First, how can we see Mars and the constellations in the night sky this month? Then, an interview with Andrew Elliot (Eastern Kentucky University) about a chelator that could be useful in cancer treatment, followed by an opinion piece about the 'canary in the coal mine' of climate change. Finally, how do pets and poetry improve our lives? Thanks to J. Scott Miller, Amanda Fuller, Andrew Elliot, and Leslie Moise for their contributions to this episode. Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ The song 'Five' heard in this episode is by 'Discount Fireworks' available at freemusicarchive.org. Bench Talk | April Sky; Cancer Chelators; Climate Warnings; Pets in Our Lives | April 5, 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Scott Miller shows us how to find Mars and constellations in the night sky this month. Then, there is another panel discussion about the important environmental bills being discussed in the Kentucky House and Senate this year. And how can scientists have an impact? This is a discussion with lobbyists/advocates Tom FitzGerald of the Kentucky Resources Council, and Lane Boldman and Randy Strobo of the Kentucky Conservation Committee. This interview was conducted by Trent Garrison (President of the Kentucky Academy of Science) and Kaylynne Glover (President of the Kentuckians for Science Education) on March 3, 2021. The full-length video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr7ceALH1jw&t=351s The Kentucky Resources Councel's link to legislation is: www.kyrc.org/news The KY Conservation Committee's link to legislation is: kyconservation.org/legislature-2021. The KY Academy of Science link to legislation is: www.kyscience.org/advocate_for_science.php The Kentuckians for Science Education website is: kyscied.wordpress.com/ 'Bench Talk: The Week in Science' is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville 'Forward Radio' 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BenchTalkRadi%E2%80%A6ef=page_internal Bench Talk | The March Night Sky; Kentucky Environmental Legislation Part-2 | March 8, 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

What are the important environmental bills being discussed in the Kentucky House and Senate this year? This is an interview with lobbyists/advocates Lane Boldman and Randy Strobo of the Kentucky Conservation Committee about pending Kentucky environmental legislation. This interview was conducted by Trent Garrison, President of the Kentucky Academy of Science on Feb 25 2021. The full-length video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3khyHuCPYg&t=229s The KY Conservation Committee's link to legislation is: kyconservation.org/legislature-2021. The KY Academy of Science link to legislation is: www.kyscience.org/advocate_for_science.php The Kentuckians for Science Education cooperated on this effort: kyscied.wordpress.com/ 'Bench Talk: The Week in Science' is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville 'Forward Radio' 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Bench Talk | What Environmental Bills are in the KY House & Senate this Year? | March 1, 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Listen to the landing of the Perseverance rover on the planet Mars, while J Scott Miller provides background about this ambitious NASA project. Then Dr. Gretchen Goldman of the Union of Concerned Scientists speaks on 'A Roadmap to Restoring Federal Science'. Thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org/about) for permission to broadcast this 'Got Science?' podcast (taped on Jan 26 2021): www.ucsusa.org/resources/restoring-federal-science Here is everything about the Perseverance rover: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Bench Talk | Mars Rover Landing; Restoring Science (Union of Concerned Scientists) | Feb 22 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

What parts of the face are more important in recognizing emotions like happiness, sadness, fear or anger? How does age and gender affect our ability to perceive facial reflections of emotions? How do masks effect how people interpret our emotions, and what can we do about it? Dr. Andrew Mienaltowski, a psychologist at Western Kentucky University, discusses his research on how we read other peoples faces Here are the slides that accompany this presentation: https://www.kyscience.org/docs/2020_BenchTalk_Mienaltowski_facialEmotion.pdf Here is the 'Bench Talk Live' website where you can see past presentations and register for new ones: https://www.kyscience.org/bench_talk_live.php Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Bench Talk | The Eyes Have It: Emotional Cue Perception - Dr. Andy Mienaltowski | Feb 15 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

What stars & planets can be seen in the night sky this month? And how did ancient Australian star-mappers determine the location of modern highways? Can prosthetic arms be controlled with our minds? What are the prospects for scientists in the new Biden administration? Does the pandemic affect our reading habits? What can we do about it? This week you will be hearing from J Scott Miller, Earthdate, Amanda Fuller, Kali Tackett, Anthony Fauci and Leslie Moise. Here is the link to the Earthdate story: https://www.earthdate.org/aboriginal-star-maps To Kali Tackett's KAS award: https://www.kyscience.org/2020_student_competition_winne.php To the White House Press Conference: https://www.c-span.org/video/?508191-1/white-house-briefs-reporters-biden-administrations-pandemic-response Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Public-domain music is 'Meditating Beat' by Kevin Macleod at freepd.com. Bench Talk | February Sky; Star Ways; Mind Control of Prosthetics; Reading & Pandemics | Feb 1, 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Two undergraduate students who recently won conference awards from the Kentucky Academy of Science talk about their research on tree buttressing (Erin Carleton, NKU) and novel ways to monitor stream contamination (Samuel Kessler, UL). The show ends with Professor J Scott Miller commenting about sea level rise. Thanks to Amanda Fuller (KAS) for the student interviews: https://www.kyscience.org/2020_student_competition_winne.php Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Music ('Positive and Fun') is by Scott Holmes at freemusicarchive.com. Bench Talk | Tree Buttressing: Stream Sampling; Sea Level Rise | Jan 25 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

On January 16, 2021, President Joe Biden introduced his picks for science advisors to the White House. Meet Drs. Eric Lander, Alondra Nelson, Frances Arnold and Maria Zuber. For the first time, there will be a scientist on the President's Cabinet! Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris finishes the show. The full press conference can be viewed here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?508044-1/president-elect-biden-introduces-white-house-science-team Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Bench Talk | Meet the Biden Science Team | Jan 18 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

What interesting objects are in the night sky this month? J Scott Miller will fill you in. Then Dave Robinson describes a unique fast radio burst just detected in the cosmos. This one produces a pattern. The airborne SOFIA telescope is introduced, and Scott describes how it was recently used to confirm the existence of water on our moon. The show ends with information about a free, online discussion of racism, sexism and colonialism in the sciences, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tainted-knowledge-reconciling-the-scientific-fields-problematic-past-tickets-132336495019 The NASA video about SOFIA can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5z6fZKOtP4 Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Bench Talk | January Sky; Cosmic Patterns; Airborne Telescopes; Water on the Moon | Jan 4 2021 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.

Hear about potential White House interference with the work of COVID-19 scientists at the CDC. Then, our interview continues with two Duke University researchers who have recently developed a simple, low-cost technique for assessing the ability of different face masks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. We talk to Drs. Eric Westman and Martin Fischer about how they compared 14 different masks for their efficacy in reducing respiratory droplets. Their article was published in the September 2, 2020 issue of 'Science Advances': https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/36/eabd3083 Thanks to Ruth Newman for facilitating this interview. Bench Talk is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio/ Bench Talk | Trump Interference with the CDC; Interview about Face Masks (continued) | Dec 28 2020 by Forward Radio is licensed under a  Creative Commons License.