ISIS, Microplastics, Back Pain

What’s Next for ISIS Guest: John Macfarlane, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Utah Valley University The terror group recently released a video that claims to show their leader –a man who hasn’t been seen in five years. ISIS stands for the “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,” but they lost their last foothold in Syria last month. So, if they no longer hold any territory in either of those two countries, what now? Microplastic Pollution Spreads Worldwide Guest: John Meeker, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan You’ve probably seen morbid pictures of marine animals like sea turtles trapped with a plastic bag around their mouth or caught in 6-pack rings. But that’s just the plastic we can see-what about the plastic waste we can’t see? Scientists are discovering tiny pieces of plastic everywhere from the arctic to tap water –and that could cause serious damage to animal and human health. We’re Dealing with Low Back Pain All Wrong (Originally aired April 12, 2018) Guest: Judith Turner, Clinical Psychologist, University of Washington Medical center Low back pain is always bad news –and it’s increasingly common in the US and everywhere else in the world. But the really bad news is that the typical treatment for it –painkillers, “taking it easy,” and even shots or surgery –are not scientifically proven to be that helpful. In fact, they’re not even the first line of treatment recommended by expert groups such as the American Pain Society. Navigating with Sonar Like a Bat Frees the Blind to Move Independently (Originally aired January 14, 2019) Guest: Daniel Kish, President, World Access for the Blind Daniel Kish went blind as a 13-month-old baby. Since then he has taught himself to see like a bat by using echolocation. Today, Kish has taught the technique to hundreds of others. Where he once encountered skepticism, a number of scientific studies have validated his technique called “Flash Sonar.” Too Cute to Handle (Originally aired January 9, 2019) Guest: Oriana Aragón, Assi