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22:28

James Trefil Discusses Cities as Ecosystems.

Physicist James Trefil. His new book, "A Scientist in the City," (Doubleday) is a exploration of how the laws of nature and technology came together to make our cities. Trefil starts by looking at cities as natural ecosystems, and then looks at the key scientific discoveries that made cities possible. Trefil has written more than ten books on science, including, "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Science." Trefil is also a regular commentator for NPR, and he teaches at George Mason University.

Interview
21:32

The Origins of the Universe.

Astrophysicist George Smoot. Since 1974 he's worked on NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite, leading the instrument team that detected cosmic "seeds." In 1992 he announced that he and a team of researchers had detected the biggest, oldest objects ever observed in the universe, the "cosmic seeds" that were the origin of galaxies and clusters of galaxies.

Interview
16:16

The New Networked Frontier.

Writer Howard Rheingold. In his newest book, "The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier" (Addison- Wesley) he argues that although computer mediated communication has made it possible for people to have access to almost anything, it is dangerous as well. Rheingold says individuals must keep using the internet as a way to express their views or they will loose the ability to do so, as the government and large corporations become more aware of the technology's capabilities.

Interview
23:03

Scientist Dr. Paul Mayewski.

Dr. Paul Mayewski, chief scientist with the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2. The project archives tubes of ice extracted from Greenland which chronicle 250,000 years of the earth's atmosphere, and changes in the climate. From the ice, scientists can pinpoint the start of the industrial revolution, or the end of the ice age. Scientists hope, by looking at the ice, they can better understand rapid changes in the earth's climate. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Interview
22:42

The Information Highway.

Computer activist Mitch Kapor. A new digital information highway is in the formative stages that will carry voice, data, and video services to everyone. We'll talk with Mitch Kapor, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which wants to make sure everyone has access to the new highway. Kapor also founded the Lotus software company.

Interview
15:58

Uncertainty in Heisenberg's Role in Germany's Atomic Bomb Program

Investigative journalist Tom Powers has written a new book about the German attempt to get an atomic bomb, the threat that terrified American scientists and military during World War II. The book is "Heisenberg's War." At the center of the story is German physicist and Nobel laureate Werner Heisenberg. While other preeminent scientists left Germany with the rise of the Reich, Heinsenberg chose to stay to defend what was left of "good science." The program weapons program failed.

22:43

Physicist Steven Weinberg on His Search for a "Final Theory"

Weinberg received the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physics. He's the author of "The First Three Minutes," about the Big Bang. He's currently working on what he calls the "final theory," the search for the ultimate laws of nature--for the final answer to our questions about why nature is the way it is. That search is tied up with work on the Superconducting Super Collider. His new book is called "Dreams of the Final Theory,"

Interview
16:09

Roger D. Stone Discusses Environmental Policy.

Author and Senior Fellow at the World Wildlife Fund, Roger D. Stone. He's on his way to Rio de Janeiro for the Earth Summit. His book, "The Nature of Development: A Report from the Rural Tropics on the Quest for Sustainable Economic Growth," (by Knopf) in which he theorizes that the only way to protect an environment is to provide economically viable, ecologically sound alternatives for the the people who live there.

Interview
21:47

Jessica Tuchman Mathews Discusses the Global Nature of Environmental Issues.

Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Vice President of the World Resources Institute, which she helped to found, discusses global environmental issues. Many environmental issues, like the greenhouse effect and air and water pollution, cross national borders and their solutions depend on international cooperation. Mathews is also a columnist for The Washington Post and was on the staff of the National Security Council during the Carter Administration.

22:27

Race and Environmental Policy.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released a report that examined the link between race and pollution. That report said that while things like toxic waste dumps are disproportionately located in poor areas, they're NOT disproportionately located in black areas. We look at both sides of the question...
1) First, Terry talks with sociologist Robert Bullard, author of the book, "Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality." He disagrees with the EPA report.

15:04

Howard Rheingold Discusses "Virtual Reality."

Writer Howard Rheingold. Rheingold's new book, "Virtual Reality," is a look at the growing promise and impact of a radical new technology. By combining computers with sophisticated equipment (such as 3-D video glasses and gloves that sense how the wearer is moving their hands), it's possible to create the illusion that one is in another world, one that may exist only inside the computer. The technology has implications for everything from space exploration to entertainment, medicine to warfare. (The book's published by Summit Books).

Interview
22:36

Environmentalist and Earth First! Founder Dave Foreman

Foreman faces federal felony charges for allegedly plotting to blow up power lines leading to a nuclear power plant. His organization Earth First! has been praised and vilified for its use of "monkey wrenching" -- acts of sabotage and civil disobedience against organizations that are hurting the earth. Foreman, who has since distanced himself from the group, has a new book, called "Confessions of an Eco-Warrior."

Interview
22:58

Science Writer Timothy Ferris.

Science writer Timothy Ferris. In his new book, "The Mind's Sky," Ferris explores the relationship between the universe and how our brains' see the universe. Ferris's earlier books include the best-seller, "Coming Of Age In The Milky Way."

Interview
23:58

NASA's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Writer Frank White's book "The SETI Factor," looks at the ongoing search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In 1992, NASA will begin a comprehensive scan of the heavens for radio signals from other solar systems. White says, as a result of that search, it's quite likely that within the next 25 years we'll finally know if we're alone in the universe.

Interview

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