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'Cows' To The Rescue! Soil's Secrets For Saving The Earth
In her book Cows Save the Planet, journalist Judith Schwartz argues that soil is the key to addressing carbon issues and climate change. It's not only where food is created and where waste decays, but it could also hold the key to solving a long list of environmental problems.
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After SCOTUS DNA Ruling, What Changes For Police?
The Supreme Court ruled in June that police can routinely take DNA samples from people who are arrested for comparison against a national database. The decision raises major questions about how law enforcement and criminal justice processes will change.
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Is Big Change Ahead In Iran? A Biography Of The President Elect
Iranians elected Hasan Rowhani, a reformist-backed cleric, as president — a surprise to many who expected an ultraconservative candidate to win. Former NPR foreign correspondent Mike Shuster provides analysis and responds to opinion pieces about what has changed after the election.
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Reflections On 30 Years Of NYC: A Look Ahead With Margot Adler
From the AIDS movement to the Sept. 11 attacks to Occupy Wall Street, NPR's Margot Adler has covered important issues facing New York City for more than three decades. As part of TOTN's "Looking Ahead" series, Adler reflects on her years in the business and the future of New York City.
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Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Talks Climate and Carbon
Like any major city near a coast, Seattle likely won't be immune from rising sea levels and other effects of global warming. Mayor Mike McGinn discusses the city's plans for addressing climate change, including his push to divest Seattle's pension funds from fossil fuel investments, and the city council's plan to make Seattle carbon neutral by 2050.
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Decoding 'the Most Complex Object in the Universe'
The human brain contains some 100 billion neurons, which together form a network of Internet-like complexity. Christof Koch, chief scientific officer of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, calls the brain "the most complex object in the known universe," and he's mapping its connections in hopes of discovering the origins of consciousness.
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Looking Back, and Up, at a Seattle Icon
Seattle's Space Needle opened in 1962 as part of the World's Fair. Knute Berger, author of Space Needle: The Spirit of Seattle, discusses the history and engineering behind the tower, and explains why a symbol of "the future" from days gone by still has relevance today.
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Human Genes Not Patentable, Supreme Court Says
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that the mere act of isolating a DNA sequence does not make human genes patentable. Mary-Claire King, who helped discover the breast cancer gene at the center of the court dispute, discusses the ruling and its implications for genetics.
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Denis Hayes on Being Green
Since his days as head of the Solar Energy Research Institute under President Jimmy Carter, Denis Hayes has been pushing to add more renewable energy sources to the country's energy portfolio. Hayes discusses the current U.S. market for renewables such as solar and wind, and gives his take on where he sees America's energy future headed.
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With Climate Change, No Happy Clams
Carbon emissions are slowly acidifying ocean waters, forcing marine life to adapt. Oysters and other shellfish, for example, may have a harder time building their shells, according to NOAA's Richard Feely. At Quilcene, Washington's Taylor Shellfish Hatchery, research director Benoit Eudeline says he's already seeing those effects.
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