DNC and Clinton, Extra Week in the Womb, Beatrix Potter

DNC and Clinton’s Campaign Prospects Guest: Kelly Patterson, PhD, Professor of Political Science at BYU A little later tonight, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will formally accept the Democratic nomination, the first woman to do so for a major US political party. Last night, President Obama passed Clinton the baton with a warm embrace on stage and an enthusiastic endorsement. Extra Week in the Womb Offers Trade-off Guest: Jeffrey Roth, PhD, Research Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Florida The evidence is clear that when it comes to health and cognitive ability, being born full-term is better than being born premature. Now comes an interesting twist from analysis of more than a million babies born in Florida during the late 1990s and published recently in JAMA Pediatrics:  Being born a week late can boost a baby’s intellect slightly, BUT, those babies also have a slightly higher chance of having a physical disability. So there’s a trade-off to that extra week of gestation. From the Vaults: Beatrix Potter’s 150th Birthday Guest: Leslee Thorne-Murphy, PhD, Associate Professor of English at BYU If you’ve ever owned a stuffed Peter Rabbit, or heard the tale of that mischief-making rabbit that nearly ended up in Mr. McGregor’s pie, you know something about the world of Beatrix Potter: the adventures of naughty or foolish characters like Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and Jemima Puddle-Duck and their near-disasters are classic childhood stories. In this month’s installment of “From the Vaults,” where we dive into the holdings of BYU Library’s Special Collections, we’re going to celebrate Beatrix Potter’s 150th birthday, which is today. The library houses first edition copies of 21 of Beatrix Potter’s Tales, and we’ve invited BYU English Professor Leslee Thorne-Murphy into our studios to discuss these beloved stories, the genius behind their creation, and Beatrix Potter’s larger influence beyond the literary world. National Parks Anniversary Guests: Jeremy Barnum, Spokesman for the National Park Service, David Quammen, Writer of the May issue of “National Geographic” It’s been 100 years since President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service. At the time, there were 35 national parks and monuments. Yellowstone was the first – it had already been a national park for 44 years by that time, so clearly, Americans had an inkling that wild spaces and historical places mattered enough to give them special attention – special protection. As the National Park Service turns 100, there are some 400 national parks and 20,000 employees looking after them.