Chasing the Sun, Christmas Message, Outer Baldonia, Catch a Spy

Our Complex Relationship with the Nearest Star Guest: Linda Geddes, freelance science and medical journalist, and author, "Chasing the Sun: The New Science of Sunlight and How it Shapes Our Bodies and Minds" Sunlight is essential to human health for a variety of physiological and psychological reasons.  Christmas: Light in the Darkest Time of Year Guest: Ben Abbott, Assistant Professor, Ecosystem Ecology, Brigham Young University We celebrate Christmas, a symbol of hope and light, at the darkest time of the year. Christ's light is like the sun, but unlike it as well, since it is constant even in times of spiritual darkness in our lives.  Snowflake Science  Guest: Kenneth G Libbrecht, Professor, Physics, Caltech Look out your window during a snowstorm and you’ll see billions and billions of snowflakes falling from the sky. The snowflake has long been a symbol of chilly winters and the holiday season, but the science behind these little frozen pieces of art provides interesting insight into why snowflakes end up looking the way that they do. The Micronation of Outer Baldonia Guest: Kara Arundel, education reporter and editor, based in Washington, D.C., and author, "Raising America’s Zoo: How Two Wild Gorillas Helped Transform the National Zoo" Outer Baldonia was a tiny island nation, complete with a declaration of independence, constitution, and its own currency. It was created and led by its “Prince of Princes,” Russell Arundel, a Washington businessman and lobbyist. It supported freedom for fishermen and opposed the communist bloc.  The Art of Counterintelligence Guest:  James M. Olson, former Chief of CIA Counterintelligence, and current Professor, Counterintelligence, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University Someone must spy on the enemy's spies. This is the role of counterintelligence agents, who track down and identify spies in their midst, and try to prevent them from getting there in the first place.