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b'Glitter Gets An Eco-Friendly Glimmer\\nGlitter\\u2014it\\u2019s everywhere this time of year. You open up a holiday card, and out comes a sprinkle of it. And that glitter will seemingly be with you forever, hugging your sweater, covering the floor. But glitter doesn\\u2019t stop there. It washes down the drain, and travels into the sewage system and waterways. Since it\\u2019s made from microplastics, it\\u2019s never going away.\\nAs it turns out, all that glitters is not gold\\u2014or even biodegradable.\\nBut what if you could make glitter that was biodegradable? Silivia Vignolini, professor of chemistry at the University of Cambridge joins Ira to discuss her latest discovery\\u2014eco-glitter made from plant cellulose.\\n\\nThe Resurrection Of The American Chestnut\\nAt the turn of the 20th century, the American chestnut towered over other trees in forests along the eastern seaboard. These giants could grow up to 100 feet high and 13 feet wide. According to legend, a squirrel could scamper from New England to Georgia on the canopies of American chestnuts, never touching the ground.\\nThen the trees began to disappear, succumbing to a mysterious fungus. The fungus first appeared in New York City in 1904\\u2014and it spread quickly. By the 1950s, the fungus had wiped out billions of trees, effectively driving the American chestnut into extinction.\\nNow, some people are trying to resurrect the American chestnut\\u2014and soon. But not everyone thinks that\\u2019s a good idea. Reporter Shahla Farzan and \\u201cScience Diction\\u201d host and producer Johanna Mayer bring us the story of the death and life of the American chestnut.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nA DNA Map You Can Touch\\u2014Or Walk Through\\nWhen science involves visualizing the intricate movements of DNA through time and space, examining minutiae like how DNA folds and rearranges itself during cell division, or the relationships between miniscule beads on microscopic strings, the data can get complicated really fast.\\nWhich is why biophysicist Adam Lamson is collaborating with artist Laura Splan in a project the two of them call \\u2018Sticky Settings.\\u2019\\xa0It\\u2019s a kind of an inside joke about the nature of DNA strands, and the kinds of digital transformations that can be applied to data in animation software.\\nBut the result of this partnership has been anything but a joke. From giant tapestries that present maps of DNA in colorful, tactile formats, to otherworldly animations set to music, their art invites a non-scientific audience to literally walk into the processes our own cells are undergoing every day.\\nProducer Christie Taylor talks with Splan and Lamson about their partnership, and the natural intersection between an artist\\u2019s creativity and a scientist\\u2019s. Plus how an artist\\u2019s interpretation can bring new insights to difficult data.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nThe Secret Life Of Mistletoe (When It\\u2019s Not Christmas)\\nThis time of year, it\\u2019s not uncommon to see a little sprig of greenery hanging in someone\\u2019s doorway. It\\u2019s probably mistletoe, the holiday decoration that inspires paramours standing beneath it to kiss.\\nBut as it turns out, we may have miscast mistletoe as the most romantic plant of the Christmas season. In reality, the plant that prompts your lover\\u2019s kiss is actually a parasite. Ira talks with evolutionary biologist Josh Der about the myth and tradition behind the parasitic plant, and what it may be up to the other 11 months of the year.'