California Drought, New EPA Label, Earthquake Warning

Guest: Doug Carlson, Information Officer for California’s Department of Water Resources We’re looking at a crisis here in the Western United States. California is in a drought state of emergency, following its lowest snowpack ever recorded. Earlier this month, Governor Jerry Brown mandated substantial water use reductions across the state. California is the most populous state in the union—home to 12 percent of Americans— and a major business center and agricultural producer. So the impact of California’s deepening drought is very much top of mind across the country.

Guest: Clive Davies, Chief of the Safer Choice Program at the EPA For many years, the US Environmental Protection Agency has had a program to evaluate the safety of products. Soon they’ll have a new green-and-blue label stamped “Safer Choice” to give consumers confidence when choosing products such as kitchen and bath cleaners, carpet cleaners and laundry detergents.

Guest: Craig Glennie, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Houston whose research focuses on creating more available earthquake warning systems around the globe A powerful 7.8 earthquake shook the mountainous nation of Nepal on Saturday, leaving entire villages flattened, toppling buildings in Katmandu and causing an avalanche on climbers attempting to summit Mount Everest.  The death toll is nearly 4,000 people and climbing, as rescue efforts continue. Could any of those lives have been saved with even a few minutes of warning before the tremor hit? Developed countries like Japan and the US have invested millions of dollars in early earthquake detection and warning systems. But scientists at the US Geological Survey and several universities believe smartphones might provide a viable alternative for poorer countries like Haiti or Nepal.

Guest: Phillip Stewart, recipient of the J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award given by the Society of American Archivists for his work promoting motion picture film preservation and research at the National Archives. He’s author of the book “Henry Ford's Moving Picture Show.”

Guests: Rod Gustafson and Kerry Bennett of ParentPreviews.com “The Age of Adaline” opened in theaters over the weekend, starring Blake Lively. After a strange accident, her character—Adaline— become immortal and spends a life wandering through the twentieth century, hiding her secret and watching those she loves age. Among them, is a character played by Harrison Ford.

Guest: Robert Hyldahl, BYU kinesiology professor American astronaut Scott Kelley is currently in space on the longest mission NASA has ever launched. He’ll be at the International Space Station for a full year, while his twin brother Mark remains on Earth. Researchers hope to learn about the effects of space on the human body by comparing how the twins fare. The information will be critical if NASA ever wants to send humans to more distant destinations like Mars. One thing Scott Kelley will experience in space, no matter how much he uses the space station treadmill, is loss of muscle. Previous astronaut studies have shown muscle health is difficult to maintain without gravity. BYU kinesiology professor Robert Hyldahl might have the answer.