Best KGNU How On Earth Podcasts (2025)

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Climate Change, Astronomy, Canine Astronauts 26:09

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7h ago26:09

26:09

Climate change. Astronomy. A canine astronaut. They intersect in our guest, astronomer and author Dr. Jeff Bennett. Among other things, we focus on climate change and policy – present and future. Dr. Bennett got his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado, and he served two years as a Visiting Senior Scientist at NASA Headquarters, wh…

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Bill McKibben – Here Comes the Sun 26:58

8d ago26:58

26:58

US Critical Earth Metals “Hiding in Plain Sight” (starts 1:00) Colorado School of Mines has just published a new study that indicates the US has enough critical earth metals to stop importing them from other countries . . . if we develop the capacity. Bill McKibben – Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilizat…

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Wildfires in a Changing Climate 26:40

14d ago26:40

26:40

On this week’s show we replay an interview from two years ago with author John Valliant on his then-newly released book, Fire Weather, the story – and much more- of the groundbreaking wildfire that devastated the oil sands capital city of Fort McMurray in Alberta. Given the current outbreaks of Colorado wildfires, getting bigger and harder to conta…

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Climate Science, Human Lives at Risk 26:37

21d ago26:37

26:37

Waleed Abdalati photo credit: CIRES Standing Up for Science (start time: 6:39) Since President Trump began his second term in January, his administration has been on a rapid-fire campaign to slash federal funding for scientific research, particularly in the fields of climate and earth systems science. Colorado is feeling the pain. President Trump’s…

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The Vera Rubin Observatory 27:24

28d ago27:24

27:24

The history of astronomy has many stories of trying to understand our universe, and those stories are connected by a common thread: looking at the sky, whether with our eyes or with increasingly powerful telescopes. The newest entry in this telescopic journey is the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Located in Chile, this observatory has an audaci…

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50 Years of Open Space! // Heart Attack and Stroke Risk from Common Sugar Substitute 26:58

1M ago26:58

26:58

Erythritol – A common sugar substitute A Common Sugar Substitute Increases Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke. (starts 11:00) CU-Boulder Integrative Physiologist Chris DeSouza explains his recent study that shows why the commonly used artificial sweetener, Erythritol, may be increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. 50 Years of Open Space! (Star…

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The Tumor Microbiome Can Affect Cancer Survival 26:38

1M ago26:38

26:38

On this week’s show Beth speaks with computational biologist Justine Debelius about the role of the microbiome. We first discussed a study she was involved in recently that identified how changes in colon cancer tumors can affect survival. Then, she described a large collaborative project she is currently working on to identify factors influencing …

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Climate Science, Cutbacks, Litigation 26:06

2M ago26:06

26:06

At a protest outside NOAA in Boulder. Credit: Susan Moran Tackling Climate Change and Science Cutbacks (start time: 7:03) In this week’s show we discuss the ongoing barrage of executive orders by the Trump administration; and the impacts of defunding of federal agencies, scientific research and scientists focusing on climate change and the environm…

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How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence by Matt Richtel 27:00

2M ago27:00

27:00

Teens are in Crisis – Some people warn that Cell Phones are to blame. But Colorado Native and Pulitzer prize winner Matt Richtel says our tech can be a useful tool, IF we better understand the purpose of adolescence, That’s the focus of Richtel’s brand new book – How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker Show Produce…

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Bird Conservancy of the Rockies – Eric DeFonso 26:58

2M ago26:58

26:58

C Cornell Lab of Ornithology Merlin Bird ID App (starts 1:00) Boulder Naturalists Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman explore the benefits of the Merlin smartphone app, along with its sometimes hilarious mistakes. Eric Defonso – c Highplainssnowgoose.com Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (Start 5:48) Crew Leader Eric DeFonso explains how the Conservan…

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Viruses are Us! 27:17

2M ago27:17

27:17

In this week’s science show Beth talks with genome biologist Ed Chuong of CU Boulder’s innovation incubator, the Biofrontiers Institute. Ed takes us for a whirlwind tour of the evolutionary history of these viral invaders of our genome, and some examples of how they can simultaneously be friend and foe. Teaser, did you realize that the genes that a…

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2025 Graduation Special (part 2) 27:24

3M ago27:24

27:24

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 2 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who recently received their Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have …

