Books and Ideas with Dr. Ginger Campbell

Episode 35 of Books and Ideas is an interview with best-selling author Scott Sigler. Scott is known for his unique blend of horror and hard science fiction. In this interview Dr. Ginger Campbell talks to him about his career with a focus on the challenges of trying to incorporate accurate science into fiction. They also talk about his most recent hard cover book "The Rookie" and how it is encouraging young adults to become readers. Show notes, links and episode transcripts are available at http://booksandideas.com/. Send feedback to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com.

Episode 34 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Bruce Hood, author of "SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable." Dr. Hood is a developmental psychologist with a long-standing interest in why people believe weird things. In "Supersense" he argues that innate cognitive structures (how we think without being taught) give people a natural tendency toward belief in the supernatural. Our intuitive sense of how the world works is often at odds with the findings of modern science. In this interview we discuss the evidence for these conclusions and their implications. Please go to http://booksandideas.com for show notes and episode transcripts. Send Dr. Campbell email at gincampbell at mac dot com.

This is a free PDF from Kyla Duffy of Happy Tails Books. I interviewed Kyla for Episode 33 of Books and Ideas. Please share this PDF with others! It contains disturbing information about puppy mills, but it also contains practical guidance about how to help these dogs overcome the trauma of their pasts. You can learn more at http://happytailbooks.com/. The next episode of Books and Ideas will be an interview with Bruce Hood, author of "SuperSense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable." It will be posted on January 27th, 2010.

Episode 33 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Kyla Duffy from Happy Tails Books. Duffy publishes inspiring stories about how adopting rescued dogs enriches peoples lives. Proceeds go to various rescue organizations. Get full show notes and episode transcripts at http://bookandideas.com. Send Email to gincampbell at mac dot com or leave voicemail at 206-984-0358.

Ginger Campbell, MD host of the highly rated Brain Science Podcast, uses this podcast to explore her love of reading and ideas, including science, philosophy, history, and what ever else she is reading. This podcast comes out about once a month and often contains interviews of authors and scientists. Check http://booksandideas.com for details.

Episode 32 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Sheril Kirshenbaum, co-author of "Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future." Our emphasis is on the importance of scientists learning to communicate about their work to political leaders and fellow citizens. We discuss some of the factors that have marginalized science and examine some creative potential solutions. Go to http://booksandideas.com for detailed show notes and episode transcripts. Send feedback to gincampbell at mac dot com or call our new voicemail line at 206-984-0358.

Episode 31 of Books and Ideas was recorded live at Dragon*Con 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. It is an interview with NASA's Les Johnson and focuses on his book, "Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth." You will find show notes, links, and episode transcripts at http://booksandideas.com/. Send Dr. Campbell email at gincampbell at mac dot com. You can also post comments on our new FaceBook Fan Page.

This is a brief public service announcement from SCIENCEPODCASTERS.ORG. Vincent Rancaniello, PhD from This Week in Virology and Marc Pelletier, PhD from This Week in Biotech talk about the new H1N1 Infuenza vaccine. It is safe and effective. I will get it myself and recommend it to all my patients. Please share this announcement with others. To learn more go to http://flu.gov or http://cdc.gov/h1n1.

Episode 30 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Tom Clark, author of Encountering Naturalism: A Worldview and Its Uses. We discuss the implications of naturalism as a world view, especially as it relates to questions like morality and free will. Our discussion includes a look at the recent book Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? by Warren Brown and Nancey Murphy. For show notes, links to related episodes, and a full episode transcript go to http://booksandideas.com. Send Dr. Campbell feedback at gincampbell at mac dot com.

Books and Ideas will return in September 2009. Previous episodes are available at http://booksandideas.com/. Send email to gincampbell at mac.com. Theme music for Books and Ideas is "The Open Door" by Beatnik Turtle.

Episode 29 of Books and Ideas is a follow-up interview with Dr. Robert Martensen. In Episode 28 we talked about Dr. Martensen's career. This month we talk about his book "A Life Worth Living: A Doctor's Reflections on Illness in a High-Tech Era." Show notes and a complete transcript of the interview are available at http://booksandideas.com/. Send feedback to Dr. Campbell at docartemis at gmail.com. This episode includes a promo for "Nina Kimberly the Merciless." Learn more at http://christianaellis.com/.

Books and Ideas #28 is an interview with Robert Martensen, MD, author of A Life Worth Living: A Doctor's Reflections on Illness in a High-Tech Era. This is the first of a two-part interview. In this episode we talked about Dr. Martensen's career as a physician and about his new job at the NIH Office of History. We will talk about his book in a follow-up interview. For show notes and links go to http://booksandideas.com. Send Dr. Campbell email at docartemis at gmail.com.

Episode 27 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Jennifer Michael Hecht, author of "Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson" and "The Happiness Myth." As a poet and historian Hecht brings a unique perspective to her examination of the role of science in modern society. She also shares how writing "Doubt" changed her attitude toward religion. You won't want to miss this thought-provoking conversation. For show notes and transcripts go to http://booksandideas.com/. Send Dr. Campbell email at gincampbell at mac dot com.

Episode 26 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Sue Bailey and Carmen Flowers, the authors of "Grave Expectations: Planning the End Like There's No Tomorrow." This book helps readers to plan for their funeral or memorial service. While this might seem like a strange idea Flowers and and Bailey explain that this can actually be a wonderful gift to leave for one's family and loved ones. In this interview Bailey and Flowers share the personal experiences that led them to write this unusual book and they explain why they wrote it in an overtly humorous style. This interview will help listeners see death and funeral planning in a new way. Go to http://booksandideas.com for show notes (including episode transcript) and links. Send email to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac.com.

Episode 25 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Dr. Paul A. Offit, author of "Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure." The scientific evidence shows no connection between vaccines and autism yet opponents of vaccination continue to encourage parents to refuse to vaccinate their children against potentially life threatening diseases. In this episode we consider the evidence for vaccine safety and examine the factors that fuel the on-going controversy. Children are already dying from preventable diseases like measles and hemophilis infuenza (Hib) meningitis, so it is vital that parents be informed about the unnecessary risks faced by unvaccinated children. For detailed show notes and episode transcripts go to http://booksandideas.com. Send email to gincampbell at mac dot com.