John works with the radio team to create our weekly show, and is helping to build our State of Science Reporting Network. He’s also been a long-time guest host on Science Friday.
He and his wife have four cats, thousands of bees, and a yoga studio in the sleepy Northwest hills of Connecticut.
John likes building radio collaborations. He helped bring together 18 stations across the Northeast to cover environmental issues, which eventually led to the New England News Collaborative, worked with NPR on their Collaborative Coverage Project, and with the national talk program America Amplified.
For 25 years, John oversaw news programming at WNPR, where he started the daily talk show, Where We Live. He’s also produced award-winning long-form documentaries on mental health and care for the elderly, and hundreds of short stories for NPR and public radio stations, including one about virtual reality in dentistry that’s actually pretty embarrassing to listen to now.
You can also see him doing live events for The Connecticut Mirror, The Connecticut Forum, and The International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
John grew up in Pittsburgh, and is as big a Mr. Rogers fan as you’ll find anywhere.
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17:16
Speaking Multiple Languages Changes The Way You Think
Speaking more than one language has the power to shape memory and cognition–and perhaps even delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.
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7:08
The Mysteries Of Freshwater Jellyfish
Researchers think the species hitched a ride on aquatic plants shipped from China, then spread across the Midwest.
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9:18
Devastating Fires Might Become More Common In Hawai’i
Why were the fires in Maui so destructive and how could climate change make fires there more frequent? Plus, more stories from this week in science news.
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24:25
From Splenda to Aspartame: Are the Artificial Sweeteners We Use Hurting Us?
The science behind the WHO’s declaration of aspartame as a “possible carcinogen,” and the effects of artificial sweeteners on human health.
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11:45
No, The Gulf Stream Is Not Collapsing
A separate set of currents, called the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), is weakening.
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12:03
What Is Your Cat’s Meow Trying To Tell You?
A biologist’s new book explores the evolution of our bond with our favorite four-legged felines.
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11:56
Chumash Tribe Champions National Marine Sanctuary
After decades of advocacy, a 7,000 square mile area off the central coast of California may soon be protected.
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8:52
Is The Plastic In Your Old Barbie Toxic?
The Barbie movie updated Barbie’s image for today’s world. But if your Barbie doll was made before 2007, her plastic body might not be safe for kids.
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17:17
The State Of Reproductive Health, One Year After Dobbs
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, state abortion bans are impacting access to reproductive health care nationwide.
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11:52
Astronomers Spy A Two-Faced Star
The unusual white dwarf star appears to be made of hydrogen on one side and helium on another.