There's the athletes -- and then there's the mathletes. Join Ira in this hour for a conversation with the author of new play opening in New York, 'Victoria Martin, Math Team Queen.' It's a comedy about what happens when an ultra-popular, very smart girl joins the school's all-male math team.

Then, we'll hear about a growing environmental hazard -- mercury contamination. Scientists report they've found as many as fourteen mercury 'hotspots' in the northeastern United States -- places where mercury levels are far above what's considered safe. We'll look at mercury in our environment, and talk about where it comes from, and what might be done to regulate it.

Finally, is there more to gravity than 'what comes up must come down?' An international conference of gravity researchers meets in Arizona next week -- we'll talk with one of the organizers of the symposium about what the researchers see as weighty issues in the field of gravitation. How does gravity fit into the other forces of physics?

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:
Kathryn Walat
Playwright, "Victoria Martin, Math Team Queen"
New York, New York

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Charles Driscoll
University Professor of Environmental Systems Engineering
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

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Dimitrios Psaltis
Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

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This segment produced by Annette Heist