This week: Chile continues to deal with the aftermath of last Saturday’s quake. You’ll hear about a famous scientist who witnessed a similar earthquake in Chile in 1835.  You’ll also hear a story about making Haiti more resilient to natural disasters. Then we have some good news about protecting marine species, and some fascinating news about the sex lives of frogs and flies. Oh, and you have until March 10th to take our ONLINE SURVEY. So please give us your feedback.

Darwin Witnessed 1835 Earthquake in Chile: Chile has a long history of powerful earthquakes like the one that struck last Saturday. A massive quake occurred there in 1835, and among those who witnessed its aftermath was none other than Charles Darwin. At the time, he was traveling around the world on the HMS Beagle. What did Darwin see, and what lessons did he draw from his observations? Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson explained that to The World’s Marco Werman.
Guest: Edward O. Wilson
From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin’s Four Great Books.
The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online.
More on Chile’s history of earthquakes from the BBC.

Restoring Haiti’s Ecology: The January earthquake in Haiti wasn’t as powerful as the one in Chile, but it was far deadlier. Haiti was more vulnerable partly because of rampant environmental degradation. Development experts say a key to making the country more resilient to natural disasters is restoring Haiti’s ecological infrastructure.
Report by: Marina Giovanelli
Check out an audio slide show of Haiti’s rural landscape.

Elsa’s Favorite Stories:

• Marine Reserves Help Ocean Health: Setting up marine reserves – swaths of ocean where no fishing is allowed – is thought to improve ocean health.  Marine scientists at the AAAS annual conference in San Diego presented new findings that explained how and where these reserves can be most helpful. One study found that heavily fished species benefited the most from the reserves. Another unpublished study found the increase in fish stocks within reserves can have a spillover effect on areas outside.
  The study about heavily fished species.
  More coverage of marine news from the AAAS meeting from Science News and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Promiscuity in Female Flies: Monogamy in female Drosophila could lead to extinction, according to a new study. The findings offer a new explanation for why female promiscuity is so common in Drosophila and perhaps in other animals (and plants), as well. Listen to Elsa explain the evolutionary forces against monogamy in this species.
  The study.
  Queen bees have another good reason to mate with lots of males.
• A Rare Monogamous Frog Species:Promiscuity can’t always ensure the survival of a species. A new study reveals that, for a particular poison dart frog in Peru, monogamy is the only way to keep the offspring alive.
  The study.

Music in Science: Sorry folks! This segment is on holiday and will return soon.

This week: You’ll learn how most of your actions are controlled by unconscious biases and impulses in your brain. Learn more about the topic in our latest World Science Forum, where you can bring your comments and questions to Shankar Vedantam. He’s a science journalist at the Washington Post and author of the new book The Hidden Brain. Also, a chemist in St. Louis tells us about his favorite music for working in the lab. Oh, and you have just one more week to take our ONLINE SURVEY. Please take a few minutes to give your feedback about this podcast!

Of Hidden Brains and Unconscious Decisions: Washington Post journalist Shankar Vedantam spoke to me about his new book The Hidden Brain. We discussed how the unconscious brain helps us with routine tasks but can also misguide us into making snap judgments and erroneous decisions. Vedantam is also the guest on our latest Science Forum. So don’ t forget to stop by with your thoughts and questions.
Guest: Shankar Vedantam.
The Hidden Brain.
Become a fan on Shankar Vedantam’s Facebook Page.

Music in Science: Jonathan Fritz runs a music magazine by day and works in a chemistry lab by night. He builds nano-scale chemical patterns on gold surfaces and studies how they interact with cells and proteins — work he started as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. Even though he’s now CEO and editor-in-chief of the start-up Eleven Magazine, he plans to apply for grad school and continue doing chemistry research. He goes to the lab after work and needs a good beat to keep him going ’til the wee hours.
Produced by: Elsa Youngsteadt
Music: North American Scum, by LCD Soundsystem.
Eleven Magazine.
Joshua Maurer’s lab, where Jonathan works.

