Summary: Self-driving cars are becoming a reality. Raymond Resendes (Virginia Tech) says that in our lifetimes, we will likely see the car as we know it become obsolete. Prepare yourselves, he says, for “timeshare cars.” Also: NASCAR is now the second most watched professional sport in America, behind only football. John Miller (Longwood University) is the co-author of Motorsports and American Culture: From Demolition Derbies to NASCAR. He says NASCAR reflects our culture, our society, our values, and our history. Later in the show: An insect native to Mexico, is the only source of a vibrant red dye called carmine, which Spain’s Conquistadors encountered for the first time in 1519. We talk with Amy Butler Greenfield, author of A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire, about the history of this highly sought-after commodity that eluded pirates, scientists, and kings. Plus: Chemist Kristen Wustholz (College of William & Mary) is working with an art curator to trace the molecular “fingerprints” of the pigments in rare paintings. And: Gail Dodge (Old Dominion University), winner of the Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award says the number of women in physics is growing.
