Apple Seed

Guest: Quinn Mecham, Professor of Political Science, BYU This week marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. BYU political science professor Quinn Mecham is in studio for his monthly recommendation of world events worth closer consideration.

Guest: Rob Dunn, Professor of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University Over time, we humans have moved indoors for comfort and protection, but also to put a wall between us and the creepy, crawling stuff in the natural world. Our windows have screens. Our basements have insect traps. Our kitchens have bleach on standby. And we’re fighting the wrong battles, according to applied ecologist Rob Dunn at North Carolina State University. His new book, “Never Home Alone” is an in-depth look at the thousands of insects and microbes we share space with and why we should welcome most of them with open arms.

Guest: Sarah Hartz, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Having one or two alcoholic drinks a day is considered safe for adults according to US dietary guidelines – and some research even suggests a drink a day is good for your heart. But a pair of large-scale studies published in the last month find that the health benefits of a drink a day have probably been overstated and, in fact, the healthiest amount of alcohol on a daily basis is none.

Guest: Michael Kardas, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago Booth School of Business A series of experiments conducted at the University of Chicago Business School finds watching video tutorials doesn’t actually make you more capable of doing stuff. They just give you false confidence.

Guests: Joseph Darowski, English Professor, Brigham Young University The Marvel Comics icon who helped created Spider-Man, the X-Men, Black Panther, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four died on Monday. Stan Lee was 95. Since 1961, Marvel went from a small comic company to a media empire and helped shape popular culture in the US and worldwide. We consider his legacy.