But human behavior is largely driven by unconscious attitudes.

These attitudes reside in the deep recesses of the brain, and we ignore them at our own peril.

So says Washington Post journalist Shankar Vedantam.

Vedantam is the author of a new book, The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives.

Vedantam explores how the workings of the unconscious mind explain everything from genocide and injustice to the rise of suicide bombers.

The World’s science reporter Rhitu Chatterjee spoke with Vedantam about the role of the hidden brain in our lives and actions.  Listen to that interview here.

[player] Download MP3

Now it’s your turn to ask the questions. Join the conversation. It’s just to the right.

• Have you ever regretted a decision you made, realizing later that it was impulsive and ill-informed?
• Do you think it’s possible to change our unconscious biases by better understanding our hidden brains?
• Or does understanding our hidden brains makes us more confused, less sure of our decisions?

This week: You’ll learn about China’s water pollution problems. You’ll hear a story about efforts to rebuild an ancient footbridge across the Blue Nile in Ethiopia. Whale evolution is among Elsa’s favorite stories this week. And a marine biologist tells us about the music that keeps him company while he searches the deep sea waters for new species.  And, we have an ONLINE SURVEY for you. Please take a few minutes to give your feedback about this podcast.

China’s Dirty Water Problem: You may already know that China has some of the worst water pollution problems in the world.  Well, the Chinese government recently released its first comprehensive review of pollution sources, and the problem appears to be even worse than previously thought.  The study found that by at least one key measure, water pollution is twice as bad as the government had reported just two years ago.  Peter Gleick is president of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, and he has written extensively on China’s water challenges.  He gave us some perspective on these new findings.
Guest: Peter Gleick.

Elsa’s Favorite Science Stories:

• Scanning for Painting Forgeries: Scientists are now using a medical imaging technology to tell whether historic paintings have been altered. The imaging technique, called Optical Coherence Tomography, is used by doctors to scan the retina to detect vision problems. When used to analyze paintings, it becomes a valuable tool to look deeper into the layers of paint and varnish.
  The study. (Includes photos of the paintings the researchers analyzed.)
  NPR story on yet another way of discovering art fakes.
• Whales, Whales, and More Whales: Two new studies elucidate important aspects of whale evolutionary biology. One uses old and forgotten fossil specimens to connect modern-day baleen whales with their filter-feeding predecessors in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The other uses statistical models to discover an important factor behind the diversity of whales in our oceans today – diatoms. These tiny single-celled organisms form the base of the modern marine food web; their evolution has, in turn, supported the diversification of whales.
  The giant filter-feeding fish study.
  The diatom diversity study.
  Discover blog post about the filter-feeding fish.

Music in Science: We may be whaled out by now, but we aren’t leaving the oceans yet. In our music segment this week, a marine biologist from the U.K takes us deep down under the sea where he’s studying marine species. His name is Jon Copley, and he’s a researcher at England’s University of Southampton. What does Copley listen to while he peers into the oceans from his ship with a remotely operated vehicle? Listen and find out.
Produced by: Elsa Youngsteadt
Music: Two Tribes, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Rebuilding the Blue Nile Footbridge: In the Blue Nile Canyon of Ethiopia, a single footbridge is the only connection for people who live on opposite sides of the river. The ancient bridge has been repeatedly destroyed and repaired over the centuries. Now, a team of American volunteers has built a new, sturdier suspension bridge across the chasm. Reporter Daniel Glick was there as the new span was put into place.
View a slide show of the project.
View map.

Credit: Bridges to Prosperity.

Tell Us What you Think Of This Podcast: Please fill out this ONLINE SURVEY, and help us improve this podcast with your feedback. It’ll only take a few minutes of your time.

