The Best Medicine (May 7-13)
Laughter really is the best medicine. Neuroscientist James Olds (GMU) says laughter stimulates the immune system, which helps the body ward off disease, and it is just as essential for our mental health.
Also featured: "Frankenfood" or manna from heaven? Biologist Camellia Okpodu (NSU) thoughtfully evaluates the many benefits and the potential dangers of genetically modified plants.
Night After Night (May 14-20)
Before artificial light, nighttime was a scary and dangerous time. Criminals took advantage of the cover of darkness and a moonless evening was filled with both real and imagined perils. In his new book, At Day's Close: Night in Times Past, historian Roger Ekirch (Tech), sheds light on how pre-Industrial Revolution farmers, tradesmen and laborers spent their nights.
Also featured: Classical guitar music was a constant in the Renaissance and Baroque eras of England, France and Italy. Music professor and guitarist Tim Olbrych (W&M) offers a brief history of this instrument and plays selections from his new CD, 500 Years of the Spanish Guitar.
Bullies and Their Victims (May 21-27)
Bullies enjoy what they do. Psychology professor Thomas Moeller (UMW) has analyzed 25 years of research and says newer data suggests that, while bullying is a learned behavior that kids have gotten away with, some bullies are just plain mean and enjoy inflicting pain.
Also featured : Attorney and psychology professor Elaine Cassel (Lord Fairfax Community College) chides the entire community of Red Lake, Minnesota for missing the warning signs left by school shooter, Jeff Weise.
And: the father of a 12-year-old bullying victim tells the story of his son’s experience and how it led to a new Virginia anti-bullying bill. Pictured here: Collan Brancato and his parents, Chris and Kim, and sister Katie.
Virginia on the Rocks (May 28-June 3)
From the Tredegar Iron Works of the Confederacy to the soapstone quarries near Charlottesville to the caverns of the Shenandoah Valley…geology has helped create the natural and historical landscape of Virginia. Geologist Ernie Ern (UVA-Wise) discusses the rocks and topography of the Commonwealth.
Also featured: At the turn-of-the-century, former slaves and Freedmen, and immigrants from Eastern Europe and Italy, worked side-by-side on the farms and in the coal fields of Appalachia. History professor Richard Straw (RU) takes a look at these often overlooked people of the Appalachian region.
