Showing results by publisher "BetterListen" in Science & Engineering

The Star Trek TV and movie series imagine a bright future for humans in space, one in which we explore alien worlds with the aid of advanced technology. Because the writers tried to include as much realistic science as possible within the fictional framework, the stories have been an inspiration for students, scientists, inventors, and anyone interested in pondering our destiny on Earth and beyond.

These phenomenal recordings, no less relevant now than they were then, emphasize the fact that humankind is facing the same issues today as it did at the end of the last millennium. Putting modern times in the broad context of science, history, and the precarious state of our environment, Dr. Mitchell echoes the sentiment that "God did not play dice" when he/she created the universe.

"The best way to activate positive-emotion circuits in the brain is through generosity," Davidson, who founded the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at University of Wisconsin, Madison, said in a talk at the Aspen Ideas Festival. "This is really a kind of exciting neuroscientific finding because there are pearls of wisdom in the contemplative tradition - the Dalai Lama frequently talks about this - that the best way for us to be happy is to be generous to others."

Space is now big business. Technology originally developed for the space program sometimes ends up in products for use on Earth, often in surprising ways. The 40,000 certified "Space Products" range from mattresses to medical devices, and have turned space into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Inspired by our excursions into the Final Frontier, entrepreneurs and inventors are turning stardust into gold.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's use of the first telescope. On this week's show, we reflect on how telescopes have changed our perception of our place in the universe, how small we are in size, space, and time. Our guests include Dava Sobel, author of The Planets, Vatican Astronomer Father Chris Corbally, and astronaut Paul Richards. We also discuss how they help astronomers discover new and interesting aspects of the universe, from Earth-like planets to supernova, from black holes to the Big Bang.

In this thought-provoking recording, internationally recognized Jungian teacher and theorist James Hillman, Ph.D., author of The Soul's Code and Re-Visioning Psychology, proposes the 21st Century's "new urbanism", one that integrates city and nature into a harmonious whole.

Richard Branson has formed Virgin Galactic and is now taking reservations aboard the maiden voyage of SpaceShipOne. Would you spend the estimated $200,000 for a 45-minute trip into space? Neil and Lynne also discuss the mechanics of sex in space.

What's so funny about space and science? Our season finale features the incomparable comedian Joan Rivers. In this episode, she provides color commentary for a Red Carpet parade of previous show topics, including space tourism, the anniversary of Apollo 11, and the search for alien life (both in space and in Hollywood).

Time marches on except in astrophysics. Einstein taught us that time is a coordinate in space, and it's all relative. Learn about the weird physics of our universe that could make time travel possible. Standing in for Lynne Koplitz this week is J. Richard Gott, author of Time Travel in Einstein's Universe.

Starry starry nights, stormy and sun-filled days. Long summer days of picnics and ballgames are played out under a vast and gorgeous canvas of astronomical and meteorological curiosities. From the stories of the stars told by the ancients, to a recent mammatus cloud over CitiField in New York, learn about the phenomena in the summer skies that keep us looking up.

Terence T. "Tom" Henricks former NASA astronaut. A commander of two Space Shuttle missions and pilot of two others, Henricks became the first person to log over 1,000 hours as a Space Shuttle pilot/commander. His four space shuttle missions were STS-44, STS-55, STS-70, and STS-78.

Special guest Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's Colbert Report talks about the joys of being a science geek. Brilliant scientific discoveries and cutting edge technology have transformed our world, yet many people are turned off by science. Where has the excitement for science gone, and how can we get it back? Stephen Colbert developed an interest in science at a young age, and now he shares that fascination by inviting scientists to appear on his show The Colbert Report.

Geometry, physics, and the other sciences describe the world we live in, and artists often play with these properties in their own imaginative investigations. From the drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci to high-tech computer graphics, Neil and Lynne paint a picture of how science has inspired art through the ages.

What price do we put on knowledge? How does it profit a man if he learns about the universe, but goes to bed hungry? When the economy takes a downturn, should we still go up into space? NASA missions aren't cheap - sending astronauts into low Earth orbit or to the Moon, sending robotic spacecraft to explore the planets, and launching telescopes into space can cost millions or even billions of dollars. Lou Friedman, director of the Planetary Society, argues that even when the dollar is dear, the quest to explore our universe is priceless.

Scientists have been searching for aliens in our solar system and beyond, but have not yet found evidence that life exists beyond Earth. SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has been scanning the stars for alien radio beacons for 50 years. Radio and TV broadcasts have been leaking from Earth's atmosphere for over a century, and these traveling time capsules could eventually reach a broader audience than ever imagined.

Mark Twain said, "Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." Pseudoscience adherents to this adage, but are their distortions deliberate, the result of scientific ignorance, or due to a deep desire for extraordinary possibilities? In our quest to understand the universe, how can we be sure our conclusions are correct? Human beings have evolved to find meaningful patterns in nature, but sometimes the patterns we see are just figments of our imagination - or perhaps the result of wishful thinking.