National Park Graffiti, Gun Safety, Dinosaurs in Hollywood

National Park Graffiti on the Rise Guest: Mark Miller, PhD, Chief of Resources Stewardship and Science for the National Park Service’s Southeast Utah Group People are a threat to National Parks. Specifically, those who can’t seem to resist the urge to make a mark on our nation’s most natural treasures. In the last month, rangers at Arches National Park in Southern Utah discovered large graffiti on a famous arch – names and phrases etched so deeply into the red rock, it might be impossible to erase. The Park’s superintendent says there’s been a “tidal wave of graffiti” at Arches and other National Parks in recent years. Joshua Tree, Zion – even the Grand Canyon – have been defaced by vandals who often post pictures of their activity on social media.  Gun Safety with Parents Guest: Alice Kuo, MD, Professor at University of California Los Angeles’ Medical School A judge in New Jersey yesterday awarded more than half a million dollars in damages to the family of a six-year-old boy who died when a four-year-old neighbor accidently fired his dad’s gun. Already this year, at least 96 children under the age of 18 have picked up a firearm and accidentally shot themselves or someone else. That’s according to news reports compiled by a gun-control group called “Everytown for Gun Safety.” Tragically, many of those accidental shootings end in the death of a child.  So, pediatricians feel increasingly compelled to bring up gun safety in check-ups with the families they care for. But not everyone likes that. Florida passed a law in 2011 prohibiting doctors from asking about guns. It’s being challenged in court and will go before the US Court of Appeals next month.  Dinosaurs in Hollywood Guest: Michael Habib, PhD, Professor at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and a Research Associate at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles’ Dinosaur Institute The Jurassic Park film franchise has inspired who-knows-how-many young dinosaur fans. The hands down favorite is the T-Rex, of course, because it’s th