KGNU - How On Earth

On this week’s How on Earth, Beth talks with neuroscientist and chronic pain researcher Jayson Ball. He recently completed a study of a novel brain circuit involved in generating chronic pain. Since finishing his graduate studies at CU Boulder, he has moved to Neuralink, a biotech start up focused on implantable brain devices with the goal of someday alleviating chronic pain through this new technology. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Shelley Schlender and Abby O’Brien Engineer: Abby O’Brien Listen to the show:

White-tailed Prairie Dogs Credit: Rich Reading Preserving prairie dog+raptor ecosystem (start time: 5:03)  Spring has just begun, even if winter hardly visited Colorado. On the plains, prairie dog colonies seem to be in full swing.  However, populations of these keystone species have plummeted, as the grasslands they and raptor predators rely on are being fragmented by urban development, as well as oil and gas, and to some degree solar and wind, development. In this week’s show we discuss the imperiled prairie ecosystem and efforts to further conserve them, with Dr. Rich Reading, vice president of science and conservation at the Butterfly Pavilion; and Dana Bove, founder of the nonprofit Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies. Click here for information about and to register for their and colleagues’ upcoming Science and Conservation Symposium (March 31 and April 14) in Denver. Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Show Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show here:

Photo credit: Butterfly Pavilion The Power of Precarity of Pollinators (start time: 8:01) This extremely warm winter in Colorado has delivered early spring blooms, and thus early appearances of some pollinators. In this week’s show we explore the world of pollinators, such as such as butterflies, bees, moths, hummingbirds and certain flies. Pollinators are responsible for roughly one third of the food we eat, and the help strengthen ecosystems. How On Earth host Susan Moran interviews Amy Yarger, senior director of Horticulture at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colo., about the critical role these pollinators play; the various threats they face, such as the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup)  and the class of insecticides called neonicotinoids; and how we can help give these important creatures a lift. Yarger leads local pollinator habitat initiatives at the Butterfly Pavilion, a nonprofit research, conservation and education institution focusing on invertebrates and their habitats. Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Show Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Headline Contributors: Beth Bennett, Joel Parker Listen to the show here:

How big is the universe – not just in the scale of  distance but also the scale of time?  What do those…astronomical…scales mean about us humans on Earth and how can we understand and measure such vast expanses? In this episode, our guest, astronomer and author Dr. Jeff Bennett, helps us wrap our minds around these ideas as we discuss his book The Scale of the Universe. We look back at the Big Bang, the possibility of the existence and meeting aliens, and when events such as the formation of our solar system, the appearance and demise of the dinosaurs, and the evolution of humans fit into the “Cosmic Calendar”. Host: Joel Parker Show Producer/Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:

On this week’s How on Earth, we hear from a climate scientist about the implications of our changing weather patterns for winter recreation. It’s a warm, dry winter, throughout the Rocky Mountain West and elsewhere in the country, the weather has been a mixed bag. Dr. Elizabeth Burakowski, a Research Faculty member in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space and Affiliate faculty in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of New Hampshire, gives us her take. Her research focuses on winter climate change in the northeastern United States, including what changes we’ve seen in the past, what we can expect for the future, and the impacts on ecosystems and society. She is also familiar with local snowfall changes, having served on the Boulder-based non-profit Protect Our Winters since 2016. Executive Producer:Beth Bennett Show Producer: Beth Bennett Additional Contributions: Joel Parker, Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

From Science MOAB We hear an interview aired by our sister community radio station’s, Science MOAB. Ecologist Brooke Osborne talks about how dryland ecosystems – such as the grasslands east of Boulder – influence the whole planet. Dryands cover 40% of the earth; they support a third of the planet’s humans, and while their roots store lots of carbon, they’re vulnerable to climate change, overgrazing and aggressive land management. In this episode, you’ll also hear about this weekend’s Colorado Environmental Film Festival in Golden. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producers: Beth Bennett and Shelley Schlender Additional Contributions: Gracyn Custin Listen to the show:

Image credit: American Heart Association Truths & Tips About Women’s Heart Health (start time: 7:33)  February is American Hearth Month, a nationwide observation  spotlighting cardiovascular disease, and a call for all of us to take care of our hearts.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, for both men and women, and for most racial and ethnic groups. In fact, it kills more women than all forms of cancer combined. A big problem is that many physicians don’t typically tell female patients about risk factors and symptoms when they are in their 30s and 40s. So no wonder many women develop symptoms that remain hidden until crisis hits. To help shed light on what researchers are discovering about how women can detect symptoms and lower their risks of heart disease, we welcome back to the show health journalist Meghan Rabbit, after we discussed women’s health, and particularly menopause, last week. Rabbitt is the author of the new book, The New Rules of Women’s Health: Your Guide to Thriving at Every Age. She is an editor of Maria Shriver’s weekly digital newsletter, Sunday Paper.  Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Show Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Headline Contributors: Beth Bennett, Joel Parker, Shelley Schlender Listen to the show here:

New Rules of Women’s Health (start time: 6:26) If you’re female, you may have come of age reading the landmark feminist health book Our Bodies, Ourselves. Originally published in the 1970s, it yielded several revised editions up to 2011. Well, get ready for an even more comprehensive tome. It’s called The New Rules of Women’s Health: Your Guide to Thriving at Every Age, and it was published last month by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field Imprint of Penguin Random House. It’s part guidebook, part manifesto. In this week’s How On Earth, host Susan Moran interviews the book’s author, journalist/editor Meghan Rabbitt, focusing on how to take charge of your health before, during and after menopause. (We’ll continue our conversation next week with Pt. II, with a focus on brain health research and practices.) Rabbitt is the executive editor of Maria Shriver’s weekly digital newsmagazine, The Sunday Paper. -Headline on the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., and how you can voice your opinion with NSF during the public comment period ending March 13. (Email: nsf_ncar@nsf.gov) Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Show Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer & Headline Contributor: Beth Bennett Listen to the show here:

On today’s science show we hear from vaccine researchers Rochelle Walensky and Angela Ulrich, and physician/scientist Peyton Thompson, about the safety and efficacy of the hepatitis B vaccine. This is one of 6 that have been removed from the list of recommended childhood vaccines by the CDC. You’ll hear about the history of the vaccine regarding its complete safety and the huge reduction in disease burden following the adoption of the birth vaccine. Executive Producer: Beth Bennett Show Producer: Beth Bennett Listen to the show:

Newly planted trees and evergreens ESPECIALLY need extra winter water. Photo cc City of Boulder Water your trees!  This warm, dry winter means urban trees need extra water to stay healthy.  City of Boulder foresters Patrick LaPhilliph and Andrew Holt, and City of Longmont forester Brett Stadsvold share how and why the cities waters trees once a month during dry winter months, how citizens can properly water winter trees, and resources in both cities for helping trees stay healthy.   And no . . . last week’s dusting of snow was NOT enough — trees still need water! Show Producer/Engineer Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Beth Bennett