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The leading pollutant blamed for climate change is carbon dioxide, but a new study says another form of carbon ranks a close second. So-called black carbon is a kind of soot produced by diesel engines, power plants, and the burning of wood. A major source of black carbon is cook stoves in the developing world, and scientists are now trying to clean those stoves up. The World’s Rhitu Chatterjee has the story. (Photo: Rhitu Chatterjee) Download MP3
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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 MP3Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Why do people give money to help earthquake victims in far-off lands, or adopt orphans from overseas? If Darwin’s theory tells us that life is a competition, then how did altruism evolve? A scientist who helped solve that riddle is the focus of a new biography by Israeli science historian Oren Harman. The World’s Rhitu Chatterjee spoke to Harman, our guest in the World Science Forum. Download MP3
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In the latest science podcast, Rhitu Chatterjee explores potential health impacts of ash from the Icelandic volcano with the difficult-to-pronounce name. Also, news about the future of U.S. space exploration and the puzzling health problems cropping up among the survivors of the Haiti earthquake. >
The Sandwalk is your first clue for today’s Geo Quiz. The Sandwalk is a walking path where Charles Darwin used to stroll…
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Neuroscientists are teaming up with magicians to learn about human behavior and the brain. The World’s Science correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee recently spoke with neuroscientists Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde about what the two professions are teaching each other. Macknik and Martinez-Conde are also the authors of the new book “Sleights of Mind,” and they are taking listener questions on The World’s online Science Forum discussion. Download MP3
Its time to update your maps of India for today’s Geo Quiz. A new state is set to be squeezed into the world’s second most populous nation. India is a country of 1.2 billion people.
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The 1984 gas leak in Bhopal India destroyed the lives of more than half a million people. But in the United States, the disaster led to a sea of changes that have made for a safer environment. The World’s Multimedia Science Journalist, Rhitu Chatterjee, has the report. Download MP3
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A quarter century after the disaster at Bhopal, toxic chemicals continue to threaten lives in the developing world. Chemical spills poison Chinese rivers. Toxic waste sickens people in West Africa. What can be done to safeguard the public in developing countries? What role can consumers and investors in the developed world play? In the World Science Forum we talk to Henrik Selin. He’s a professor of international relations at Boston University. Download MP3
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Correspondent Eliza Barclay reports from Nicaragua how two American brothers tried a technological fix to alleviate poverty in that Central American country, and our Science Forum invites you discuss aid projects online with environmental engineer Anu Ramaswami of the University of Colorado in Denver. Download MP3
