Russian Hacks, Cold Medicine, Molecules on Cellphones

Russian Hacks and Tillerson’s Putin Connection Guest: Ryan Vogel, JD, Professor, Founding Director of the Center for National Security Studies, Utah Valley University A public dispute is playing out over a secret assessment by the CIA that Russian hackers were doing more than just trying to meddle with the 2016 election – they were out to help Donald Trump win. Trump has rejected the claims as “ridiculous.” The FBI and the Officer of the Director of National Intelligence have also declined to endorse the CIA’s assessment. A bi-partisan group of US Senators is calling for an investigation into the claims, but there’s not a unanimous agreement on the question in Congress.  Why You Probably Shouldn’t Give Young Kids Cold Medicine Guest: Edward Bell, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Drake University A sick kid coughing so much that she can’t sleep – and neither can you . . . there are few parenting challenges more frustrating. Especially since doctors and drug manufacturers, over the last 30 years, have been continually revising the guidelines on which over-the-counter cold medicines are okay for kids and which aren’t. Much of what parents used to rely on to ease the cough and help a child sleep really isn’t recommended for youngsters anymore. What’s a tired parent to do? Fast Food Calorie Labels Don’t Change Habits Guest: Andrew Breck, Doctoral Candidate at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service In six months, the FDA will require all chain restaurants, with at least 20 locations in the U.S., to display calorie counts on their menus. The idea is that since Americans eat a third of their calories away from home, more info on just what we’re consuming will encourage us to eat healthier.  Apple Seed Guest: Sam Payne, Host of BYUradio's "The Apple Seed" Sam Payne joins us in the studio to share tales of tellers and stories. Recycling Textiles into New Clothes Guest: Jana Hawley, PhD, Director of the John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Arizona, board member of the Council of Textile Recycling Those labels on paper and plastic packaging that say what percentage of it is recycled material could, somewhere down the road, end up on your clothes, too. Patagonia, along with several other outdoor apparel companies, have started using recycled textiles—down, zippers, wool, polyester—in some of their products, but the process is so complicated that most clothing companies still rule it out.  Your Smartphone Knows ALL Your Secrets Guest: Pieter Dorrestein, PhD, Professor of Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego There’s a scene early in the BBC TV series Sherlock, where Sherlock Holmes deduces pretty much all of John Watson’s personal and family secrets just by looking at the scuff marks on his cell phone. It’s a fun, fanciful exchange. But chemists at the University of California San Diego’s Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences could give Sherlock a run for his money. By swabbing a cell phone, they can tell what you eat, what you wear and even what medicine you take.