Brain Acid, Edgar Allen Poe Museum, Joan of Arc

Mood Disorders and Brain Acid Guest: John Wemmie, Chair of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Carver College of Medicine in the University of Iowa The pH level in your brain can alter how your brain functions in a myriad of ways, from how easily you learn new behaviors to your predisposition to develop mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Micro changes in the acidity levels can result in macro changes in your activity.  Communal Nesting Started with the Dinosaurs Guest: François Therrien, Curator of Dinosaur Palaeoecology, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology As with much of what we know about dinosaurs, their breeding habits are largely a mystery to us. Large finds of eggs in the same area suggested that communal nesting originated with the dinosaurs, but because it is difficult to know since the eggs could have been laid at different times. Now a unique find in Mongolia sheds new light on the subject.  Special Collections: Edgar Allan Poe Museum Guest: Special Collections producer Jeff Simpson; Chris Semter, curator, Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Richmond, Virginia Poe’s life as a stowaway, the love he lost, and the tragic time Poe may have been the victim of something called "cooping." The Glory, Gory Game of Mayan Ball Guest: Stephen Houston, Chair, Department of Anthropology, Dupee Family Professor of Social Sciences, Brown University This Mesoamerican ball game combined decapitation, communion with the dead, and worship of the gods. Misconception and mystery still surround the game, but Professor Houston of Brown University weighs in on the rules, history, and deep cultural implications of this Mesoamerican sport.  The Real Impact of Joan of Arc Guest: Kelly DeVries, Professor, History, Loyola University Maryland 590 years ago, Joan of Arc had a frankly miraculous year. Though countless books and articles have been written on her, her military career is pretty much confined to 1429, and she died only two years later. We revisit this dramatic period of history and ask how she ever could have had