Presidential Politics, Biometric Firearm, Large Animal Extinction

Presidential Politics Guest: Chris Karpowitz, PhD, Professor of Political Science, BYU; Grant Madsen, Professor of History, BYU There's only one more week until the presidential election is all over. Chris Karpowitz and Grant Madsen are back for some final thoughts on how things have played out.  Jekyll and Hyde Burying Beetles Guest: Mark Belk, PhD, Professor of Biology, BYU Burying beetles are known for embalming their prey, cannibalizing their young and also being very doting parents. Real Jekyll and Hyde-types, these beetles.  Biometric Smart-Gun Guest: Kai Kloepfer, Inventor, MIT Undergrad If you can require a fingerprint to unlock your iPhone, why not require a fingerprint to unlock a gun? Advocates of smart-gun technology claim it will save lives: hundreds of people are killed or injured in the US each year when a child accidentally fires a gun, often because the gun was not safely stored in the home. But many gun rights advocates oppose laws that would require guns include “smart technology” like fingerprint locks because, as every iPhone user can tell you, sometimes the technology doesn’t work right.  Large Animal Extinction Guest: Michael Nelson, PhD, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Ruth H. Spaniol Chair of Renewable Resources, Oregon State University Big predators – lions, tigers, bears, rhinos, gorillas – they certainly capture our attention and imagination. But they’re also in danger, themselves. Sixty percent of the world’s largest mammals are at risk of extinction - according to a paper in the journal Bioscience. Dozens of wildlife experts signed onto the article, which calls for bold political action and financial commitments to save many of Earth’s most iconic species.  Before the Nobel Prize Guest: Vera Keller, PhD, Associate Professor of History, University of Oregon Winning the Nobel Prize represents reaching the pinnacle of one’s field, and comes with a cash prize just shy of 900,000 US dollars. Prizes and competitions are a central part of how science is funded and motivated today.  This wasn’t always the case. A few hundred years ago, scientists typically relied on wealthy patrons who expected something in return for their support. This is how we ended up with so many discoveries in biology and physics named after 18th-century royals and nobility.  Worlds Awaiting Guest: Rachel Wadham, Host of Worlds Awaiting Rachel Wadham is the education and juvenile collections librarian here at BYU and host of Worlds Awaiting on BYUradio. It’s a show dedicated to encouraging a love of reading and discovery in children. It airs Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. Eastern and, starting next week, you can also hear it weekdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on BYUradio.