This week: We’re focusing this episode on the role of genetically modified (GM) crops in increasing food security around the world. You’ll hear two experts – one Indian and one American – talk about India’s decision to temporarily reject a GM eggplant variety. And we’ll continue the conversation about genetic engineering and its potential role in increasing global food security on The World Science Forum. Also, the World’s Alex Gallafent explains the science of a shootout. And Elsa Youngsteadt talks about her favorite music to listen to while doing science.

Science of a Shootout: It’s a standard feature of old Hollywood westerns - a shootout between a good guy and a bad guy. The bad guy reaches for his gun first, and he loses. But why does he lose? Now there’s a scientific explanation. Sort of.
Report by: The World’s Alex Gallafent.

India’s Decision on Bt Brinjal: The Indian government this week placed a moratorium on a new transgenic variety of eggplant, or brinjal (as it’s called in India). The eggplant contains a gene that produces a toxin (known as Bt, named after the bacteria it comes from) that kills certain pests. The company that developed the crop variety says it can boost yields and reduce pesticide use. But the Indian government is calling for long-term tests to ensure the eggplant doesn’t endanger human health or the environment. I spoke with Indian scientist Pushpa Bhargava about India’s decision to conduct independent tests on the crop. Bhargava was chosen by the Indian Supreme Court to evaluate data on the crop.
And Marco Werman spoke about the eggplant controversy with biologist and author Lisa Weasel. She’s a professor of biology at Portland State University and the author of Food Fray: Inside the Controversy over Genetically Modified Food.
Guests: Pushpa Bhargava and Lisa Weasel.
The World Science Forum.
Science Magazine’s special issue on tacking global food security.

Music in Science: Elsa Youngsteadt edits science news for the professional society Sima Xi. A few years ago she was studying chemical communication in ants. What music did she listen to as she sat in her lab mounting dead ants on pins? Find out in this week’s podcast.
Produced by: Elsa Youngsteadt
Note from Elsa: Here’s a link to the band, Les Croquants. (Sorry about my pronunciation there…) The song was “Accordeon.”

The company that developed it, an Indian subsidiary of Monsanto, claims the crop can reduce pesticide use and boost yields. But the Indian government has decided not to approve the crop until an independent assessment is conducted to examine possible impacts on human health and the environment.

What does this mean for the future of GM crops in India and elsewhere? And does this technology have a role to play in feeding the world’s hungry?

The World’s Marco Werman put these questions to Dr. Lisa Weasel. She’s a professor of biology at Portland State University and the author of Food Fray: Inside the Controversy over Genetically Modified Food. She writes that GM crops are more of “a condiment than a main course” in addressing global food security.

Listen to that interview here.[player] Download MP3

The World’s science reporter Rhitu Chatterjee also spoke with Indian scientist Pushpa Bhargava, a member of an independent scientific committee that evaluated the data on the new eggplant. Listen to that interview on this week’s The World Science Podcast.

Now it’s your turn to chat with Lisa Weasel. Join the conversation — it’s just to the right.

• Human beings have been altering plants ever since the beginning of agriculture. Why is genetic engineering any different from the older, more traditional ways of tinkering with crop varieties?

• Is there any scientific evidence of harm to human health from eating GM food?

• Why are small farmers in developing countries especially concerned about GM crops?

This week: We’re taking you to Sydney where residents are getting their drinking water from a new desalination plant. Then to Europe where researchers found signs of consciousness inside the brains of seemingly unconscious people. Then a story about the discovery of an ancient civilization in the Brazilian Amazon. Elsa’s back with news about the evolution of human emotional expressions. And a researcher from Corvallis, OR tells us about his favorite music for doing science.

The Active Brains of ‘Vegetative’ Patients: A new study by British and Belgian scientists has raised provocative questions about the inner lives of patients in what doctors call a ‘vegetative state.’ They’re seemingly unaware of their surroundings. The new study finds that its possible for some of these patients to respond to simple “yes” and “no” questions with their brains.
Report by: Rhitu Chatterjee.
The study.

