Recently, beekeepers across the country 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. Now, researchers suggest in a paper published in the journal Science that a newly-discovered virus may be to blame. We'll talk with one of the paper's authors about the study, and what it might take to stop the decline of the honeybee.

Then, Ira talks with author Alan Weisman about what the world might be like if humans were suddenly to disappear from the planet. Would a human-free Earth be more environmentally friendly? Would a sudden removal of humans disrupt the planet's ecosystems still more? In his book "The World Without Us" (St. Martin's Press, 2007), Weisman says that in as little as two days without human intervention, the New York City subway system would be flooded -- and in as little as a year after a mass human disappearance, every nuclear power plant on Earth would have run out of coolant and failed or melted down. How long would it take the planet to heal itself after humans left? And what would happen to our cities, cultural artifacts, and other creations?

Finally, we'll hear about a discovery in genetics that could have implications for your waistline. Researchers are studying how a gene dubbed 'adipose' controls fat formation in organisms from fruit flies to lab mice. New work published in the journal Cell Metabolism indicates that manipulating the behavior of that gene could be a way to alter the creation of fat in a wide range of animals. "It could explain why so many people struggle to lose weight and suggests an entirely new direction for developing medical treatments that address the current epidemic of diabetes and obesity," said Jonathan Graff, one of the authors of the report. We'll talk to him about the research and what it could mean. 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:
Diana Cox-Foster
Professor of Entomology
Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania

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Alan Weisman
Laureate Associate Professor in Journalism and Latin American Studies
University of Arizona (Tucson)
Senior Editor and Producer, Homelands Productions
Author, "The World Without Us" (St. Martin's Press, 2007)
Cummington, Massachusetts

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Jonathan Graff
Associate Professor, Developmental Biology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas

Books/Articles Discussed:

"The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. St. Martin's Press, 2007.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Annette Heist