KGNU - How On Earth

In this week’s science show Beth talks with genome biologist Ed Chuong of CU Boulder’s innovation incubator, the Biofrontiers Institute. Ed takes us for a whirlwind tour of the evolutionary history of these viral invaders of our genome, and some examples of how they can simultaneously be friend and foe. Teaser, did you realize that … Continue reading "Viruses are Us!"

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who recently received their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what … Continue reading "2025 Graduation Special (part 2)"

We talk with scientists who report that a common weight loss/diabetes drug known as a GLP-1 receptor agonist (Wegovy, Ozempic for instance) is associated with an increased risk of blindness. The study was published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology, about a form of blindness known as “wet” macular degeneration. … Continue reading "GLP-1 and Blindness"

On this week’s How on Earth, Beth talks with author and science journalist Liz Kalaugher, about her new book, The Elephant in the room:How to Stop Making Ourselves and Other Animals Sick. Think about it this way: When new diseases spread, news reports often focus on wildlife culprits–rodents, monkeys and mpox; bats and COVID-19; waterfowl … Continue reading "Animal Pandemics?"

Scientists speak out for science (start time: 1:00) The Trump administration has been on a dizzying streak of slashing federal funding for scientific research, and firing thousands of federal scientists. Among the casualties is the National Weather Service, which supplies critical data from air balloons and climate models to develop weather forecasts. Many cities and … Continue reading "Saving Weather Forecasting, Climate Science"

Birds: Risk and Resilience (start time: 5:55) What speaks of Spring more than the songs of American robins, yellow warblers, spotted towhees and other birds in the early morning? As we relish in these avians choruses, it’s also an important time to examine why bird populations in North America have, by and large, been plummeting … Continue reading "Birds at Risk"

This is an extended version of Shelley Schlender’s interview with Boulder Cardiologist Nelson Trujillo. For the broadcast version, go here.

This is Shelley Schlender’s extended interview of Larry Gold, founder of the GoldLab Symposium. For the broadcast version, go here.

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 1 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Masters or Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their … Continue reading "2025 Graduation Special (part 1)"

Sweet in Tooth and Claw (start time: 0:59) Since the 1800s, science has been obsessed with the notion, stemming from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection, that only the “fittest” can survive and pass on their strong genes. As in, it’s a ruthless, violent world. And today, we humans find ourselves mired in a … Continue reading "Mutualism in Nature"

Federal cutbacks have led the National Institute of Standards and Technology to shut down a long-running, highly prized information center used by scientists around the world, for projects ranging from searching for exoplanets, to making better microchips, to detecting atomic missiles. Atomic Spectroscopy Database Manager Alexander Kramida explains the purpose of the Atomic Spectroscopy … Continue reading "De-funding NIST’s Atomic Spectroscopy Group"

Our guest today is Dr. Simone Marchi, Institute Scientist in the Solar System Science & Exploration Division at the Boulder office of Southwest Research Institute. Dr. Marchi is the Deputy Principal Investigator for NASA’s Lucy mission. Lucy will be the first space mission to explore a population of small bodies known as the Trojan asteroids, … Continue reading "The Lucy Mission"

Poisoning the Well (Starts 2:00) Boulder science writer Sharon Udasin discusses her new book, Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America. The book chronicles how these chemicals have ended up in our soil , drinking water, our bloodstreams . . . including in Colorado. She also explains what we can do about these sometimes … Continue reading "Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America. "

NEPA rollbacks, environmental impacts (start time: 6:25) Amidst a flurry of moves by the Trump administration to roll back environmental regulations, last month a White House agency proposed a rule to rescind a landmark law meant to protect wildlife, their habitat, and human communities from unchecked development, and to ensure that the public has a say … Continue reading "NEPA, Wildlife, Lands Under Threat"

On this week’s show, Beth talks with Brianne Barker, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of Undergraduate Research at Drew University. Dr Barker studies innate immune responses – these are the initial, non-specific actions taken by the immune system – to fight off retroviruses such as HIV (the AIDS virus). We discuss the measles virus, … Continue reading "Measles: To Vaccinate or Not?"

We speak with Environmental Scientist Alan Townsend about his new book, This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist’s Path from Grief to Wonder. It chronicles what happened when his family received two unthinkable, catastrophic diagnoses: his 4-year-old daughter and his brilliant scientist wife developed unrelated, life-threatening forms of brain cancer. As he witnessed his young daughter fight … Continue reading "This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist’s Path from Grief to Wonder"

On today’s show, Beth speaks with two experts on animal behavior and training about the wolf reintroduction project in Colorado – wins and losses. Mary Angilly is an advocate for force-free, evidence-based training in dogs and other animals. For decades Marc Bekoff has researched animal behavior, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds), behavioral ecology, … Continue reading "Train Wolves AND Humans to Coexist"

The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets CU Boulder Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist Tom Cech says that RNA has long been the biochemical backup singer that slaves away in the shadows of the diva. In his new book, The Catalyst, Cech puts RNA in the spotlight, along with dazzling … Continue reading "Tom Cech: The Catalyst"

Tackling CH4 emissions from landfills (start time: 5:59) Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, and its emissions have been rising recently in the U.S. The largest source of methane emissions is oil and gas production, followed by livestock farming. The third largest source of methane emissions is landfills. Food scraps, yard debris, paper and … Continue reading "Tackling Landfill Methane Emissions"

On today’s show, Beth speaks with CU scientist Christopher Lowry. Dr. Lowry’s research program at CU Boulder focuses on understanding stress-related physiology and behavior with an emphasis on the microbiome-gut-brain axis. He describes his recent finding that exposure to a harmless soil bacterium protects mice from the weight gain and inflammation stemming from a diet … Continue reading "How a Soil Bacterium Can Affect Mental and Physical Health"