Groks Science Radio Show And Podcast

During the quantum revolution, the views of the physical universe at the atomic scale were changing rapidly. During this tumultuous time, two physicists, Neils Bohr and Albert Einstein, struggled over this rapidly changing landscape. On this show Edmond Blair Bolles discussed his book, Einstein Defiant: Genius vs. genius in the quantum revolution.

Electronic commerce is rapidly replacing traditional avenues for retail sales. However, the full potential of this technology has yet to be fully realized. On this program, we discussed the organizational aspects of e-commerce with Dr. Mehdi Khosrow-Pour.

The growing limitation on energy resources does not necessitate an increase in energy production. An increase in efficiency may resolve many of these difficulties. On this program, the former director of the EPA, Dr. John Hoffman, discussed efficient energy use.

While most would readily accept that the brain controls behavior, few would acknowledge the role that genes play in shaping our actions. On this program, we investigated the guid between genes and behavior with Prof. Gary Marcus from NYU.

Although beauty may appear to be an abstract concept, our sense of beauty may have firm biological underpinnings in the normal operations of our visual system. We discussed this issue with Prof. Shinsuke Shimojo from Caltech.

The field of sociobiology attempts to attribute many behaviors to evolutionary causes. But, the justification for these attempts is often tenuous at best. On this program, we discussed sociobiology and models of human behavior with Dr. Richard C. Francis, author of Why Men Won't Ask for Directions: The Seductions of Sociobiology.

HIV is a pernicious blight on modern society, but one that may have an interesting evolutionary history. On this program, we discussed mathematical models of HIV infection with Prof. Montgomery Slatkin of U.C. Berkeley.

Social networks have been popularized by the play, Six Degrees of Separation. But, predicting the behavior of these networks in reality proves to be quite challenging. We explored this issue with Prof. Duncan Watts from Columbia University.

Everyday events are readily explained within a scientific framework, yet science literacy is still quite low. On this program, Curt Suplee discussed everyday science education.

Consciousness remains one of the frontiers of modern science; however, innovative methodologies may soon reveal an understanding of how the brain gives rise to conscious experience. We discussed this issue with Prof. Christof Koch from Caltech.

The Hubbert peak defines the point of no return as far as fossil fuels are concerned. Have we reached this point? And, how do we create a sustainable energy future. We explored this issue with Prof. David Goodstein, Vice Provost of Caltech.

The Macintosh computer recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary, but the history of this computer goes back a little further. On the program, Jef Raskin, creator of the Apple Macinotsh, discussed the human-machine interface.

Studying atoms can be quite challenging, due in large part to their rapid velocities. However, novel methods for cooling atoms using lasers have revolutionized the field of condensed matter physics. We discussed this issue with Nobel Laureate, Prof. Stephen Chu

Electronic storage devices have become ubiquitous in daily life and hold most of our essential information. But, few people backup their data until it is too late. On this show, we explored novel methods of data backup.

The problems facing the earth's environment will rely on scientific solutions from numerous disciplines. Integrating these solutions with political resources remains a major challenge for the future, and was the focus of this discussion with Nobel Laureate, Prof. Y.T. Lee.

Each year, popular science magazine unveils the top 100 technological innovations for the previous year. What items made this list for 2003? A few surprises to be sure as revealed on this week's episode.

The role of the brain in controlling behavior is almost taken for granted, but the development of this idea may owe its existence to one seventeenth-century scientist, Dr. Thomas Willis.

Technological innovations continue to puzzle and confound even the most savvy technophiles. But, figuring out how to use these modern marvels can often be half the fun, as we discussed with our guest, Gregg Steben.

The recent landing of the Mars Explorer rover has renewed interest in the red planet. On this program, we talked with Andrew Mishkin, a senior systems at NASA, about the status of past, present, and future missions to Mars.

Preserving the environment requires an interdisciplinary approach, especially in terms of maintaining biological diversity. On this program, we explored issues in bioecology with our guest, Prof. Shepley Chen.