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UnDisciplined: Science News Roundup - July 2019

BBC
There's no way we could let this month pass us by without talking about the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time: the moon landing.

There's no way we could let this month pass us by without talking about the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time: the moon landing. But don't worry, we won't get stuck in the past. 

We're also going to talk about much more recent scientific topics, like how this month's record-breaking heat portends climates to come, and why the cure to cancer might be a common cold. 

Joining us in studio, for the second time on our monthly news roundup, is Julie Kiefer. She's a biochemist who spent several years in a research lab before turning her attention to helping people bridge the gap between scientific discovery and public understanding. She is now the manager of science communication at the University of Utah. 

Also joining us, on the line from Utah State University, is Mirella Meyer-Ficca. She studies reproductive biology, toxicology, environmental exposures and epigenetic influence. This is her third appearance on UnDisciplined, and second appearance on our monthly news roundup. 

And finally, joining us from Washington State University in Pullman is Andrew Gillreath-Brown. He last joined us in May to talk about how he had a hand in discovering a 2,000-year-old tattooing needle. Listeners interested in learning about his work should listen to our interview, of course, but can also find his story in the pages of this month's National Geographic History magazine. 

Matthew LaPlante has reported on ritual infanticide in Northern Africa, insurgent warfare in the Middle East, the legacy of genocide in Southeast Asia, and gang violence in Central America. But a few years back, something donned on him: Maybe the news doesn't have to be brutally depressing all the time. Today, he balances his continuing work on more heartbreaking subjects by writing books about the intersection of science, human health and society, including the New York Times best-selling Lifespan with geneticist David Sinclair and the Nautilus Award-winning Longevity Plan with cardiologist John Day. His first solo book, Superlative, looks at what scientists are learning by studying organisms that have evolved in record-setting ways, and his is currently at work on another book about embracing the inevitability of human-caused climate change with an optimistic outlook on the future.