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Science Friday > Archives > 2002 > July > July 19, 2002:
Hour Two: Breast Cancer / Chemical Elements

First in this hour of Science Friday, we'll hear about a new study looking at the risk factors relating to breast cancer. A new study published today in the journal 'The Lancet" says that women who breastfeed their children for 6 months reduce their risk of later developing breast cancer by 5%. We'll talk to one of the authors about the study and what it might mean. Then, we'll change topics completely, and take a look at the chemical world.

The Maltese Falcon turned out to be lead, not gold -- but Sam Spade still called it "the stuff that dreams are made of." In this hour of Science Friday, guest host Richard Harris and guests talk about the chemical elements -- the stuff that STUFF is made of.

We'll find out how new elements are dicovered by talking to Al Ghiroso, co-discoverer of at least a dozen elements. We'll also talk with element collector Theo Gray about the wide variety of elements you can find at your local store, and with John Emsley, author of a new guide to the periodic table.


Part of the Periodic Table Table -
image courtesy Theodore Gray.

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Guests:
Gillian Reeves
Staff Scientist, Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit
The Radcliffe Infirmary
Oxford, UK

John Emsley
Author, "Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements" (Oxford University Press, 2002)
Science Writer In Residence, Cambridge University
London, UK

Albert Ghiorso
Senior Scientist Emeritus, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Co-discoverer of 12 Elements
Berkeley, California

Theodore Gray
Co-Founder, Wolfram Research
Element Collector, Creator of the Wooden Periodic Table
Urbana, Illinois

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements" by John Emsley. Oxford University Press, 2002.

(find more SciFri books here)

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Related Links:
MEDLINEplus Medical Encyclopedia: Breast milk
OncoLink
BreastCancerInfo.com

The Wooden Periodic Table Table
Chemistry: WebElements
Visual Elements
Chemicool Periodic Table
Jim Marshall: Rediscovery of the Elements
Die Home Page von Heinrich Pniok
Uncle Tungsten
Dmitriy Mendeleev Online
Chemistry.org: American Chemical Society
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry


This segment produced by Charles Bergquist and Jesse Logan

 

 

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