Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
Ethanol is a key additive in the gas that powers our cars and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. But with electric cars gaining popularity – how long will this massive ethanol market survive? How are producers making this process more environmentally friendly?
Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life – approximately 800,000 species. But these vibrant, colorful landscapes are more than just a home for life; coral reefs are animals themselves.
With the opioid epidemic raging on into 2022, what’s on the forefront of treatment research when it comes to better tackling substance use disorders? Dr. Anna Rose Childress, a professor and psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, joins us this week to breakdown the decades-long epidemic, the challenges of treating …
From weather forecasting to cellular coverage to global imaging, we heavily rely on space satellites in our day to day lives. We discuss the serious issue of human-created space debris and what’s being done to curb this problem before it reaches catastrophic levels.
The isolation of the pandemic has taken a big toll on young people as rates of depression, anxiety and other mental disorders have sharply risen in children and adolescents. What are the key areas that need to be fixed? Why is mental health just as important as physical health? We answer these questions and more this week on Viewpoints.
By 2030, 74 million Baby Boomers in the U.S. will be 65 or older. As people age, this means bigger burdens on the healthcare system, senior housing and care. But, what if one day, we could slow down this process of biological aging? Two researchers from Northwestern University join us this week to share some of the latest innovations in the anti-aging field.
We’ve barely just scratched the surface of space exploration. Many scientists at NASA and in the private sector have set their sights on the eventual human mission to Mars – but what lies past the red planet? Will humans one day be able to travel outside of our solar system? Physicist Dr. Daniel Whiteson joins us this week to explain the strange and …
The FDA is a massive organization that handles a wide variety of regulations and responsibilities. However, some critics argue that the FDA has failed to evolve with the times, spending large amounts of resources on dated measures and messaging tactics. Former FDA employee Dr. Richard Williams joins us this week to highlight some of these issues within food …
Archaeologists have recently discovered proof of beer-making in the Middle East dating back more than thirteen thousand years. While the rise of hard seltzers has been making headlines lately, beer has a rich cultural history and has evolved as a drink over thousands of years.
For many decades, scientists have been trying to decode this disease with no avail. Instead, more questions keep popping up as we learn more about this complex disease and face dead ends in treatment exploration. Two experts in the field join Viewpoints this week to shed some light on modern Alzheimer’s research.
These majestic creatures walked the Earth more than 230 million years ago, yet, even today, they capture our wildest imaginations. Most us have heard the familiar narrative that an asteroid collided with Earth and this catastrophic event led to their downfall..but is there more to the story?
For astronauts in space, sleeping in a zero-gravity environment surrounded by loud fans, bright lights and cramped quarters can be an issue. We discuss some of the bodily systems behind sleep and how astronauts in space for months on end deal with these challenges.
Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson both made history last month as they rocketed out of Earth’s atmosphere and successfully reached space. This trip was many years in the making as both billionaires built their own respective companies, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, to transport them to space as private civilians. Now, people are lining up and paying hefty …
Many people are worried that non-native plants and animals are invading the U.S. and preventing native species from thriving. Each year, a lot of money and time is spent trying to rid the land of these aliens - often to no avail. But, are these species present because they’re the only ones that can exist in that environment?
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.
The wintry storm that crippled the entire state of Texas last month is estimated to cost 195 billion dollars in damages and has already been linked to dozens of deaths due to prolonged exposure of extreme cold. For several days, millions of Texans were left without heat in their homes, no running or clean water and food shortages. What factors fed into this …
The Jupiter moon, Europa is 390 million miles away from Earth. In 2025, the NASA Europa Clipper mission launches and is estimated to arrive in Jupiter’s orbit by 2031. Why Europa? Underneath its radiated surface, the icy moon is believed to host a vast ocean similar to Earth’s that has ample conditions for complex life. Author David W. Brown joins Viewpoints …
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 …
The field of attribution science studies extreme weather events in order to uncover what role man-made climate change plays in the severity or likelihood of each disaster. We speak to renowned climatologist Dr. Friederike Otto to better understand the reasonings behind attribution science and the implications this research has on science, global politics and …
Who do you think of when you read or hear the word, psychopath? Rarely does anyone think of the mild-mannered neuroscientist next door. We speak to two experts about what the term actually means in the medical world, how it’s tested for in various people and why many people who have psychopathic tendencies are able to function in a non-violent, productive …
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.
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.
The rise and fall of the now defunct blood-testing company Theranos has captivated the attention of millions and exposed the dark side of the startup culture in Silicon Valley. Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, is awaiting trial next summer, facing 11 felony charges for allegedly defrauding the public. We speak with Stanford professor Dr. …
We talk to two experts who say children take to science readily if it’s presented in the right way by tapping into the “ick factor” that seems to fascinate them.
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