An Australian Water Factory: For years Sydney has been experiencing erratic rainfall. But the city may have found a solution to its water crisis. Starting this winter, Sydney’s residents will be getting their drinking water from a new desalination plant.
Story by: Phil Mercer
The Australian government on the future of its water sources.
Read a transcript of this story.

Elsa’s Favorite Science Stories:

• Insect Migration: Two new studies reveal how migratory insects have evolved for efficient long-distance flights.
  The study about Monarch butterfly wings.
  BBC coverage.
  We talked about monarch migration in Podcast #33, too.
  The study on high-flying migratory moths.
  More on the moths’ adaptations from NPR.
• Cold War Affected Bird Diversity: The Cold War didn’t just divide people of Western and Eastern Europe. It also curtailed the movement of alien bird species across the continent.
  The study.
• Expressing Emotions Across Cultures: Some vocal expressions seem to be more universal than others. When asked to interpret another culture’s non-verbal sounds, people found it easier to understand expressions of disgust and pain than those of surprise and pleasure.
  Note from Elsa: To do this study, the researchers had to find people who were not already exposed to western culture. They worked with the Himba, a semi-nomadic group in Namibia. I talked with study author Disa Sauter, and she told me that she worried about introducing remote groups of Himba to western clothes, technology, and stuff for the first time. They might want the same things and begin to devalue their own culture. But instead it turned out that the Himba pitied the poor researchers because they didn’t have any cows! As pastoralists, the Himba measure wealth and status in livestock, and were concerned for the pitiable westerners who didn’t have even a single goat.
  The study.
  BBC coverage.
  Listen to expressions of amusement, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise and achievement. In this sound file, we’ve included Western and Himba versions of each emotion, in that order. Download MP3
  Disa Sauter for provided the recordings of emotional expressions.
  Photo: A Himba woman participates in the study. Credit: Frank Eisner.

Amazon Geoglyphs: The Amazon forest covers over a billion and a half acres of South America. The forest is dense and inhospitable to humans and anthropologists have long thought that its only inhabited by small and simple societies. But that hasn’t stopped rumors about long-lost civilizations deep inside the Amazon. Could there be any truth to those rumors? Find out in this story.
Report by: The World’s Marina Giovanelli.
Report on Pre-Columbian Geometric Earthworks.
Geoglifos.com

Music in Science: Luis Valenzuela studies root growth in berry crops at Oregon State University. His work could help farmers know the best time fertilize their crops. Luis’s days in the field are often long and uncomfortable–he spends most of his time observing roots underground using a special camera and clear plastic tubes. Luis told us which music can cheer him up when he feels burned out.
Produced by: Elsa Youngsteadt

This week: A movied called Creation has just opened in theaters across the U.S. It’s based on a biography of Charles Darwin written by his great great grandson, Randal Keynes. You’ll hear an interview with Keynes about the movie, and you’ll have a chance to ask Keynes your own questions in this week’s Science Forum. Also in today’s show – the difference between running with shoes and running barefoot. And another researcher describes his musical favorites for doing science.

Creation: The movie tells the story of Charles Darwin’s personal struggles when he was working on his world-changing treatise On the Origin of Species. I spoke with Randal Keynes, who wrote the book that is the basis of the movie. Keynes is also a direct descendant of Darwin. I asked Keynes about the process of turning his book into a film. Keynes will be taking questions from you on this week’s Science Forum. Come join the conversation about Darwin’s life and his work. See link below.
Guest: Randal Keynes.
The official movie site for Creation.
Join the discussion with Randal Keynes in The World Science Forum.

Running Barefoot: A new study finds that people who run barefoot move very differently from people who run in modern athletic shoes. The research, conducted in the U.S. and Kenya, found that shoeless runners land on the front or middle of the foot, whereas shod runners land on the heel. The researchers say running in shoes — as most Americans do — causes the body to strike the ground with more force and may increase the odds of athletic injuries.
Report: By Keith Seinfeld of station KPLU.

