Abortion Laws, Stereotypes, Entrepreneurs

Abortion Laws and Reproductive Rights Under Trump Guest: Leslie Francis, JD, PhD, Professor of Philosophy and Law, Director of the Center for Law and Biomedical Sciences, Professor of Bioethics, University of Utah At the annual March for Life in Washington over the weekend, opponents of abortion expressed hope that President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress will make strides in limiting access to and federal funding for abortion. Overturning the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion 44 years ago is the ultimate hope of many in the “pro-life” movement. President Trump plans to nominate a new Supreme Court justice this week who will likely be a staunch opponent of abortion. Just what could Trump and Congressional Republicans accomplish on the subject? Stick Bugs Back from Extinction Guest: Nicholas Carlile, Researcher and Senior Scientists at the Office of Environment and Heritage, Ecosystem Management Science, Sydney, Australia A huge, strange-looking insect that was once believed extinct is now hatching in this country for the first time. Scientists call the wingless creature a “phasmid.” Its nickname is “the tree lobster,” so that should give you a mental image. It’s also known as the “The Lord Howe Island stick insect.” Lord Howe is a small island near Australia, and it was once the only known home of these giant bugs, which can grow as long as an adult human hand, and as thick as a thumb. Scientists at the San Diego Zoo acquired some of the insect eggs from keepers in Australia a year ago and the hardy species is now doing well at the zoo. Key Traits for Winning at Evolution Guest: John Wiens, Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona If you picture the entire animal kingdom laid out in a sort of family tree, the arthropod branch has more than a million species coming off it, including the tree lobster and all other insects, crustaceans and spiders. By contrast, the branch for the Xenoturbellida phylum is tiny, with just a couple of species of strange little worms with no internal organs and covered with tiny hairs for moving around in the icy ocean water.  Why do some branches of the animal kingdom tree end up with loads of different species, and others don’t? It's a question that has puzzled scientists. Two at the University of Arizona think they’ve identified three traits that are key. Their analysis will be published in the March issue of The American Naturalist.  Here is a list of animal phyla with the their number of species.  How Kids View Stereotypes Guest: Steven Roberts, Psychology Doctoral Student, University of Michigan Boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls. Girls wear pink. Boys don’t wear pink. Those are just a few examples of stereotypes that can perpetuate without us really meaning them to. As adults, we can look at them and say – “Well that’s silly. Boys and girls can play with any toy and wear any color they want.” But children don’t see through them so easily. University of Michigan researchers find that the younger the child, the more firmly they cling to stereotypes and want to see them enforced.  A Dog’s Purpose and Oscar Nominees Guest: Rod Gustafson, ParentPreviews.com Advertisers have a lot of shameless tactics to get our attention: cute babies and cute puppies are right up there. So the new film “A Dog’s Purpose” seemed like a pretty solid bet to draw crowds – and it did, coming in second at the box office over the weekend.  Entrepreneurship Guest: Jeff Brown, Assistant Director, Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship & Technolog; Mike Alder, Director of Tech Transfer Office, BYU A couple of years ago, startup activity in the US hit a 20-year-low, but entrepreneurs have been busy these last two years and business startup rates are now getting close to where they were before the Great Recession. The latest Kauffman Foundation Index of Startup Activity also found some age gaps in last year’s new entrepreneurs. There was significant growth among people 35 to 44 starting up businesses, but younger entrepreneurs are on the decline.