Noise, Galapagos, Rivers of Mercury

Noise Guest: David Owen, author, "Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World" Our world is getting louder, what with airplanes, trains, crowds, music, and wireless headphones in our ears at all hours. What kind of damage does noise do to our bodies? Would we want to live in silence instead, though? Galapagos Guest: Elizabeth Hennessy, Assistant Professor, History and Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author, "On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden" The Galapagos became famous for what they taught us about evolution. But now scientists are debating efforts to preserve species that live there, which may work against the forces of evolution. An Element of Mystery Guest: Philip Ball, author, "The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China. China’s first emperor created many of China’s magnificent monuments. Perhaps the most magnificent has not yet been uncovered. But we do know that his fascination with mercury as an elixer of life may have killed him. Do we need to worry about an asteroid impact? Guest: Paul Sutter, astrophysicist, Ohio State University, author, and host of “Ask a Spaceman” podcast How likely is it that we could have a catastrophic collision with an asteroid?