John leads the audio team that creates our weekly radio show and daily podcast.
John loves working on journalism collaborations. He helped build our State of Science Reporting Network; brought together 18 stations across the Northeast to cover environmental issues; a project which eventually led to the New England News Collaborative; worked with NPR on their Collaborative Coverage Project; and hosted the national collaborative 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 elder care, and reported hundreds of short stories for NPR and public radio stations. These covered everything from politics to PFAS to basketball shoes, including one story about virtual reality in dentistry that’s actually pretty embarrassing to listen to now.
You might know his voice as a long-time guest host on Science Friday, and you can still see him periodically hosting live events for The Connecticut Mirror.
He and his wife and their three cats live in the sleepy Northwest hills of Connecticut, where they run LAM Yoga, a small studio that leads international yoga retreats. But John grew up in Pittsburgh, and is as big a Mr. Rogers fan as you’ll find anywhere.
17:09
One Crisis After Another: Designing Cities For Resiliency
The leaders of a global architecture and design firm discuss how design can help communities adapt to global crises.
7:07
The Art And Science Of Trash Talk
Author Rafi Kohan explains the psychological and physiological responses to trash talk, ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.
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.
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.
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.
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.
11:45
No, The Gulf Stream Is Not Collapsing
A separate set of currents, called the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), is weakening.
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.
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.
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.