Living Lab Radio: What Do We Do With The Questions Science Can't Answer?

This Feb. 17, 2005 image made available by NASA shows plumes of water ice and vapor from the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Heather Goldstone is the science editor at WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR Station. She holds a Ph.D. in ocean science from M.I.T. and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and spent a decade as an active researcher before leaving the lab to become a writer.

November 13, 2017

Updated July 03, 2023

Mathematician sees parallels between contagious diseases and mass shootings: There have been ten mass shootings this year, and plenty of talk about the factors that contribute to the high rate of these devastating events in the U.S. Research overwhelmingly points to gun availability as the biggest factor. But somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of mass shootings show signs of social contagion, that is of having been inspired by previous events. And, as with contagious diseases, researchers say early intervention is best. (Guest: Sherry Towers, Arizona State University)
There are 126 Alzheimer’s drugs in clinical trials. Can any of them meet FDA’s standards? Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide, yet there are only a handful of drugs to treat the symptoms. None of them address the underlying disease, and it’s been years since a major new drug got approved. There are 126 drugs in clinical trials. The question is whether any of them can meet FDA's bar for approval and be used early enough to alter the course of Alzheimer’s disease. (Guest: Rudy Tanzi, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital)
Museum of Science asks provocative questions: There are a lot of questions in life and politics that science can inform, but not answer. What should we do about gun violence? Should we ban high-concussion-risk sports for young athletes? Boston’s Museum of Science is asking provocative questions and getting visitors to question their own viewpoints. (Guest: Christine Reich, Museum of Science)