There’s no harm talking to your houseplant, but will your chatter really help it grow? We look at various biological claims, from whether plants feel pain to the ability of cats to predict earthquakes. Feline forecasters, anyone?

Also, when does understanding biology have important implications for health and policy? The arguments for and against genetically modified foods, and the danger of “pox parties” as a replacement for childhood vaccination.

Plus, the history and current state of scientific literacy in the United States. When did we stop trusting science?

Guests:

•   Andy Michael – Seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California

•   Ron Lindsay – President of the Center for Inquiry, headquartered in Amherst, NY

•   Steven Novella – Clinical neurologist and Director of General Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine; host of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast

•   Shawn Lawrence Otto – Author of Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America

•   Chelsea Specht – Professor, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley

There’s no harm talking to your houseplant, but will your chatter really help it grow? We look at various biological claims, from whether plants feel pain to the ability of cats to predict earthquakes. Feline forecasters, anyone?

Also, when does understanding biology have important implications for health and policy? The arguments for and against genetically modified foods, and the danger of “pox parties” as a replacement for childhood vaccination.

Plus, the history and current state of scientific literacy in the United States. When did we stop trusting science?

Guests:

•   Andy Michael – Seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California

•   Ron Lindsay – President of the Center for Inquiry, headquartered in Amherst, NY

•   Steven Novella – Clinical neurologist and Director of General Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine; host of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast

•   Shawn Lawrence Otto – Author of Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America

•   Chelsea Specht – Professor, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley

There’s no harm talking to your houseplant, but will your chatter really help it grow? We look at various biological claims, from whether plants feel pain to the ability of cats to predict earthquakes. Feline forecasters, anyone?

Also, when does understanding biology have important implications for health and policy? The arguments for and against genetically modified foods, and the danger of “pox parties” as a replacement for childhood vaccination.

Plus, the history and current state of scientific literacy in the United States. When did we stop trusting science?

Guests:

•   Andy Michael – Seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California

•   Ron Lindsay – President of the Center for Inquiry, headquartered in Amherst, NY

•   Steven Novella – Clinical neurologist and Director of General Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine; host of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast

•   Shawn Lawrence Otto – Author of Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America

•   Chelsea Specht – Professor, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley