Rise of the Mammals". The Corral Bluffs' fossils are on exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science: DMNS Exhib

This week on How on Earth, Beth delves into the science of vaccination for the new corona virus and speaks with Dr David Werner of SUNY Binghamton about his research on the likelihood that general anesthetics can set children and adolescents up for the risk of later alcohol abuse. Find out more at his website. Executive Producer: Joel Parker Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Listen to the show:

Today on How on Earth Beth plays part of a 1964 lecture by Nobel laureate Richard Feynman in which he discusses how the scientific method actually works and the progressive, and therefore uncertain, nature of science. Then she speaks with Dr Melanie Peffer about her book, Biology is Everywhere, and her goals of making biology accessible and interesting to everyone. Her website was cited incorrectly on the show, here is the true link. Executive Producer: Joel Parker Show Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Listen to the show:

Carl Safina - Becoming Wild:  How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace We talk with bestselling author Carl Safina about his new book, Becoming Wild, which features sperm whales, scarlet macaws and chimpanzees  Safina also he reflects on what the Covid-19 pandemic means for the entire kingdom of Life on Earth.  (Entire Show) Executive Producer: Joel Parker Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer:Maeve Conran Listen to the show:

Beth and Angele discuss the pros and cons of mask wearing as protection against the novel corona virus. You can see the video on sneezing, as well as the various types of masks. Then, Angele talks to Byron Kamenick from Jack’s Solar Garden, located outside of Niwot. Jack’s Solar garden is putting in place an Agrivoltaics system this summer. Agrivoltaics combines agriculture and solar panels (photo-voltaics). There are mutual benefits to locating these together. You can find out more about Jack's at their website. Executive Producer: Joel Parker Producer:Angele Sjong & Beth Bennett Engineer:Maeve Conran Listen to the Show:

With graduation season is upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field.  They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next. Hayley Sohn - CU Boulder, Materials Science and Engineering Program Topic: Large-Scale Patterning and Dynamics of Topological Solitons in Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystals   Clement Zheng - CU Boulder, ATLAS Institute Topic: Everyday Materials for Physical Interactive Systems   Jennifer Berry - CU Boulder, Chemistry Topic: Development and Application of Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Measuring Terrestrial and Exoplanetary Organic Nitrogen Host / Producer : Joel Parker Engineer: Maeve Conran Listen to the show:

This week on How on Earth, we speak with Professor Catherine Donnelly, of the University of Vermont, about her book, Ending the War on Artisan Cheese. She exposes the efforts of the corporate dairy industry, in conjunction with the FDA, to limit the use of raw milk in making artisanal cheese, despite a long track record of safety in artisans cheese. in this fascinating book, she discusses the art of cheese making, and the self-imposed guidelines that make using raw milk in the artisanal process safe. Hosts:Beth Bennett & Angele Sjong Producer:Beth Bennett Engineer:Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Joel Parker Listen to the Show:

Listen here to this extended version of the abridged interview with Ron Rosedale that broadcast on HowonEarthradio April 14, 2020.  Transcript is below. Host/Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender TRANSCRIPT OF EXTENDED INTERVIEW Ron Rosedale, MD, Talks about COVID 19, the Immune System and Cytokine Storms DATE: April 14th 2020 Introduction — The Centers for Disease Control reports that people are at greater risk for Covid-19 hospitalization and often deadly cytokine stoems, if they have pre-existing health conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease.  Everyone says that healthy eating might reduce these risks - but does healthy mean the New York Times distractibaking comfort foods of brownies and Nutella shortcake?  Does it mean taking dozens of supplements and cutting out fatty junk foods, as Cristina Cuomo recommends for her husband, CNN’s Chris Cuomo?  Up next, we talk with Medical Doctor Ron Rosedale about why he believes that eating and sleeping in a way that reduces high levels of

Berkeley Scientists help their city test for Covid 19 (Starts 1:00)   Fyodor Urnov of Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute explains why and how scientists anywhere can help their local community test for the Covid-19 virus.   Cytokine Storms Explained (Starts 13:05) CU Boulder Biology Professor Beth Bennett explains the "cytokine storms" that people are hearing more about in serious Covid-19 infections. A Diet that might Reduce Cytokine Storms (starts 16:43) Ron Rosedale, MD explains why eating a low carb, high fat, adequate protein diet lowers levels of the hormone leptin can lower IL-6 and might reduce the risk of Cytokine Storms.  This is an excerpt from a longer interview.  Go Here to listen to the extended version audio (40 minutes).  Here is the extended interview transcript   Host/Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett Executive Producer: Joel Parker  

This episode talks about research about COVID-19, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and targeted therapies, and our feature is an interview with CU-Boulder scientists Anushree Chatterjee and Prashant Nagpal. This husband and wife science team explains why there may be a downside to adapting old medications to fight Covid-19.  They’ll also explain their anguish about why creating new “drugs” to fight Covid-19 cannot happen as fast as they or anyone would like.  They have founded the Antimicrobial REgeneration Consortium, with the goal of speeding up the creation and availability of antimicrobial medicines.  They are also developing a way to give people a tiny dose of nanoparticles--basically incredibly tiny microchips, preprogrammed to specifically target a disease such as Covid-19  (see our earlier discussions with them). Host: Beth Bennett, Angele Sjong, Shelley Schlender, Joel Parker Producer: Joel Parker, Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Joel Parker Listen to the show:

This week on How On Earth, we present an Encore Feature from January 2018 about the science and art of brewing beer with guest Pete Brown, author of Miracle Brew.  This episode also includes new headlines about current research about COVID-19 and about the science of drying towels outside. Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Joel Parker, Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Additional contributions: Angele Sjong Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show: