wildly curious
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Curious Science of Humans at War

Public domain
Before radar was developed, acoustic horns like at Bolling Field in Washington D.C. were used to detect the sound of approaching enemy aircraft.

When you think about military science, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Bombs and guns, right? Well, that’s not what interests the writer Mary Roach, who has a habit of seeking out eccentric scientific corners. She’s not so much curious about the killing as she is about the keeping alive. That curiosity led her to research into the battlefield’s more obscure threats: exhaustion, shock, bacteria, panic, even turkey vultures. Roach is coming to Utah, so we're rebroadcasting our conversation with her about the science of humans at war. (Rebroadcast)

On Wednesday, June 21, at 7:00 p.m. Mary Roach sits down with Ellen Fagg Weist of The Salt Lake Tribune. That's at The City Library in downtown Salt Lake City. The event is co-hosted by Weller Book Works.It's free, but registration is required. Visit slcpl.orgto learn more and to register.

Mary Roach is the author of the books Stiff, Spook,Bonk, Packing for Mars, and Gulp. Her latest book is called Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War [Amazon|Indie bookstores|Audible].

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Related Content
  • Popular science writer Mary Roach says that when planning a space mission, everything that's taken for granted on Earth has to be "rethought, relearned…
  • Everybody eats, and we more or less know what that’s about. What happens after we eat – the transformation of food as it passes through our bodies –…