Creepy Robots, Hostile Design, Horn Doctor

Shipwrecks and Sunken Cities: The Work of Underwater Archaeology (Originally aired April 10, 2019) Guest: Peter B. Campbell, Archaeological Director for the Albanian Center for Marine Research, Underwater Archaeologist for the Cave Archaeology Investigation & Research Network, Research Associate with RPM Nautical Foundation Divers recently discovered an Egyptian temple under water, along with boats filled with treasure. This sunken city used to be a bustling metropolis –Cleopatra was even crowned there. Now it’s covered in water, and it’s up to marine archaeologists to drain the city of its secrets. That’s a job Indiana Jones might be envious of. Pregnant in Prison (Originally aired April 25, 2019) Guest: Carolyn Sufrin, Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Women are the fastest growing segment of America’s prison population. And sometimes they’re pregnant while behind bars. We don’t know exactly how common that is because the federal government keeps track of deaths that happen in prisons, but not births. We do know that sometimes incarcerated women are shackled to a bed during labor as a guard stands watch. Carolyn Sufrin delivered a baby for a prisoner in that situation years ago and it launched her research to understand the scope of problem in America. Diabetes Crisis Growing Among World’s Refugees (Originally aired April 29, 2019) Guest: Sylvia Kehlenbrink, Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Endocrinologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Contagious diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis get a lot of focus from the international health community during a humanitarian crisis. An outbreak of a disease that spreads fast like that can be devastating in a refugee camp or a village that’s suffered a natural disaster. Chronic diseases that aren’t contagious –like diabetes -get less attention. In fact, endocrinologist Sylvia Kehlenbrink has found that humanitarian aid workers are more likely to have antibiotics on hand than insulin. She’s seen refugees with diabetes die as a result of that. Human Looking Robots May Not Be Ideal (Originally aired April 4, 2019) Guest: Kerstin Haring, Assistant Professor, University of Denver, Former Researcher for the U.S. Air Force Cartoons are full of friendly robots –Disney’s especially good at that: Big Hero Six, Wall-E, the whole crew in the Robots movie. Big eyes, soft, rounded features. You just want to take ‘em home and love ‘em. But in I ROBOT, they’re human-size with human-like faces; they’re supposed to be trustworthy, but Will Smith’s character is not having it. When robots become a central part of our lives in the not-too-distant future, should they look like humans or not? Designing a Bench to Deter Sitting (Originally aired March 29, 2019) Guest: Dean Harvey, co-founder of Factory Furniture In the San Francisco Bay Area, a new addition to public transit stations is getting a lot of criticism on social media. The gates where you swipe your ticket and then squeeze through between the barriers that momentarily retract to let you through –you know what I’m talking about, right? Lots of transit stations have them –well the Bay Area Rapid Transit has installed metal plates that pop up from inside those plastic barriers things and make it harder to jump the gate and cheat. People are appalled at this latest example of what’s sometimes called “hostile design” where cities make things to deter certain activities. Keeping the Jazz Age Alive with Handmade Custom Instruments (Originally aired April 17, 2019) Guest: Mike Corrigan, Owner of the Best American Craftsman (BAC) When I think of old school jazz, Louis Armstrong comes to mind. Back in the 30s and 40s, it wasn’t just the performer or the music that was important, but also the craftsmanship of the instrument. A trumpet used to be as much a work of art as the jazz it played. Most horns were handmade by master craftsman before mass production came along. Today, there are still a few companies left that will build you a one-of-a-kind instrument. One of these is Best American Craftsman in Kansas City.