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GLP-1 and Blindness 26:58

3M ago26:58

26:58

photo of intermediate macular degeneration c National Institutes of Health We talk with scientists who report that a common weight loss/diabetes drug known as a GLP-1 receptor agonist (Wegovy, Ozempic for instance) is associated with an increased risk of blindness. The study was published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association…

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Animal Pandemics? 28:11

3M ago28:11

28:11

On this week’s How on Earth, Beth talks with author and science journalist Liz Kalaugher, about her new book, The Elephant in the room:How to Stop Making Ourselves and Other Animals Sick. Think about it this way: When new diseases spread, news reports often focus on wildlife culprits–rodents, monkeys and mpox; bats and COVID-19; waterfowl and avian…

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Saving Weather Forecasting, Climate Science 27:01

3M ago27:01

27:01

Scientists speak out for science (start time: 1:00) The Trump administration has been on a dizzying streak of slashing federal funding for scientific research, and firing thousands of federal scientists. Among the casualties is the National Weather Service, which supplies critical data from air balloons and climate models to develop weather forecas…

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Birds at Risk 27:33

4M ago27:33

27:33

Arvind Panjabi releasing a banded grasshopper sparrow in Chihuahua state, Mexico. Photo credit: Sujata Gupta Birds: Risk and Resilience (start time: 5:55) What speaks of Spring more than the songs of American robins, yellow warblers, spotted towhees and other birds in the early morning? As we relish in these avians choruses, it’s also an important …

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Boulder Cardiologist Nelson Trujillo – Extended Version 56:21

4M ago56:21

56:21

Nelson Trujillo – Boulder Heart This is an extended version of our interview with Boulder Cardiologist Nelson Trujillo. For the broadcast version, go here. Producer: Shelley SchlenderBy KGNU - How On Earth

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GoldLab Founder Larry Gold – Extended Interview 44:56

4M ago44:56

44:56

This is Shelley Schlender’s extended interview of Larry Gold, founder of the GoldLab Symposium. For the broadcast version, go here. Producer: Shelley Schlender Larry GoldBy KGNU - How On Earth

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2025 Graduation Special (part 1) 28:49

4M ago28:49

28:49

With graduation season upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is Part 1 of our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists and engineers who have or will soon receive their Masters or Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, …

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Mutualism in Nature 27:04

4M ago27:04

27:04

Sweet in Tooth and Claw (start time: 0:59) Since the 1800s, science has been obsessed with the notion, stemming from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection, that only the “fittest” can survive and pass on their strong genes. As in, it’s a ruthless, violent world. And today, we humans find ourselves mired in a hyper-polarized…

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De-funding NIST’s Atomic Spectroscopy Group 26:57

4M ago26:57

26:57

Alexander Kramida – NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Group – phote from NIST Federal cutbacks have led the National Institute of Standards and Technology to shut down a long-running, highly prized information center used by scientists around the world, for projects ranging from searching for exoplanets, to making better microchips, to detecting atomic miss…

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The Lucy Mission 26:58

5M ago26:58

26:58

image credit: NASA Our guest today is Dr. Simone Marchi, Institute Scientist in the Solar System Science & Exploration Division at the Boulder office of Southwest Research Institute. Dr. Marchi is the Deputy Principal Investigator for NASA’s Lucy mission. Lucy will be the first space mission to explore a population of small bodies known as the Troj…

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Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America. 26:58

5M ago26:58

26:58

Poisoning the Well (starts 2:00) Boulder science writer Sharon Udasin discusses her new book, Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America. The book chronicles how these chemicals have ended up in our soil , drinking water, our bloodstreams . . . including in Colorado. She also explains what we can do about these sometimes useful,…

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April Foolish Science 27:00

5M ago27:00

27:00

Today is April Fools’ day, when jokes and pranks are played, sometimes among friends and family, sometimes on a more public scale. But why is there such a day for culturally-accepted foolishness? To delve into the origins and history of April Fools’ Day, we talk with Dr. Angus Kress Gillespie, folklorist and professor of American studies at Rutgers…

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NEPA, Wildlife, Lands Under Threat 25:38

5M ago25:38

25:38

oil and gas rig Image courtesy of USGS NEPA rollbacks, environmental impacts (start time: 6:25) Amidst a flurry of moves by the Trump administration to roll back environmental regulations, last month a White House agency proposed a rule to rescind a landmark law meant to protect wildlife, their habitat, and human communities from unchecked developm…