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- Water the Chances
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- Big Picture Science
Water, water everywhere. But most of it is sea water - you can’t drink it. Discover the most promising technologies for desalination and why solar cells are key. Also, how astronauts filter “water-closet water” to drink it, and how to turn a salt pond back to a wetland.
Plus, from Roman aqueducts to modern-day pumps: a history of quenching human thirst. And, why NASA strives to “follow the water.”
Guests:
• Brian Fagan – Anthropologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, author of Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind
• John Bourgeois – Biologist and Executive Project Manager, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project
• Michael Meyer – Lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program
• Farouk El-Baz – Geologist and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University
• Michael Flynn – Principal investigator for NASA’s advanced life support branch, Ames Research Center
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Piece Description
Water, water everywhere. But most of it is sea water - you can’t drink it. Discover the most promising technologies for desalination and why solar cells are key. Also, how astronauts filter “water-closet water” to drink it, and how to turn a salt pond back to a wetland.
Plus, from Roman aqueducts to modern-day pumps: a history of quenching human thirst. And, why NASA strives to “follow the water.”
Guests:
• Brian Fagan – Anthropologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, author of Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind
• John Bourgeois – Biologist and Executive Project Manager, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project
• Michael Meyer – Lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program
• Farouk El-Baz – Geologist and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University
• Michael Flynn – Principal investigator for NASA’s advanced life support branch, Ames Research Center
Broadcast History
new episode
Additional Files
- Listing - Water the Chances (Water_the_Chances.docx)
Additional Credits
Seth Shostak - Host and Producer
Molly Bentley - Co-Host and Executive Producer
Gary Niederhoff - Assistant Producer
Barbara Vance - Production Assistant
Jay Weiler - Assistant
Keith Rozendal - Assistant





