BROADCASTS.com

b"We have a new podcast! It\\u2019s called\\xa0Universe Of Art, and it\\u2019s all about artists who use science to bring their creations to the next level. Listen on\\xa0Apple Podcasts,\\xa0Spotify, or\\xa0wherever you get your podcasts.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nWhat Is Your Cat\\u2019s Meow Trying To Tell You?\\nCats have formed bonds with humans for thousands of years. But what exactly is going on in our furry friends\\u2019 brains? What are they trying to tell us with their meows? And why did humans start keeping cats as pets anyway?\\nTo help answer those questions and more, John Dankosky talks with Jonathan Losos, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and author of the new book, The Cat\\u2019s Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa.\\n\\xa0\\nRead an excerpt of the book at sciencefriday.com.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nResearchers Quantify The Navajo Nation\\u2019s Water Crisis\\nIn Fort Defiance, one of five main communities situated on the Arizona-New Mexico border in the Navajo Nation, Taishiana Tsosie and Kimberly Belone are standing in a mobile office\\u2019s cramped bathroom.\\nThe two researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health turn off the lights and hold up plastic bags filled with water from the bathroom sink. Each bag has five small compartments, filled with the same sink water. Where they differ is in the chemicals added to each compartment.\\n\\u201cThis is our compartment bag, and we use this and several other chemicals and tablets to test for E. coli in the water,\\u201d Tsosie said.\\nToday, the researchers are testing for harmful bacteria, but they also run separate tests for dangerous metals in drinking water.\\nTo read the rest, visit sciencefriday.com.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nChumash Tribe Champions National Marine Sanctuary\\nFor generations, the Chumash tribal nation have been stewards of a vital marine ecosystem along the central coast of California, bordering St. Louis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County.\\nThe area is home to species like blue whales, black abalone, and snowy plovers. And it\\u2019s also an important part of the Chumash tribe\\u2019s rich traditions and culture.\\nTribal leaders have pushed for decades to designate the area as a national marine sanctuary. Now, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is in the final stages of the approval process, which would make it the first tribally nominated national marine sanctuary in the country.\\nJohn Dankosky talks with Stephen Palumbi, professor of marine sciences at Stanford University and Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, about the importance of this region and their collaborative research project.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nWhere The Rubber Meets The Road For Electric Cars\\nYou might not give your car\\u2019s tires a lot of thought unless you get a flat, or you live somewhere you need to swap in snow tires. But as more people in the US make the switch to electric vehicles, some are finding they have to think about their tires more often. Some EV drivers are finding that their tires wear out more rapidly than they had with traditional internal combustion-driven vehicles\\u2014in some cases, 20 percent faster.\\nThe problem has multiple causes. Many EVs are heavier than regular cars of a similar size, which puts more load on the tires. When combined with the almost instant torque provided by electric motors, that can lead to leaving rubber on the road\\u2014even when a driver isn\\u2019t attempting to burn rubber.\\nRyan Pszczolkowski, tire testing program manager at Consumer Reports, joins Diana Plasker to talk about the special engineering that comes into play when the rubber meets the road in an electric car.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nIs The Plastic In Your Old Barbie Toxic?\\n\\u2018Barbie\\u2019 is going gangbusters at the box office, and it\\u2019s prompted a whole new interest in the iconic, if occasionally problematic, toy doll. If you\\u2019ve been moved by the movie to dig your old Barbie out from the attic, don\\u2019t be surprised if she looks\\u2026different.\\nThe PVC (polyvinyl chloride) toy dolls of the 1950s\\u2014and for the next 50 years after that\\u2014contained plasticizers that, over time, can degrade, discolor, and even become sticky. And the chemical compounds being released by an old PVC toy might be toxic to your toddler.\\nScience Friday\\u2019s AAAS Mass Media Fellow Chelsie Boodoo is a big Barbie fan. She wanted to find out more about what these old Barbies are made of, and whether we should be worried. So, she turned to Dr. Yvonne Shashoua, a research professor from the National Museum of Denmark. She explains what happens to plastic dolls over time, how museums like hers preserve vintage toys, and even some tips to keep Barbie looking like new. (Hint: make room in the freezer!)\\n\\n\\xa0\\nTo stay updated on all-things-science,\\xa0sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.\\nTranscripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on\\xa0sciencefriday.com."