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The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge

  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.We’ll speak with one of a handful of winners of this year’s Dan David Prize. Hamilton College professor Mackenzie Cooley received the world’s largest history prize for her study of “bioprospecting.”And we’ll speak with school administrators in New York about the state’s new ban on cell phones in schools.
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    PLOS Biology
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.New research offers a glimpse at the evolutionary link between prehistoric creatures and contemporary fowl.And fossilized amber is sought after for jewelry. A new study demonstrates the substance that takes Mother Nature millions of years to create can be synthesized in the lab.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.Scientists have discovered a new color. Only a handful of people on Earth have seen “olo” – a greenish-blue hue that can only be seen by using special equipment.And we’ll learn how scientists are aging stars – not by the light they emit, but by their “sound.”
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.In recognition of Mother’s Day, we’ll learn how Affectionate Mothering impacts children as they grow up.It’s graduation season, and students are showcasing their research, and preparing for life after college.And new research provides a deeper look at what’s underneath Yellowstone National Park.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.Scientists say recent publications by the MICrONS project are a watershed moment for neuroscience. We’ll speak with Dr. David Markowitz, who coordinated the effort to the develop the most advanced 3D map of neuronal circuitry ever.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.We may not remember our earliest days, but that doesn’t mean that infants aren’t making memories.And in a challenging time for higher education, we’ll speak with the college presidents of two merging institutions.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.As the Trump administration continues to take actions against colleges and universities, we’ll speak with Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, President of the University at Albany, about how the public institution is planning for changing federal policy.And new research examines how stress affects the body at the cellular level.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.Einstein theorized that at the center of a black hole, the laws of time and space break down. But quantum theory might allow researchers to further our understanding of the unknown.And an underground water source that feeds rivers in the Pacific Northwest could be much larger than previously thought.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.Shape-shifting, fluid-like robotic materials may one day no longer exist only in science fiction.We’ll learn about how microplastics could contribute to antibiotic resistance.And students and faculty at UVM ask questions about cuts to federal funding for college campuses.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.Black students in America are more likely to be disciplined with out-of-school suspension than their white counterparts. Author Aaron Kupchik explores the legacy of racism and segregation in schools.And we’ll cheer on a robotics competition in Massachusetts.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.New research on aging finds lifestyle and environmental factors may contribute more to aging and health than genetics.We’ll speak with outgoing Hampshire College President Ed Wingenbach about his efforts to stabilize the private Massachusetts institution.And filmmaker Jay Craven tells us about how he involves students in his productions.
  • The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.New research gives a more accurate picture of the lifespan of whales. And some whales may live longer than previously thought.And scientists have located a mysterious, repeating source of radio waves from far across space.