EarthSky Clear Voices for Science podcast

John Barry urges wide use of carbon capture and storage

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:52 -0600

John Barry: The world's going to be burning fossil fuels for a long time to come. And carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is the best, in some ways the only chance to de-carbonize those fuels. [...]

Christopher Raxworthy on cryptic chameleons and evolution

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:19 -0600

Christopher Raxworthy: Over the recent last 30,40, 50 years, geographic isolation has been the dominant recognized way that you get new species. You isolate populations and you run evolution long enough and they become different. But what I'm seeing is Madagascar is a process where different pop [...]

Karen Goldberg trying to make natural gas more accessible fuel option

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:00:30 -0600

Karen Goldberg: It's a really difficult transformation. It's been a holy grail in catalytic chemistry to try to do this reaction. [...]

Christopher Flavin says wind power surging in popularity worldwide

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:44 -0500

Christopher Flavin: Wind power is the only large-scale source of carbon-free electricity being brought into the world's electricity grids today. [...]

James Hughes: 'New Jersey conservation linked to critical issues'

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:47 -0500

James Hughes: By inhibiting future congestion, by preserving open space land and inhibiting over-development, New Jersey becomes a much more attractive place to live. [...]

Lorraine Remer tracks airborne dust from outer space

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:47 -0500

Lorraine Remer: From satellites, we're able to look at the Earth as a unit, as a globe, as one thing. And nothing brings it home more to me than to watch dust plumes start from one continent and visually see them cross oceans and reach another continent. [...]

Wangari Maathai, Nobel laureate, on planting trees and protecting forests

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:32 -0500

Saving Earth's tropical forests will help avoid the worst effects of climate change. That's according to environmentalist and Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai. She founded the Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 40 million trees across Africa. We spoke to her by phone. [...]

Jeffrey Sachs on trying to feed 9 billion people by 2050

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:07 -0500

Jeffrey Sachs: We're having a very big problem feeding a world population of 6.8 billion people. First of all, there are about 1 billion people who are chronically hungry, but more than that, the way we produce food is having very dangerous effects on the whole world's environment. [...]

Paul Davies studies possibilities of life beyond Earth

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:00 -0500

Paul Davies: I don't think anybody expects to go to Mars and find cats and dogs walking around, but I think there's a good chance that there's microbial life in the deep subsurface. And so, the same thing here on Earth. [...]

Tom Tomich: 'How are we doing on global food production?'

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:00:48 -0500

Tom Tomich: As we look ahead to this century and basically reinvent agriculture, it raises questions about how do we yet again raise production, and minimize environmental damages. [...]

Berni Alder's early work lets scientists simulate nature

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:00:31 -0500

Molecular dynamics is a type of computer simulation used to study nature at the scale of atoms and molecules. EarthSky spoke with physicist Berni Alder, who pioneered using computers for science back in the 1950s. [...]

Benito Fernandez builds robots that learn from experience

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:00:26 -0500

Find video of Benito Fernandez' robots at EarthSky's YouTube page. Benito Fernandez is developing robots that can learn and adapt. They use what he calls 'applied intelligence.. [...]

Jim Szykman studies air quality using satellites in space

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:00:14 -0500

Jim Szykman: Air quality is both local, regional, and global. There's different scales that people need to have in mind when they're thinking about this. And while we continue to make great strides and improve the conditions on a local basis, there are a lot of other things that influence it. [...]

Alan Stern: 'I'd like to see the U.S explore planets with human beings.'

deborahbyrd@earthsky.org (EarthSky) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:50 -0500

Alan Stern: I think that one of the most important things about exploring space is that it is something that sets us apart in this time, that makes history for our nation and for our society, in a way that few other things do. [...]