Talk of the Nation on WBFO

In his book The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards, New York Times science writer and long-time yoga practitioner William Broad investigates popular health claims about yoga--that it boosts metabolism, for example--and finds that scientific studies tell a different story.

Several times in earth's history continents have collided to form supercontinents only to later break apart. Geologist Ross Mitchell discusses a new study in Nature that predicts in 50 to 200 million years time the Americas and Eurasia will collide to form a supercontinent over the Arctic.

When you gaze into your sweetheart's eyes, look for enlarged pupils. Studies show that our pupils dilate when we feel strong emotions. Psychologist Bruno Laeng, of the University of Oslo, explains how scientists are using "pupillometry" and what pupil diameter suggests about mental activity.

NYU psychology professor Gary Marcus took up guitar at the relatively ancient age of 38, by starting with the video game Guitar Hero. Marcus shares his experiences and insights on the science of learning, which he's gathered in a new book Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, sales of vinyl albums continue to grow, setting a new record in 2010. Does vinyl reproduce sound better, or is it just a trend? Two audio experts join guest host John Dankosky to talk about the science of audio, and how perceptions can shape the sound experience.

Lt. Col. Daniel Davis ignited a controversy when he wrote that what he saw in Afghanistan "bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders." U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Ma), defense analyst Tom Donnelly and McClatchy Newspapers correspondent Johnathan Landay discuss the realities of the war in Afghanistan.

On September 17, 2011, hundreds of people gathered in Lower Manhattan to protest the growing wealth gap and Wall Street's involvement in the economic crisis. Five months later, most of the Occupy encampments across the country have been disbanded and the future of the movement remains uncertain.

SPIN Magazine is hoping to review 1,500 albums and mixtapes exclusively in 140-character tweets on the SPINReviews Twitter feed in 2012. The music magazine recently abandoned their 80-word reviews for the new Twitter format, which critics think is killing the art of the music review.

Historian Noah Andre Trudeau is known for uncovering secrets of the Civil War. His previous books, Bloody Roads South and Gettysburg, have unveiled information about Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's march to the sea in 1864, and the legacy of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Now, in preparation for a book about a largely unexamined period of President Abraham Lincoln's life, Trudeau is in search of witnesses.

President Barack Obama's campaign has urged top donors to support a super PAC run by former Obama aides. The president previously called the fundraising groups a "threat to democracy." The Center for Responsive Politics' Sheila Krumholz discusses the shift and NPR's Ken Rudin reviews the week in politics.

Many mid- and large-sized companies rely on computerized systems to scan resumes and narrow the field of job candidates. Some tracking software may overlook qualified applicants who haven't used the right keywords. The Wall Street Journal's Lauren Weber explains what it takes to get noticed.

The remaining GOP presidential candidates, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, New Gingrich and Ron Paul, are all fighting to sell a slightly different brand of conservatism. The definition of what it means to be conservative has changed over the years.

After a loved one dies, it's becoming more common to offer and receive condolences through a Facebook post or an email. New York Times contributor Bruce Feiler discusses the new customs that are evolving to guide the grieving process in the digital age.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared California's same-sex marriage ban, known as Proposition 8, unconstitutional on Tuesday. This paves the way for a U.S. Supreme Court case that could have far-reaching implications for gay marriage around the country.

Transcript

LYNN NEARY, HOST:

Late last summer, Mary Elizabeth Williams got some devastating news: her cancer had returned. A year after recovering from malignant melanoma on her scalp, it had resurfaced, this time in her lungs and back. News can't get much worse than that, but then Williams learned that the FDA had recently approved clinical trials for first new melanoma drug in decades. She qualified for the trial several months ago and has been writing about her experiences for Salon. Mary Elizabeth Williams joins us in a moment.

St. Louis, Mo. held a parade for veterans of the Iraq War in January 2012 that drew an estimated 20,000 participants and 100,000 spectators. Fifteen other cities are considering similar parades, but some argue that such celebrations should not be held while the war in Afghanistan continues.

