Talk of the Nation on WFAE

Reflections On 30 Years Of NYC: A Look Ahead With Margot Adler

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:06:00 +0000

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. For the past several weeks, we've taken the opportunity to reconnect with some of our favorite guests and colleagues in a series of conversations looking ahead.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Talks Climate and Carbon

editor — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, I'm Ira Flatow. He's been called Mayor McSchwinn for riding his bicycle to work. He's pledged to turn his town of Seattle into a model for what one city can do to lower its carbon footprint, and for good reason. As the climate changes, coastal cities like Seattle are challenged by rising sea levels.

Seattle saw its highest tide on record last December. So what's a Seattle mayor to do? Well, we're going to ask him today. We're at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is here.

Decoding 'the Most Complex Object in the Universe'

editor — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. Your brain has nearly 100 billion neurons, and one of my next guests compares that complexity to the Amazon rainforest. In fact, he says there about as many trees in the Amazon as there are neurons in your brain. Think about what the Amazon looks like for a second.

And the roots and the branches and the leaves and the vines, all of that can be compared to the tangled network formed between your brain cells because many of your neurons are in fact wired to tens of thousands of other neurons.

India.Arie Returns To Start A New 'SongVersation'

NPR Staff — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:57:00 +0000

When singer-songwriter India.Arie broke through in 2001, her debut album Acoustic Soul went double platinum, and her music and influence continued to gain momentum in the years that followed. Since her debut, she's been nominated for 21 Grammys — and won four — while selling 10 million albums worldwide.

In 2009, feeling boxed in by the expectations of the music industry, she says she confronted herself by asking, "Who am I?" To figure out the answer, she embarked on a self-imposed hiatus.

Unhappy Endings: When Our TV Show Worlds Get Rocked

editor — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:42:00 +0000

Transcript

LYNN NEARY, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Lynn Neary.

Fans of "Game of Thrones" are well-aware by now that George R. R. Martin, author of the popular book series, is not afraid to kill off his characters. Those who read the books are way ahead of those who discovered the series through HBO. TV viewers were stunned when the first season ended with the graphic beheading of the man everyone thought was the hero of the saga.

Strengthening Buildings In Tornado Alley

editor — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:44:00 +0000

Scenes of destroyed homes and businesses were common following the recent Oklahoma tornadoes. David Prevatt, a structural engineer at the University of Florida, says that improving resistance to tornadoes will require better building materials and techniques, plus a strong dose of political will.

Whole Genome Scans Could Reveal Too Much

editor — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:44:00 +0000

When doctors run out of clues on how to treat a cancer patient, they sometimes order a scan of all the patient's genes. But such a test can turn up unexpected results, such as greater risk of another disease. When are doctors obligated to tell the patient what they know? And do patients have the right not to know?

Tracing The Origins Of French Winemaking

editor — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:44:00 +0000

Many people associate France today with the production of great wines. But winemaking isn't native to the French. Patrick McGovern, an archaeologist of fermented beverages, has dated the beginning of viniculture in France to around 500 B.C. and contact with the Etruscans.

From 'RoboCop To 'Robot & Frank': Best RoboMovies Of All Time

editor — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:50:00 +0000

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

Two writers can take credit or blame for the legions of metal men that marched through the movies - Karel Capek, who coined the word robot in his play "R.U.R." in 1920, and Isaac Asimov, who codified the Three Laws of Robotics and a series of stories collected in "I, Robot," and mostly ignored in the Will Smith movie of the same name.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "I, ROBOT")

WILL SMITH: (as Detective Del Spooner) You know what they say, laws are made to be broken.

BRIDGET MOYNAHAN: (as Doctor Susan Calvin) No. Not these laws.

The NSA, Verizon And The Future of Domestic Spying

editor — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:30:00 +0000

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Later in the program, we'll continue our series of conversations and look ahead with NPR's Deborah Amos, who's been covering the war in Syria. But we begin today with a court order obtained by The Guardian's U.S. team, which authorizes the National Security Agency to collect information on billions of phone calls made by U.S.