Discussions
Science Forum: nuclear power in Asia
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Many Asian nations have big plans for nuclear power. Marco Werman talks about the trend with nuclear analyst M. V. Ramana of Princeton University.Download MP3
What do you think about the tradeoffs of nuclear power? And should the U.S follow Asia’s lead? Bring your thoughts and questions to our online Science Forum discussion with Dr. Ramana, and his colleague, Dr. Alexander Glaser.
Join the conversation in our latest Science Forum
Three listeners share their thoughts
Fred Pearce on population and the environment
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Many environmentalists say the source of the world’s environmental ills is the planet’s booming human population. But in a new book, journalist Fred Pearce argues population growth is not a problem and that focusing on it is distracting people from the earth’s real ills. Rhitu Chatterjee spoke to Pearce and brings some clips to the show. Download MP3Marco Werman and Tom Schnabel’s Top Picks
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At the height of the July heat we’re thinking music here at The World. Anchor Marco Werman chats with Tom Schnabel, music programmer at KCRW, to discuss their top World music picks of the summer. Download MP3
Join the discussion in our comments section:
What World music are you taking to the beach?
What’s your personal soundtrack this summer?
The science and ethics of whaling
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The debate over whaling continues to roil international waters. Whaling has largely been banned for almost 25 years but the moratorium is riddled with loopholes and contradictions. In this week’s Science Forum we talk with marine scientist Stephen Palumbi about those contradictions, and some the ethical issues surrounding the whaling debate. Download MP3 (flickr image: glintle)The export of mental illness concepts
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Author Ethan Watters argues that America has exported its ideas of mental health, and mental illness, sometimes to the detriment of other countries. In his book Crazy Like Us, he contends that mental disorders have a strong cultural component that is often ignored by Western psychiatrists. Marco Werman talks with Watters and you can share your ideas about this topic with Watters in our Science Forum. Download MP3
Rename that fish!
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American catfish farmers imported Asian Carp in the 1970s to control algae. Some fish escaped and are now considered such a threat that the White House convened an “Asian Carp Summit”. One possible solution is to have Americans eat the fish but, as Alex Gallafent found out, the current name doesn’t sell the fish, so maybe under a different name? But what should that name be? Share your ideas for a new name for Asian Carp by posting a comment here.
Science Forum: Urban Raptors
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Birds of prey are thriving in places like New York, London, and Berlin, where raptors nest on skyscrapers and feast on pigeons. We talk to Canadian wildlife biologist David Bird, our guest in the latest World Science Forum, about the surprisingly good raptor habitat to be found in some major cities. (Photo: www.flickr.com/ photos/ animaltourism) Download MP3
How are you affected by the flight chaos?
The enormous shroud of mineral dust particles emanating from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull volcano now stretches from the Arctic Circle in the north to the French Mediterranean coast in the south, and from Spain into Russia. Thousand of flights have been grounded for days now disrupting the travel plans of millions of passengers. How have you been affected? Are you currently stuck away from home? (flickr image: plasmastik)
Suicide bombers and investment bankers
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We all tend think of ourselves as conscious, rational beings, but human behavior is largely driven by unconscious attitudes. Science journalist Shankar Vedantam shines a light in these dark corners of the mind in his new book, “The Hidden Brain.” Hear him talk about what suicide bombers and investment bankers have in common, and share your thoughts and questions with him online in The World Science Forum. Download MP3
Can genetically modified crops help feed the world?
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Last week India rejected what would have been the country’s first genetically modified food crop, a transgenic eggplant. What does this mean for the future of genetically modified crops in India and other parts of the world? And can such crops help feed the world’s hungry? Talk with biologist Lisa Weazel of Portland State University. She’s the author of Food Fray: Inside the Controversy of Genetically Modified Food, and our guest on the latest The World Science Forum. The discussion is live through February, 19th. Download MP3
Science Forum with Darwin’s descendant
This month the movie Creation opened in theaters around the US. It tells the story of Charles Darwin’s life in the months before he published his groundbreaking theory of evolution. The film is based on a book written by his great great grandson Randal Keynes (pictured). The World’s science correspondent, Rhitu Chatterjee talked with Keynes about the process of turning his book into a film. Listen to that interview and post your own questions for Keynes on our latest Science Forum.
How would you fix refereeing mistakes in soccer?
There’s outrage among Ireland’s soccer fans after France eliminated the Irish national team from the World Cup. A single goal crushed the Irish, a goal that came in overtime and after France’s Thierry Henry controled the ball with his hand. Around the globe soccer fans are once again pondering ways to avoid having such glaring missed calls determine the outcome of games. What’s your take?
Defunct place names
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On Monday’s Geo Quiz we wanted to know about geographic names that have disappeared. Here’s an example: Tanganyika. Can you find Tanganyika on the map? It once bordered the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria, but its vanished! Harry Campbell has written a book called “Whatever Happened to Tanganyika?: The Place Names That History Left Behind.” We speak with him. Download MP3Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize
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Today, Barack Obama became the third sitting U.S. President to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Obama for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” The announcement drew both warm praise and sharp criticism. We’ll gauge international reaction to the announcement and the World’s Jeb Sharp puts it into historical perspective. What do you think of Obama’s win? Leave a comment below. Download MP3 Photo: White House
What’s on your iPod?
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As our resident Global Hit maestro, Marco Werman gets to meet some of world music’s biggest stars. He asks them a lot of questions, including this one: “What’s on your iPod?” The answers are always surprising, and always make for a great playlist. But that got us thinking. Why not ask fans of The World the same question? We did, and you responded. Clark Boyd chooses some of his favorite submissions, including Spain’s O’funk’illo. Download MP3
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