WNYC's Please Explain with Leonard Lopate
From WNYC, New York Public Radio, Please Explain is where Leonard Lopate and a guest get to the bottom of one complex issue. History, science, politics, pop culture or anything that needs some explanation!
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Please Explain: Eco-Labels (Friday, 13 November 2009)
Your broccoli, shampoo, and air conditioner might bear labels declaring them to be organic, cruelty-free, or energy efficient, but what do those labels mean and are they true? On today's edition of Please Explain, Dr. Urvashi Rangan, Project Director for Consumer Reports' GreenerChoices.org and Cons …
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Please Explain: Alcohol (Friday, 06 November 2009)
Our latest Please Explain is all about alcohol—what it is, how it works and the ways it affects our bodies. We'll be joined by Dr. Rueben Gonzales , Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Texas and by Dr. Henry R. Kranzler , Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics and Devel …
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Please Explain: Electricity (Friday, 30 October 2009)
How does electricity get from its source into your home and to your cell phone charger, television, or microwave? We'll find out on today's Please Explain. Michael Caramanis, Boston University Professor of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, joins us, along with Dr. Robert Thomas, professor in the …
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Please Explain: Sleep (Friday, 23 October 2009)
Sleeping is something all of us do every day, but exactly what happens to us when we sleep isn't completely understood. On today's edition of Please Explain, we're looking into why we sleep, why we sometimes can't sleep, and why many of us aren't sleeping enough. Dr. Allan Pack , Chief of the Divisi …
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Please Explain: Regional Accents (Friday, 16 October 2009)
You can tell a lot about someone from the way they speak. On today's edition of Please Explain we'll look at the different accents found around the United States and find out where they come from and why they persist. Joining us are Natalie Schilling-Estes, Associate Professor of Linguistics at Geor …
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Please Explain: Prions (Friday, 09 October 2009)
On today's Please Explain we're looking at prions and how they can cause infectious diseases such as Mad Cow disease and the Chronic Wasting disease that's been affecting deer, elk, and moose herds in the West and Midwest. Dr. David Westaway, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Centre for Pri …
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Please Explain: Animal Migration (Friday, 02 October 2009)
The days are growing shorter and colder, and birds, butterflies, and other animals are starting to head to warmer climates for the winter. These journeys are often thousand of miles—monarch butterflies can fly as far as 3,000 miles to winter in Mexico. On today's Please Explain, we'll find out …
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Please Explain: Sharks (Friday, 25 September 2009)
There are some 440 species of sharks, and the fish have been swimming in the oceans for 420 million years, before dinosaurs existed. On today's Please Explain we'll find out about sharks, from hammerheads to great whites, and look at how they are becoming threatened. We're joined by Melanie L. J. …
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Please Explain: Trees (Friday, 18 September 2009)
You may have noticed that leaves have started turning, marking the end of summer. On today's Please Explain we'll find out why leaves change color and everything else about trees, with Jessica Argate, Forest Manager, New York Botanical Garden, and David Allan Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Tr …
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Please Explain: Typography (Friday, 11 September 2009)
Our latest Please Explain is all about typefaces and typography. Typeface designer Jonathan Hoefler, type designer and president of Hoefler & Frere-Jones and Steven Heller, co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts and author of the VISUALS column for the New York T …
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Please Explain: Intuition and Gut Reaction (Friday, 28 August 2009)
On today's edition of Please Explain, we're looking at instinct, intuition, gut feelings, those unconscious reactions that guide so much of our decision making. We're joined by Timothy Wilson, Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, and author of Strangers to Ourselv …
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Please Explain: Neurofeedback (Friday, 21 August 2009)
Neurofeedback is a method of training the brain by monitoring brain activity with sensors. Individuals can see their brain activity on a screen in real time and learn to regulate it themselves, in order to "train" their brain to perform specific tasks more efficiently. We'll hear about how it works …
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Please Explain: Spices (Friday, 14 August 2009)
Most spices are delicious, some have medical value and a good amount of them have changed the course of human history. On this week's Please Explain we'll learn all about spices, from Anise to Vanilla. We'll be joined by Dr. John E. Hayes , Assistant Professor of Food Science at Penn State Universit …
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Please Explain: Endangered Languages (Friday, 07 August 2009)
More than half of the world's nearly 7,000 languages are at risk of dying out in the next century. On this week's Please Explain, we take a look at what causes languages to disappear and the efforts to document and revive endangered languages around the world. Gregory Anderson, Director of the Livi …
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Please Explain: Obesity (Friday, 31 July 2009)
According to recent studies, about 1/3 of Americans are obese, and between 1998 and 2006, the obesity rate rose 37% in this country. Obesity-related illnesses accounted for an estimated $147 billion in 2008, nearly 10 percent of all U.S. medical spending, according to the Centers for Disease Control …
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Please Explain: Mosquitoes (Friday, 17 July 2009)
Mosquitoes are one of the downsides of summer, and they are expected to be especially bad this year due to all the rain this spring. We'll find out why mosquitoes buzz and bite, how they transmit dangerous diseases, and some ways to get rid of them. Joseph M. Conlon, a retired U.S. Navy entomologist …
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Please Explain: Plastic Surgery (Friday, 10 July 2009)
On today's Please Explain, we'll look at plastic surgery, from liposuction to Botox to rhinoplasty, and what happens when someone goes under the knife to improve his or her appearance. We'll be joined by Dr. Robert Grant , Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital …
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Please Explain: Dry Cleaning (Friday, 26 June 2009)
Today's Please Explain is all about dry cleaning—how it works, what chemicals are used, and how it is becoming more environmentally friendly. We'll be joined by Wayne Edelman, President and CEO of Meurice Garment Care and past President of the National Cleaners Association. He is also the doct …
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Please Explain: The Atmosphere (Friday, 19 June 2009)
On today's edition of Please Explain, we'll look at the Earth's atmosphere—what it's made of, how it makes life on the planet possible, determines weather patterns, and how human activity is changing it. We'll be joined by Dr. Joel S. Levine, Senior Research Scientist at NASA Langley Research …
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Please Explain: Bees (Friday, 12 June 2009)
The honeybees is just one species of bee, and they often get the most attention, but there are an estimated 20,000 different species of bees in the world. Bees play an important role in pollinating plants, and many have highly developed methods of socialization and communication. We'll learn all abo …
WNYC's Please Explain with Leonard Lopa..
