Xi and Mao's Legacy, Flu Shots, The Most Mysterious Star

Chinese President Xi and the Legacy of Mao Guest: Andrew Walder, PhD, Professor of Political Sociology, Stanford University, Author, “China Under Mao” After his first official visit to China last week, President Trump raved about the elegant reception he received and great chemistry he felt with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump mentioned to reporters that President Xi is “the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. Some people say more powerful than Mao.”  Is it true? And if so, what does that mean for the Chinese people and China’s relationship with the US? The Flu Shot – What You Need to Know Guest: Lynora Saxinger, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alberta School of Medicine It’s flu season. Let’s talk flu shots for a few minutes. Should you get one? At what point in the season is it too late to bother?  A Most Mysterious Star Guest: Tabetha Boyajian, PhD, Assistant Professor of Astronomy and Physics, Louisiana State University When NASA sent a telescope to space aboard the Kepler spacecraft, the goal was to look for planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy. Other Earths orbiting other suns, if you will. Over four years, Kepler sent back a huge amount of data – so much that NASA decided to call for backup and released the data online for amateur “Planet Hunters” to comb through. Those amateurs managed to find one of the most mysterious stellar objects ever identified. Then things got a little weird. Some of the Planet Hunters became convinced aliens were the likely explanation for the strange stellar object they’d discovered. Louisiana State University astronomer Tabetha Boyajian couldn’t blame them. Discovering aliens would be really cool, she says. But alas, she’s just co-authored a paper identifying a more plausible scientific explanation. Eight Flavors of American Cuisine (Originally aired Feb 24, 2017) Guest: Sarah Lohman, Historical Gastronomist, Author, "Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine” American food. What makes the cut? Hamburgers and hotdogs? Pizza? French Fries? Apple Pie? Maybe there’s not a truly American food or flavor because everything we eat today originated in the recipes and tastes our immigrant forefathers brought with them from other lands a few hundred years ago.  Sarah Lohman set out to test that theory. She’s an historical gastronomist – which means, among other things, that she spends a lot of time recreating very old recipes - and through a combination of data analytics and sleuthing, she settled on eight central flavors of American food: vanilla, black pepper, garlic, chili powder, soy sauce, curry powder, Sriracha and MSG.  Check out Sarah's blog here.