Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta, from the Center for Space Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, joins Viewpoints this week to help us understand some of the health impacts of spending time in space and the hurdles that come with longer missions like sending humans to Mars.
Despite the pandemic, carbon emissions are at an all-time high, topping records over the past 3.6 million years. For years, scientists have warned of humans approaching a critical tipping point of global warming – and it’s here. Sustainability scientist Dr. Kimberly Nicholas joins Viewpoints this week to break down the current climate landscape and explain …
Physician burnout is still a very real problem in the U.S. – and the pandemic has only exacerbated these feelings in some of the hardest hit hospitals across the country. We speak with Dr. Greg Hammer at Stanford University about the pandemic’s lasting effects on mental health.
New York is the latest to legalize recreational marijuana, creating thousands of new jobs and is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue after a lackluster year for the state in tourism, real estate and business. But in a fast-growing industry, how do you make sure that smaller entrepreneurs aren’t left behind? Or those who’ve been systemically …
AI software is everywhere these days. It’s built into cars, tech, robotics and used in numerous fields from stock portfolio management to pharmaceuticals. But, what does the future of artificial intelligence hold as this technology expands? How will current problems be exacerbated? AI expert and New York Times journalist, Cade Metz joins Viewpoints this …
Whatever age you are, there’s always certain pressures to hit life milestones by set periods. It can mean moving out, getting married, having a family or even retiring by a ‘normal’ age. We discuss why these external pressures shouldn’t feed into personal decisions and how today’s generations and the challenges they face greatly differ from those of their …
On average, its estimated that the typical worker receives one email every six minutes. This constant stream of emails and instant messages throughout the day continuously pulls people away from their main tasks and leads to workout burnout. And the pandemic – with more people working from home – has only made this worse. Computer science and communication …
The oil and gas industry employs millions of workers. In 2018, 6.7 million Americans worked within the traditional energy sector. Yet, when we often hear about the industry, it’s entangled in political and environmental news. Rarely does it look at the workers themselves and the challenging and physical barriers of the job. In 2013, Michael Patrick Smith …
Congested roads. Crumbling parking lots. Vacant strip malls. These are some of the challenges that suburbs across the country are facing today. Architect June Williamson is a proponent of mixed-use developments that create more efficient suburbia. This vision creates a 15-minute suburb where basic amenities and activities are walkable, and spaces bring …
How often do you skim a headline and feel like that’s all you need to know? Or gather your daily news from a Twitter or Facebook feed? Economist & journalist Tim Harford joins Viewpoints this week to share the impacts of sensationalized or one-sided information and how we can all become more inquisitive consumers of content.
As some schools return back to in-person learning, we take a look at a few of the ways teaching has changed this year, including new safety precautions and the use of continued e-learning technology. Kelly Rigg is an eighth-grade teacher in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and shares what’s it’s been like to be back teaching in the classroom full-time during a …
Today, the field of forensic science is one of the most important tools that investigators have in cracking a case. From forensic geology to DNA analysis to ballistics, analyzing the science behind each crime is crucial. To better understand its beginnings, we go back to the twentieth century to shed a light on Edward Oscar Heinrich – an innovative man who …
Between the internet, radio, podcasts and books, there’s a wide breadth of information out there on how to get your finances in order. But sometimes the mixed advice and confusing explanations can lead to complete inaction. This week, we speak to a personal finance expert about the starting key steps you can take to build your financial future and prepare …
It’s been ten months since many schools across the nation shifted to online learning. We speak with two education experts about the changes happening in the field as technology plays a bigger role.
While many small, neighborhood stores are fighting to keep their doors open, e-commerce giants like Amazon are seeing staggering growth. In fact, 2020 was the most successful year-to-date for the company. The pandemic has forced millions to buy more items online or through curbside pick-up. So, how has this shift in shopping habits changed the retail game …
Black holes have always intrigued and captured the imagination of millions since they were first theorized and coined by German physicist Karl Schwarzschild in 1916. Even today, there’s still much we have yet to learn.
The northwestern coast of South Africa & Namibia has been a mining hub for diamonds since the 1900’s. Local workers labor through long shifts and hazardous working conditions in order to feed their families. The pay? Roughly five cents per carat of rough diamonds found. While some may argue that the industry stimulates the local economy, once a company …
Before the pandemic, roughly 4 in 10 people across the world believed that if science didn't exist their lives would be no different, according to a global survey conducted by 3M Corporation. We dig into this staggering statistic and how COVID-19 has altered people's perception of the field.
Compulsive buying disorder affects around five percent of Americans. With prime shopping season fully underway, the number of ads and limited-time deals can lead to several unneeded purchases. We speak with psychologist, Dr. Michael Vilensky about how retailers get you to keep buying and what to do if you feel like you’re shopping is getting to be a problem.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere leading to a warmer planet. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities is from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas for electricity, heat and transportation. In recent years, the increasingly dry and warm climate in the …
Tom Shone has released a new book, The Nolan Variations highlighting some of the lesser-known details about director Christopher Nolan and his films.
Planning for death is an important part of life. Getting your affairs in order and communicating your final wishes to your loved ones are two vital steps in this process. We speak with John Keith, the owner of Keith Monument, to better understand the field and some of the ways that COVID-19 has changed the way we celebrate life.
Each year, white collar crime results in losses that range between 300 and 800 billion dollars. Comparatively, other street-level crimes only total 16 billion dollars. We explore the prevalence of white-collar crime in our country and the systems that allow this corruption to flourish.
Subscribe to get the latest from Viewpoints Radio directly in your inbox.
