Scientist and author Carl Sagan died ten years ago this week. Sagan became known to millions through the television series 'Cosmos' and his later work as an expaliner and popularizer of science, and was involved in many of the robotic missions that explored the planets of our solar system. An advocate for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, Sagan put together the 'Golden Record' that travelled on the Voyager spacecraft as a message to other civilizations. He was author of books on space including 'Cosmos' and 'Pale Blue Dot,' and later authored several books criticizing pseudoscientific thinking, including 'The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.'

Join Ira in this hour of Science Friday for a talk with Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan's widow. She's edited a new book of his lectures on science and religion.

Plus, we'll take a look at two new studies about smell--how might animals smell underwater? New research says that two mammals, the star-nosed mole and the water shrew, may be able to use bubbles to smell underwater -- even sniffing down food as the swim. High-speed video of the animals shows them puffing bubbles out of their noses, then sucking them back in again while underwater. The researchers say that trick may let the mole and shrew pick up a scent under water. We'll talk to the author of that study, published this week in the journal Nature.

And how does what we learn affect what we smell? Some researchers say that your memory of a smell can be greatly colored by what you experienced just after smelling it. We'll find out more. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Ann Druyan
Editor, Carl Sagan's "The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God"
Widow of Carl Sagan
Ithaca, New York

***************

Kenneth Catania
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

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Jay A. Gottfried
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois

Books/Articles Discussed:

"The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God," by Carl Sagan, edited by Ann Druyan. Penguin Press HC, 2006.

Catania C. C., et al. Nature, 444 . 1024 - 1025 (2006).

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Annette Heist