The claims airline passengers make about flights are often embellished. During turbulence, for example, passengers may think a plane is dropping hundreds of feet, when it's never typically more than 20. Airline pilot Patrick Smith, writes the Ask The Pilot column for Salon.com. He sets the record straight on common air travel myths.

In 2006, thieves stole writer Patrick Symmes' bike in broad daylight on a crowded, New York City street. This inspired Symmes to set out to catch a bike thief — any bike thief.

He tells the tale of this revenge-fueled, cross-country journey in the Outside magazine piece "Who Pinched My Ride?" The story is filled with GPS trackers, police stake-outs and undercover stings.

After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, world leaders vowed that such mass atrocities could never be allowed to happen again. In 2005, the U.N. adopted the Responsibility to Protect, a set of principles to guide the response of the international community if a government fails to protect its population.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation reversed its controversial decision to stop providing funding to Planned Parenthood. Rodger Jones, an editorial writer for the Dallas Morning Star, says that to retain the support of abortion rights opponents, Komen needs to consider different fundraising options.

The jobs numbers at the start of 2012, shed a ray of positivity on a gloomy economic picture. Some economists warn against premature optimism. While the economy is creating jobs again, it will take years to return to full employment.

Reporting in PLoS Biology, researchers write that they were able to correlate words a person was hearing to specific electrical activity in the brain. Study co-author neuroscientist Robert Knight discusses future applications of this research and concerns that it amounts to mental wiretapping.

As it circles Earth, NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer hunts for particles streaming in from beyond the solar system. It has intercepted hydrogen, helium, neon and oxygen atoms. IBEX principal investigator Dave McComas discusses how the abundance of those atoms hints at the Milky Way's composition.

In That's Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion, psychologist Rachel Herz discusses the origins of disgust — what she calls the 'instinct that's learned' — and why humans turn up their noses at smelly feet but devour expensive cheeses cultured with some of the very same stinky bacteria.

Amyloid plaques and tangles of protein in the brain are two of the key signs of the form of dementia known as Alzheimer's disease. In new work reported in the journal PLOS One, researchers tracked the spread of tangles of tau protein from neuron to neuron in the brains of mice. Study co-author Karen Duff of the Columbia University Medical Center discusses the findings.

NASA's iconic images of Earth from space date back to the late 1960s--with snapshots taken by Apollo astronauts. The modern "blue marble" images are captured by machines and they're not photos. They're datasets collected by instruments aboard satellites and then translated into imagery on the ground.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are replacing boots on the ground in some wars. Commercially, UAVs are being used for things like crop-dusting and flood mapping. Experts discuss advances in drone technology and how to address legal and privacy concerns that stem from their use.

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

You may remember Anthony Mackie as the uptight sergeant who defused bombs in Baghdad with Jeremy Renner in the Oscar-winner "The Hurt Locker."

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE HURT LOCKER")

JEREMY RENNER: (as Sergeant First Class William James) That wasn't so bad. First time working together. What do you think?

ANTHONY MACKIE: (as Sergeant J.T. Sanborn) I think us working together means I talk to you and you talk to me.

RENNER: (as Sergeant First Class William James) We going on a date, Sanborn?

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. The good news, even in the recession, came from American manufacturing. Output is up one-third over the past decade. But over just about that same period of time, six million manufacturing jobs disappeared. About as many people work in manufacturing now as did at the end of the Depression, though our population has more than doubled.

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

After a few more days of escalating hoopla, the Super Bowl between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots kicks off on Sunday evening, but whether you've got a small financial interest in the game or if you're just waiting for the ads, there are stories on the field in Indianapolis - the Brady legacy, salsa dancer Victor Cruz, hometown boy Mathias Kiwanuka, and of course the medical epic of the high-ankle sprain. What story will you follow in Super Bowl XLVI?