Thomas Edison's patent drawing for an improvement in electric lamps, patented January 27, 1880. Credit: Records of the Patent and Trademark Office; Record Group 241; National Archives.

The name 'Thomas Edison' is almost synonymous with invention in America. He was involved with the development of electric light, the phonograph, the carbon microphone once used in many telephone handsets, the telegraph, the motion picture camera, and more. Join Ira in this hour for a conversation with Randall Stross, author of a new biography of Edison, about how the "Wizard of Menlo Park" changed modern life.

Plus, a look at honeybees. Recently, in more than 20 states, beekeepers have been opening their hives to find the bees gone. While bee populations in the U. S. have been suffering in recent years from a variety of threats, including tracheal and Varroa mites, this sudden disappearance of bees from hives across the country has caught many beekeepers off guard, with no clear explanation for the AWOL insects. And no honeybees means no pollinators, a huge problem for growers. We'll talk with bee experts about the problem.

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:
Randall Stross
Author, " The Wizard of Menlo Park, How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World" (Crown Publishers, 2007)
Author, "Digital Domain" column, New York Times
Professor of Business
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

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May Berenbaum
Professor, Entomology
Head, Department of Entomology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Illinois

Daniel Weaver
Beekeeper
President, American Beekeeping Federation
Navasota, Texas

Books/Articles Discussed:

" The Wizard of Menlo Park, How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World" by Randall Stross. Crown Publishers, 2007.

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This segment produced by Annette Heist