Music in Science: Kevin Feldheim is an evolutionary biologist at the Field Museum in Chicago. He’s working on the genetic diversity of lemon sharks. On most days he can be found in the lab sequencing shark DNA while listening to trance music.
Produced by: The World’s Marina Giovanelli
Kevin Feldheim’s bio.

The film chronicles the life and work of  Charles Darwin.

The movie is directed by Jon Amiel. Paul Bettany stars as Darwin. Jennfer Connelly plays Darwin’s wife, Emma.

Creation is based on a biography written by Charles Darwin’s great great grandson, Randal Keynes.

Keynes is a conservationist and author who lives in London.

The World’s science correspondent, Rhitu Chatterjee, spoke with Keynes about his famous ancestor and the experience of seeing his book turned into a movie.

Listen to that interview here.[player] Download MP3

Now it’s your turn to chat with Randal Keynes. Join the conversation — it’s just to the right.

• Did Keynes’s famous pedigree prompt his decision to become a conservation biologist?
• What is it like for Keynes to see the species Darwin studied — in the Galapagos, for instance — threatened with extinction?
• Have you seen the movie Creation?  Did it change your view of Darwin as a man?

This week: We explore what different countries are doing to reduce the shortage of organs for transplantation. You’ll hear a story about a new Israeli law that’s trying to encourage people to donate their organs. You’ll also hear an interview with a transplant surgeon from Kuwait about the Iranian system of paying living kidney donors. You can ask him your own questions in this week’s Science Forum. And our weekly guest Elsa joins me on the phone with her favorite stories.

Israel’s New Law: There’s a worldwide shortage of organs for transplantation.To tackle that shortage, many countries are experimenting with new strategies. Israel just enacted a new law to try and increase the country’s extremely low rates of organ donation. When its time to receive an organ, a donor gets preference over a non-donor. The law also offers financial incentives to the families of deceased organ donors.
Report by: The World’s Aaron Schachter.
Photo credit for image above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_owen/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Should Buying and Selling of Organs be Legalized? Iran has already legalized the buying of kidneys from living donors. Some say the system is unethical and coercive, while others say its a system worth copying perhaps even in the U.S. We speak with Dr. Mustafa Al-Mousawi, the former president of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation about how the system’s faring. Dr. Al-Mousawi is also the guest on this week’s Science Forum. So,  you can ask him your own questions. See link below.
Guest: Dr. Mustafa Al-Mousawi.
Join the discussion with Dr. Al-Mousawi on The World Science Forum.

Elsa’s Favorite Science Stories:

• Really Long Eclipse: You may or may not have missed the solar eclipse on January 15. But we tell you why it was so long. It lasted up to 11 minutes and 8 seconds, and was the longest annular eclipse of the millennium.
  See photos of the eclipse from the BBC, National Geographic, and The Guardian.
  Astronomer Jay Pasachoff posted three blog entries and a podcast about the eclipse.
  More eclipse resources from NASA.
• Charcoal for Climate Change? Biochar—a form of charcoal–was a popular fertilizer in the Pre-Columbian Amazon. It has resurfaced in recent years, not only because of its soil-enriching powers, but also because of its potential benefits on climate. You see, making charcoal out of dead plants takes carbon out of circulation—instead of releasing it back into the atmosphere as CO2. But a new study warns that not all biochar is equal: Profitability and climate benefit both depend on what kind of plants are used to make the charcoal.
  The study.
  More about biochar from Nature.
• Single-Celled Engineers: Slime molds connect the dots just as well as engineers do—but without a brain. Japanese researchers studying the molds’ networking process have come up with a mathematical model that described the organism’s decision making process. The formula could help engineers create self-organizing communication networks.
  The study.
  Read a Smithsonian article about the natural history of slime molds.

  Image: Slime mold (Physarum polycephalum) connects oat flakes overlaid on a map of Tokyo (left). Slime mold networks (top right) often resembled the layout of the real Tokyo rail system (bottom right). Courtesy of Science/AAAS.

Music in Science: Sorry guys! This segment will return next week.