World Events, Too Many Men, Hysterial Women, Power of Poo

Kashmir Violence, Ethiopia Unrest, New UN Secretary General Guest: Quinn Mecham, PhD, BYU Professor of Political Science Quinn Mecham joins us monthly with a look at three international events worth closer consideration.  Too Many Men Can Be a Good Thing Guest: Ryan Schacht, PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Utah A decade ago, researchers made a startling claim that the surplus of men in Asia, due to the selective abortion and infanticide of female babies, was a threat to international security. Too many men would lead to violence and political instability, according to the argument, which became widely accepted.  But University of Utah anthropologist Ryan Schacht’s latest research suggests the opposite may actually be true. In societies with more men than women, the men are not more violent and, in fact, family relationships are more stable.   Hyperbaric Chambers and Withdrawal  Guest: Raymond Quock, PhD, Pharmacologist and Professor of Psychology at Washington State University Opioid addiction and overdose deaths are now at epidemic levels in the US: the number of opioid deaths has nearly quadrupled in the last 15 years. Prescription pain medicine and heroin are the primary culprits. Federal health officials also say communities don’t have enough treatment options to help people overcome the addiction. Withdrawal from opioids is so painful that most therapies involve giving people opiate medications that provide some relief from the symptoms, but also carry the risk of further addiction or relapse.  Galaxy's Top 20 Habitable Planets Guest: Nader Haghighipour, PhD, Full Astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii Humans have long wondered about the existence of life beyond Earth. Part of our fixation on Mars is its potential to harbor some sort of life – even if it’s just a particularly hearty algae or bacteria. There are some who even consider Mars a possible escape hatch for the human race once we’ve ruined Earth. Mars is not nearly as hospitable, but it is in