Programming Archive

Before there was Star Trek, there was Dr. Who and today Dr. Who is still on the air. Dr. Who is the longest running science fiction series on television. But could any of the wild creations of this much beloved series have any scientific precedent? Can you actually have a Tardis that is larger on the inside than is on the outside? Is time travel possible? Could we ever create a sonic screwdriver? The answers may surprise you. If you are a fan of that Doctor from Gallifrey, be sure to tune into tonight to Inquiry when we speak with scientist and journalist PAUL PARSONS about his wild and endlessly entertaining new book THE SCIENCE OF DR. WHO.

Have you ever sat in a bar just staring, fascinated, at the bubbles in your beer wondering why some are going up and some are going down? Where do they come from? Well, tonight on Inquiry we will provide some answers to your Pilsner ponderings when we interview physicist, researcher and writer MARK DENNY about his new book FROTH! THE SCIENCE OF BEER. Not only will you learn about how the head of a beer is formed and decays, but you will also learn about the evolution of beer from moldy bread in Ancient Egypt to contemporary Macro-swill and Microbreweries. Sit back, open a frosty one and join us for a truly unique discussion about the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world.

Don’t swim! Don’t hike! And for goodness sake don’t hold hands with boys! There was a time, and it wasn’t that long ago, when having your period was something shameful and embarrassing. It didn’t help that numerous medical texts, right up to the 1930s, promoted the worst erroneous notions about menstruation. Many girls born in the early decades of the 20th Century could not even rely on their mothers or older sisters to inform them about what was happening to their bodies. But then a dramatic change happened in the way women viewed having their periods and this was inspired by new products, text books, pamphlets, educational films and an interest in adopting a more ‘modern” scientific view of their bodies. Tonight on Inquiry, we talk with LARA FREIDENFELDS, historian of women’s health, on her revealing and interesting book THE MODERN PERIOD: MENSTRUATION IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICA. 

Noise is a political and social issue that affects all of us. Though many of us seek a quieter existence, others declare their ability to make loud noises an all American right. To the bikers at Sturgis’s massive rally, noise is a celebration of their way of life, but for the nearby Native Americans on their sacred land at Bear Butte, that noise is deeply profane. Who is right? Whether it is bikes, ATVs, blasting your radio or even just using leaf blowers, many times the creation of noise is about what we want, but not necessarily what the community needs. How and where do you draw the line?  Tune in tonight for an insightful discussion of noise in our lives when Inquiry speaks with writer, editor and recent Guggenheim Fellow GARRET KEIZER about his wide ranging and thoughtful book THE UNWANTED SOUND OF EVERYTHING WE WANT: A BOOK ABOUT NOISE. Garret Keizer's website is: http://garretkeizer.com/