It’s hard to put a number on it but judging from the number of videos emerging online, there are more and more contraband cell phones finding their way into the hands of people in prison, who use them to record TikTok dances, take online courses, and alert the outside world to what’s happening on the inside.
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In the early hours of Monday, a powerful earthquake hit Kahramanmaras in Turkey. Nine hours later another struck. When this edition of Science in Action first aired, 19,000 people were reported to have died, but that number was expected to rise.
Back in 2016, Professor Asli Garagon and her colleagues accurately predicted that an earthquake of this size was coming. Using GPS, they were monitoring the East Anatolian fault to calculate energy building between the plates. With such accurate insight could Turkey have been better prepared?
Ross Stein, seismologist and founder of Temblor, a Californian consultancy that specialises in assessing hazard risk, estimates the plates moved at 5,000 mph. The movement of the plates may have built up pressure in other parts of the country.
And finally, Tiziana Rossetto, a civil engineer at University College London, knows better than most that earthquakes do not kill, buildings do. She tells Roland how the combination of earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks appear to have even destroyed buildings that were purposely built to withstand them.
Also, Why does the thought of giving a talk to an audience fill so many of us with sheer terror? Marnie Chesterton investigates for listener Nhial, who has seen his fellow students in Morocco become panic stricken at the prospect and wants to know the reason for our anxiety. According to one study, 77 per cent of us share that fear.
Marnie finds out about the relationship between stress, our brains and our voices from research associate Dr Maria Dietrich at the University Hospital, Bonn University. She talks to Nhial’s tutor, Professor Taoufik Jaafari, at Hassan II University of Casablanca about the challenges facing his students. And she visits the National Theatre in London to get some expert training from Jeannette Nelson, head of voice, who works with some of the world’s leading actors.
Could there be an evolutionary explanation for the purpose of public speaking? Is it something we actually need to be good at? Marnie asks evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar at Oxford University and gets some surprising answers. She meets psychologist Dr Preethi Premkumar at London South Bank University, who has developed virtual reality therapy with colleagues at Nottingham Trent University, and tries out the treatment herself.
Image: Aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Gaziantep
Credit: REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
Haiti, a country long besieged by political turmoil, was plunged further into chaos in 2021 when then president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated. Today, gangs run large swaths of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Schools and businesses have shuttered, food, water and gas shortages have spiraled, and Haitians desperate to leave the country have overrun immigration offices hoping for a passport.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been the de facto ruler since Moïse's assassination. There have not been official elections in the country since 2016. In January, its ten remaining senators left office, leaving no single regularly elected official. Henry, whose rule is heavily criticized by many Haitians, says there cannot be new elections until the country is made safer.
Amidst the chaos, calls have risen for the US to help stabilize the country, but a fraught history of US intervention in Haiti has created a climate of mistrust.
Host Michel Martin talks to Pamala White, former ambassador to Haiti, about what options are available to Haiti to quell the country's unrest.
And Marlene Daut, a professor at Yale of French and African-American studies, unpacks the history of US intervention in Haiti.
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with Super Bowl Sunday upon us, we listen back to Mike’s September 11, 2017 interview with former Raider (and Eagles) cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha. Despite being one of the best cornerbacks ever to play in the NFL, Namdi sees his time in football as a prep course for acting. Then we’re replaying Mike’s Spiel about San Francisco sex workers who are clogging up the streets.
We revisit the leak investigation, catch up on recent news, and then take a deep dive into the recent dispute in United States v. Texas (starting at 37:56) over the scope of courts' power to vacate administrative rules and the related controversy over so-called "nationwide" injunctions.
What’s the point of reading a company’s earnings report? Can’t AI do that job? Patrick Badolato, PhD, CPA is an Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business where he teaches accounting and financial statement analysis. Badolato joined Ricky Mulvey to discuss: - How Walmart, Rent the Runway, and Peloton adjust earnings (and what it means for shareholders) - Why investors should follow a company’s operating income - The pros and pitfalls of GAAP metrics - A better way to count stock-based comp. Companies Discussed: WMT, RENT, PTON Host: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Patrick Badolato Engineer: Tim Sparks
Quickie with Steve: Dwarf Planet Mystery Ring; News Items: Lucky Girl Syndrome, Best Satellite Material, AI and Technosignatures, Sleep Disorders and Paranormal Belief, Earthing Update; Who's That Noisy; Potent Quotables; Science or Fiction
The Chicago native brings his personality to life on the dance floor and through his talk show The Rico No Suave Show. Reset checks in with Rico No Suave about embracing his Afro-Cuban heritage, his electrifying salsa skills and what’s bringing him joy.
