Education and Evolution in Texas: Christine Castillo Comer, a former education official responsible for the science curriculum in the state of Texas, says she was forced to resign for informing colleagues of a talk on the conflict over the teaching of evolution. Ira talks her with about t (first broadcast Friday, December 7, 2007)

Improving Automobile Efficiency: Energy legislation currently moving through Congress could result in an increase in fuel efficiency standards for the U.S. auto fleet. In this segment, Ira and guests talk about the legislation, and about research into improving the fuel efficiency of car (first broadcast Friday, December 7, 2007)

Did Life Start in Mica?: A biophysicist discusses her hypothesis that in the early days of Earth, organic compounds needed for life may have been synthesized in the tiny spaces between sheets of mica rock. (first broadcast Friday, December 7, 2007)

Amir Aczel 'The Jesuit and the Skull': In this segment, Ira talks with author Amir Aczel about his new book 'The Jesuit and the Skull, a biography of priest and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. (first broadcast Friday, December 7, 2007)

Science Book Picks for 2007: In this segment, Ira and guests discuss notable books about science, medicine, and the environment that were published in the last year. Call in with your own suggestions! (first broadcast Friday, December 7, 2007)

National Health Insurance / National Health Care: One of the largest issues facing politicians in the coming presidential campaign is the topic of health care. In this segment, Ira and guests talk about what steps might be taken to improve access to health care in the U.S. How do other nations approach (first broadcast Friday, December 14, 2007)

Coral in Crisis: The world's coral reefs are in great danger, threatened by climate change. We'll hear about new forecasts for the future of the world's coral. (first broadcast Friday, December 14, 2007)

A Crystal Ball for 2008 Tech: Ira talks about CNET's 5 technology predictions for the coming year. What are your tech predictions? (first broadcast Friday, December 14, 2007)

Toxic Homes and Household Toxins: Ira and guests talk about dangers in common household products and in the very materials that make up your house. (first broadcast Friday, December 14, 2007)

Bali Climate Conference Wrap-up: Last Saturday, delegates to a UN climate conference agreed to a 'roadmap' that would guide how the international community approaches the issue of global warming in the years ahead. But where does that roadmap lead? (first broadcast Friday, December 21, 2007)

Audubon Christmas Bird Count: We'll check in on some citizen science -- the annual Christmas Bird Count, organized by the National Audubon Society. (first broadcast Friday, December 21, 2007)

Looking Back on 2007 Science: From dramatic new stem cell techniques to new ideas about cosmic rays, 2007 had plenty of scientific surprises. Join Ira and guests for a look back at the top science stories of the year. (first broadcast Friday, December 21, 2007)

The Body Has A Mind of Its Own: How your body sees itself -- and the world around it -- may have a big influence on how it behaves. (first broadcast Friday, December 21, 2007)

Attack of the Black Hole: Astronomers have captured an image of a jet of radiation leaving a black hole at the center of one galaxy to strike the edge of neighboring galaxy. (first broadcast Friday, December 21, 2007)

Asteroid Heading Toward Mars: An asteroid has a 1-in-75 chance of hitting Mars in late January. Find out why astronomers are on the edge of their seats. (first broadcast Friday, December 28, 2007)

Wildlife Safari: Stuck at home for the holidays? Not anymore - we're going on safari. In this segment, Ira talks to three world-explorers who document wildlife in different ways. (first broadcast Friday, December 28, 2007)

South Pole Telescope: Brrrrr! We check in on research in Antarctica. (first broadcast Friday, December 28, 2007)

What Would You Do For Science?: In this segment, we'll talk about some of the most bizarre science experiments of all time and check in with some of the people who participated in them. (first broadcast Friday, December 28, 2007)