The Planetary News Radio

Today's episode is a continuation of Planetary News Radio's coverage of the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. It is in times of great need that scientists and community members must join together to protect the community, whether that is at the national level, state level, city, or friends and family. As you all know, SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread around the world, and we are seeing increasingly sweeping government responses to this outbreak, including quarantines, travel restrictions, and the bolstering of healthcare services. Listen to my status updates on the pandemic here in Corvallis, Oregon, as well as a national and global perspective. Sample math (from this episode): 1000 population x 40% attack rate = 400 infected. Critical rate of 20% = 80 hospital beds used. Case Fatality Rate of 3.4% x 400 infected = 14 fatalities. For more coronavirus data analytics and updates, visit http://ncov.iiress.com. For transcripts and show notes, visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts.

Today's episode is a continuation of Planetary News Radio's coverage of the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. It is in times of great need that scientists and community members must join together to protect the community, whether that is at the national level, state level, city, or friends and family. As you all know, SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread around the world, and we are seeing increasingly sweeping government responses to this outbreak, including quarantines, travel restrictions, and the bolstering of healthcare services. Listen to my status updates on the pandemic here in Corvallis, Oregon, as well as a national and global perspective. For more coronavirus data analytics and updates, visit http://ncov.iiress.com. For transcripts and show notes, visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts.

Today's episode is a special feature episode of the Planetary News Radio. It is in times of great need that scientists and community members must join together to protect the community, whether that is at the national level, state level, city, or friends and family. As you all know, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has rapidly spread around the world, and we are seeing increasingly sweeping government responses to this outbreak, including quarantines, travel restrictions, and the bolstering of healthcare services. Listen to my status update on the pandemic here in Corvallis, Oregon, as well as a global perspective. For more coronavirus data analytics and updates, visit http://ncov.iiress.com. For transcripts and show notes, visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts.

What is a "navigable water"? What is an ephemeral stream? How do we define a wetland in the United States? Recently, the EPA has made a landmark decision to rollback a 2015 Obama era rule, eliminating 18% of US streams and 51% of US wetlands from federal oversight. How will this impact the future of environmental monitoring in the US, and what are the pollution risks? Additionally, I dive into the related issue of forestry management and carbon sink development. Where are we at now and where are we going? Article 1 ("WOTUS"): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/23/trump-clean-water-protections-rule-rollback. Article 2 ("Forestry"): https://www.wired.com/story/we-might-not-be-planting-the-right-kinds-of-forests.  For transcripts and show notes, visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts.

How has scientific communication changed under the Trump administration (2016-present)? What avenues are available to the public to understand and track where the scientific method is being excluded from policy-making decisions? In this episode I introduce the Columbia Climate Law Silencing Science tracker (https://climate.law.columbia.edu/Silencing-Science-Tracker) and discuss a recent example of scientific suppression, the closing of the TOXMAP pollution tracker. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews

What does impeachment mean for science in America? How can we create an objective means of understanding and ranking science news articles? In this episode, I talk about the legal implications of impeachment, why this is important for science, and the work I've done so far on developing a news ranking algorithm - the TruthScore. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

This episode of The Planetary News Radio marks the launch of The Planetary News Digest - the print component of The Planetary News. The Digest is a quality/truth-score ranked list of recent science articles from four topics - Climate, Environment, Health, and Space, along with a brief summary of each article. The Digest is great to have on hand when you're out and about, and comes with integrated QR codes so you can easily scan articles to read on your phone. A subscription to the monthly Digest can be made via Patreon at: http://bit.ly/2JAHY5F. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

What does finding methane on Mars mean? How long ago could have life evolved on Mars? How much influence can the gut microbiome have on the human body? These topics and more in this episode of The Planetary News Radio. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

Is the Moon part of Mars, or just NASA's mission goals? Will the International Space Station (ISS) live on as a privately-funded space tourist spot? Can astronomers make any inferences about life on exoplanets? These questions and more in this episode of The Planetary News Radio. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

DNA identifies a new distinct group of ancient human. Will octopuses become the new most popular lab animal? How far have microplastics permeated into the ocean ecosystem? These topics and more in this episode of The Planetary News Radio. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

How soon will NASA send humans back to the Moon? Can children's behavior around guns be influenced by video games? Did sabertooth cats actually fight with their fangs or were they just for show? These questions and more in this episode of The Planetary News Radio. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

A new potential ocean found hidden under Pluto's surface. Can using CO2 as a fracturing "fluid" instead of water reduce the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing? Why are institutions doing away with the GRE? These topics and more in this episode of the Planetary News Radio. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

What are some good reasons to protect seemingly insignificant species like insects or fungus? Do we need to protect every species, or just a few "sentinel" species? I explore some of these tough concepts and more in this episode of The Planetary News Radio. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

What are some of the theories for how bipedalism evolved in humans? Could distant supernova have influenced human evolution? In this episode I talk about the use of attention grabbing headlines in science news and how scientists can formulate evolutionary theories, with a recent theory surrounding bipedalism as an example. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

Are scientists in America experiencing censorship? What kind of ideas are those that undergo censorship? What are some of the more subtle ways that scientists' voices are minimized in the US? These questions and more in this episode of The Planetary News Radio. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

How will agriculture in the United States be affected by US economic policies? Which crop is the best - the one that pays the most or the one that is under the most demand? Is the agriculture industry a free-market system, or a partially socialized system more akin to healthcare than to car manufacturing? These questions and more in this episode of The Planetary News Radio. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews. Update Description

Why are humans so fascinated by space, astronomy, the stars, and the planets? Is it something innate to our biology? Is it merely a cultural fad? I'll discuss these questions and a few more in this episode. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

What are the commonalities between linguistics (language) and genetics (DNA)? Is DNA a language like human language? In this episode I talk about some of the useful ways that I like to think of DNA as a language and briefly talk about space science in the news. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.

Introduction to the show. Background info about why I'm creating the show, my science background, and why understanding linguistics is so important in combating fake news, pseudoscience, and internet-based misinformation campaigns. A plan for using computer algorithms to improve science communication. Visit on the web at: http://www.iiress.com/planetary/podcasts. Join the discussion on Discord at: https://discord.gg/5HQj8eC. Support on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/planetarynews.