Water Sommelier, Ancient Milk, Human Trafficking

Guest: Martin Riese, Water Tasting Educator, Water Sommelier at Petit Ermitage Hotel in West Hollywood When you go on vacation, can you taste the difference in the tap water? It might be subtle, but I can. And Martin Riese definitely can. He’s a professional water taster –a water sommelier, even. At the Petit Ermitage Hotel in West Hollywood he oversees a menu of waters and recommends pairings for diners. Which, I know, sounds so LA. (Originally aired October 7, 2019).

Guest: Sophy Charlton, Researcher of Biomolecular Archaeology, University of York The average American consumes more than 600 pounds of dairy products per year. But it definitely didn’t used to be that way –humans couldn’t always drink milk. Ancient adults were lactose intolerant, and it’s still a mystery why so many humans aren’t anymore. That’s why it was a big surprise when researchers from the University of York examined teeth from people who lived 6,000 years ago and discovered that they consumed dairy. (Originally aired October 7, 2019).

Guest: Amy Farrell, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University Human trafficking still happens right here in the United States. And it’s happening more often than the official data suggest. Police departments often don’t have a category for “human trafficking” when recording crimes in state and federal databases. Criminologist Amy Farrell at Northeastern University says that – coupled with insufficient training of police officers – has led to a “massive undercount” of human trafficking cases in the US. (Originally aired October 7, 2019).

Guest: Michael Richardson, PhD, Author of the Study: “Playing Bilingual: Interweaving Deaf and Hearing Cultural Practices to Achieve Equality of Participation in Theatrical Performance Processes” COMPLETE TRANSCIPT FOR THIS INTERVIEW IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE Attendance at live theater performances by deaf people is low. And for good reason. The costumes, makeup, set, and lights, are all part of the full sensory experience of theater. But that’s lost on those who have to watch an interpreter off to the side the entire time. Is it possible for a deaf person to have an equal theater experience as someone who isn’t deaf? (Orignally aired October 28, 2019).

Guest: Devin Kearns, PhD, Associate Professor of Special Education at University of Connecticut and one of the Lead Scientists for the Apprise Project It gets harder and harder to treat dyslexia in children with every year that passes after preschool. Problem is, most kids don’t get diagnosed until they’re around 8 years old. Dyslexia particularly hard to detect in English-speakers, and teachers usually only recognize it once a child fails. That’s why researchers from three universities got together to make an app that will help teachers detect dyslexia in kids at an earlier age. (Orignally aired October 28, 2019).

Guest: Alison Booth, Professor of English at the University of Virginia