Cool Science Radio

University of Michigan geology professor, Nathan Niemi, delves into the university's yearly summer geology field camp here in the western U.S., or what they like to call the best field trip ever. (0:57)Then, University of Utah Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Jessica Swanson, shares her research on using biological methods to remove excess methane from the atmosphere. (24:58)

Thanks to research being done through the Swanson Group at the University of Utah, biological methods for removing excess methane from the atmosphere are being created.

Every summer groups of senior-year geology students ascend to Utah and Wyoming to attend Camp Davis. There they can see and study, firsthand, the landscapes, formations and geology that they have only seen in books.

Professor Jeff Karp, teaches biomedical engineering at Harvard Medical School and MIT joins the show to talk about the brain's neuroplasticity and how he adapted his brain to tackle his early learning disabilities and ADHD and shares how you can too.Then, biomedical engineer and blunt trauma specialist, Rachel Lance, explores how a team of scientists during World War II made science history by discovering how to breathe underwater, a crucial element in an eventual victory for Allied forces.

Professor Jeff Karp, who teaches biomedical engineering at Harvard Medical School and MIT, talks about the brain's neuroplasticity and how he adapted his brain to tackle his early learning disabilities and ADHD. He shares how you can too.

Biomedical engineer and blunt trauma specialist, Rachel Lance, explores how a team of scientists during World War II made science history by discovering how to breathe underwater, a crucial element in an eventual victory for Allied forces.

Thomas Mullaney explains the complex task of developing a typing keyboard for the Chinese language which has thousands of characters but no alphabet.Then Dr. Keith Coper (co-per) talks about the University of Utah’s Seismograph Stations and the important work they do monitoring earthquakes in our area.

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations monitor earthquakes in Utah and the surrounding states. With this data, scientists at the university are able to develop a better understanding of earthquakes in our area. This can then help reduce the risk from earthquakes in Utah thanks to their research, education, and public service.

Traditional computers in the western world, and the programming of them were built around the standard QWERTY keyboard with letters. But how to you build a computer system when the language has tens of thousands of characters and no alphabet? Thomas Mullaney shares the challenges and triumphs of such an endeavor is his new book, “The Chinese Computer: A Global History of the Information Age."

Joshua Glenn talks about his collection of science fiction stories and books from 1900-1935 and his efforts to preserve these forgotten classics and to discover the origins of enduring tropes like berserk robots, tyrannical supermen, and dystopian wastelands.