Episode 58: Presidents & Policy
| Friday 16 Jan 2009 |
 Bookmark & Share |
To help president-elect Barack Obama celebrate his inauguration on Tuesday, January 20, Distillations is taking a look at the presidential side of chemistry. First we learn about stem cells and the controversy surrounding their research. Next we find out why 21-gun salutes are safe and not so smoky in Mystery Solved! And finally, CHF’s Jody Roberts shares his wish list for the new administration and congress. Chemical Agent: Stem Cells.
Listen now (streaming file)
Download (10.7 MB MP3 file)
Show Clock
00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:01 Chemical Agent: Stem Cells
03:30 Mystery Solved! Smokeless Gunpowder
06:32 Commentary: A Planet in Peril
11:05 Closing Credits
Resources and References
Visit the National Institutes of Health to find out more about stem cells and the research ethics for studying them.
For more about smokeless gunpowder, check out this helpful Wikipedia page.
Go to The Center, CCHP’s blog, to read Jody’s series, “A Planet in Peril.”
Credits
Jennifer Dionisio, Nicole Rietmann, and Jody Roberts researched this episode.
Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music from the PodSafe Music Network. Additional music is: ”Curiosity,” by Nalts; “Comical Salute,” by Siberian Newspaper; and “The Presidents,” by Jonathan Coulton.
This week’s image is from Barack Obama’s Web site.
Posted in Environment, History, Medicine, Society No Comments
Monday, December 1, is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. In honor of this campaign, Distillations is considering global health. First, we take a look at how silver can be used as an antimicrobial agent, specifically in a low-cost water filtration system. Then we talk to 
This week we delve into the world of experimenting on oneself. Many scientists have both knowingly and unknowingly used themselves as guinea pigs in the lab. Marie and Pierre Curie, discoverers of radium, are examples of the self-sacrificing scientist. We learn more about the Curies and others in this episode. Then we speak to Rebecca Herzig, a professor at Bates College in Maine and the author of Suffering for Science: Reason and Sacrifice in Modern America. And finally, we take a look at the latest trend at the pharmacy—home DNA test kits. Element of the Week: Radium.
We’re rather fond of chemistry here at Distillations, but even we have to admit that not everyone who’s interested in chemistry is inspired purely by a love of science. On today’s show we explore the uses of chemistry on either side of the law: as a poison, as a set of skills to create illegal substances, and as a tool for forensics. We chat with 
