Health Consequences of Mining Coal from Mountain Tops

Health Consequences of Mining Coal from Mountain Tops Top of Mind with Julie Rose • Season 1, Episode 847, Segment 4

Jul 3, 2018 • 16m

Guest: Michael Hendryx, PhD, Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, Indiana University School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington America has been steadily moving away from coal as a source of energy during the last decade, but coal still accounts for a third of all electricity generated in the US. The coal mining process called mountaintop removal offers some advantages, but a growing body of research also suggests it comes at considerable cost to human health.

Other Segments

Syrian War Pushes 250,000 Refugees to Tense Southern BorderJul 3, 201820mGuests: Steven Lobell, PhD, Professor of Political Science, University of Utah; John Macfarlane, PhD, Professor of Political Science, Utah Valley University The United Nations says more than 250,000 people have fled the southern Syrian city of Dara’a in the last week to escape violence. Many of those people are now camped out on the border with Jordan and Israel hoping to be allowed in as refugees, right in the midst of the latest wave of fighting between the Syrian government and one of the last rebel strongholds in the war-ravaged country.

Guests: Steven Lobell, PhD, Professor of Political Science, University of Utah; John Macfarlane, PhD, Professor of Political Science, Utah Valley University The United Nations says more than 250,000 people have fled the southern Syrian city of Dara’a in the last week to escape violence. Many of those people are now camped out on the border with Jordan and Israel hoping to be allowed in as refugees, right in the midst of the latest wave of fighting between the Syrian government and one of the last rebel strongholds in the war-ravaged country.

White Shark CaféJul 3, 201814mGuest: Barbara Block, PhD, Professor of Biology, Stanford University Great White Sharks live in the coastal waters of most major oceans, but once or twice a year they head off to a remote area in the Pacific that looks like a barren ocean “desert” on satellite images. Now scientists know those images are misleading, and explore the area now dubbed the White Shark Café.

Guest: Barbara Block, PhD, Professor of Biology, Stanford University Great White Sharks live in the coastal waters of most major oceans, but once or twice a year they head off to a remote area in the Pacific that looks like a barren ocean “desert” on satellite images. Now scientists know those images are misleading, and explore the area now dubbed the White Shark Café.

Cooling Our Buildings With SpaceJul 3, 201816mGuest: Aaswath Raman, PhD, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Co-Founder, CSO, SkyCool Systems Long before modern refrigeration, ancient peoples made ice in hot desert climates. Sounds impossible without electricity, but remains of “ice houses” can be found throughout the Middle East and China. The lost art of “ice houses” could change how modern cooling systems work today.

Guest: Aaswath Raman, PhD, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Co-Founder, CSO, SkyCool Systems Long before modern refrigeration, ancient peoples made ice in hot desert climates. Sounds impossible without electricity, but remains of “ice houses” can be found throughout the Middle East and China. The lost art of “ice houses” could change how modern cooling systems work today.

Why Do We Revere the US Constitution but Ignore Our State Versions? Jul 3, 201818mGuest: Jeremy Pope, PhD, Professor of Politcal Science, Brigham Young University, Co-Director, Study of Elections and Democracy This is the time of year in America when our reverence for the founding fathers and the birth of our nation is on full display with parades and patriotic readings. That makes it the perfect time to look into a fascinating bit of research on just how much we revere the US Constitution – but not our state constitutions.

Guest: Jeremy Pope, PhD, Professor of Politcal Science, Brigham Young University, Co-Director, Study of Elections and Democracy This is the time of year in America when our reverence for the founding fathers and the birth of our nation is on full display with parades and patriotic readings. That makes it the perfect time to look into a fascinating bit of research on just how much we revere the US Constitution – but not our state constitutions.

Potatoes for PeaceJul 3, 201817mGuest: Murat Iyigun, PhD, Professor and Stanford Calderwood Endowed Chair of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder One of the factors that set the stage for the ongoing civil war in Syria was a devastating drought in 2006. What happens in the fields affects a country’s stability, you may be surprised to learn that a major driver of peace in Europe from the Middle Ages up through the 1900s was potatoes.

Guest: Murat Iyigun, PhD, Professor and Stanford Calderwood Endowed Chair of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder One of the factors that set the stage for the ongoing civil war in Syria was a devastating drought in 2006. What happens in the fields affects a country’s stability, you may be surprised to learn that a major driver of peace in Europe from the Middle Ages up through the 1900s was potatoes.