Talk Archives

Climate change is coming to Texas but how much and in what ways will Texas be affected by global warming? What kind of climate change does Texas need to be ready for? Climate expert Gerald North will discuss climate change and its effect on the Lone Star state and its people.

On June 18, 1983, aboard the Orbiter Challenger, Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space. Dr. Ride was not just an astronaut but a pioneer in science education. She discusses the challenges of space, our changing planet and science education in the U.S.

Frozen water on Mars? Dr. Jack Holt shares his discoveries of Martian glaciers long buried under rock debris. These bodies of ice are apparently relics of Mars’ ancient climate and could be an important key to future Mars exploration.

Why do some students learn while some fall behind? What happens in the brain when we learn? Dr. Bob Duke shares research over the past two decades that has deepened our understanding of the fundamental principles of human learning.

Fifty percent of the world’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions come from modern buildings, building trades and construction. Is it possible to greatly reduce our energy use simply by designing buildings differently? What about choice of materials and new – or even ancient – technologies to passively heat, light, and cool buildings?

Agriculture in the U.S. uses millions of pounds of pesticides and herbicides per year. At the same time, many amphibians are ‘feminizing’ – meaning male frogs and toads, among other animals, are producing eggs instead of sperm. Are agricultural chemicals to blame? What are the implications for human fertility and health?

Could there be life on the cold outer planets of our solar system? Dr. Donald Blankenship discusses an unmanned space mission to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, which is thought to have an ice-covered ocean that may host exotic life.

Indoor air can be much more toxic than the air we experience outdoors, but outside of industrial workplaces isn’t regulated by any agency. Where do these toxic pollutants come from? How well do air filters or ozone generators clean indoor air? Dr. Corsi shares how some very common (and presumably safe) products that we use in our homes present challenges to maintaining healthy indoor air quality.

Were Greenland’s glaciers to melt, sea level could rise six meters and inundate some of the most populous cities on Earth. Recent data suggests that Greenland is losing ice at a rapid rate. Is it natural variability or global warming? Dr. Ginny Catania addresses what we know about the Greenland ice sheet, what we have left to find out, and what it’s like to conduct science in one of the most extreme environments on the planet.

How did the extinction of dinosaurs really happen? The theory explaining the extinction of 70 percent of life on Earth 65 million years ago may need to be modified with new findings of detailed three-dimensional seismic images of the Chicxulub crater, a mostly submerged and buried impact crater on the Mexico coast.