What will happen when genetic advances begin to allow humans themselves to control the future of human evolution? We’ll talk this hour with Steve Potter, Ph.D., author of “Designer Genes: A New Era in the Evolution of Man” (Random House, 2010).
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What roles have carbon, silicon, neon, gold and other elements played in human history? We’ll explore these and other tales this hour with science writer Sam Kean, whose new book is “The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements” (Little, Brown and Company, 2010).
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Imagine beginning a new life in America as an adoptee only to be given another child’s identity and told to keep it a secret from your new family. That’s the story of our guest this hour – filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem. She tells the tale and searches for the truth of what really happened in her new film “In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee” which airs on KERA 13 this evening at 10pm.
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Where do ad campaigns come from and why do they work? We’ll spend this hour with W. Glenn Griffin, who leads the Method Creative program at SMU’s Temerlin Advertising Institute. His new book, written with Deborah Morrison, is “The Creative Process Illustrated: How Advertising’s Big Ideas Are Born” (How Books, 2010).
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Does our innate desire to spy on our friends and neighbors improve or harm society? We’ll talk with City University of New York Professor of Linguistics John L. Locke this hour. His new book is “Eavesdropping: An Intimate History” (Oxford University Press, 2010).
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The State Fair of Texas begins its 24-day run this weekend and this hour we’ll explore the historic place where it all goes down with Willis Winters, Assistant Director of the Dallas Parks & Recreation Department. His new book is “Fair Park” (Arcadia Publishing, 2010).
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How important are the prevailing human moods in society to the affairs and big events of the world? We’ll talk this hour with social researcher John L. Casti, whose new book is “Mood Matters: From Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers” (Springer, 2010).
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Will there ever be a cure for the common cold? We’ll talk this hour with author and scientist Jennifer Ackerman who examines the virus, remedies that help and some that might actually make you feel worse in her new book “Ah-Choo: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold” (Twelve, 2010).
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Will the sci-fi fantasy of robots in outer space become a reality through the work of a group of local engineers? We’ll discuss NASA’s project for stationing autonomous robots on Mars with Kamesh Namuduri, associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of North Texas and leader of a team of UNT researchers working to enable those robots to make decisions, communicate with each other, and retain knowledge obtained by other robots. In the Art&Seek segment, we’ll talk with Archaeologist Michelle Rich, who led the team that discovered Mayan funerary treasures featured prominently in the Kimbell exhibition “Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea.”
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What will happen to medical care if we’re able to address specific genetic issues apparent in our own individual genomic sequences? We’ll find out this hour with editor-in-chief of “Bio-IT World” and author Kevin Davies whose new book is “The $1,000 Genome: The Revolution in DNA Sequencing and the New Era of Personalized Medicine” (Free Press, 2010).
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What will it take to finally eliminate bias against the poor and people of color in the American criminal justice system? We’ll spend this hour with Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of Equal Justice Initiative Alabama. Stevenson will address the SMU Embrey Human Rights Program “Death Penalty Matters” lecture series this evening.
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Are autonomous and intelligent robots simply the stuff of science fiction or will they be a reality before we know it? Should humans be worried? We’ll talk this hour with acclaimed science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer who’ll deliver the UTD Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology “Exploring Human Enhancement” Lecture Tonight.
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