Thousands of people across the United States live near multiple industrial facilities and petrochemical plants that expose them to higher levels of air pollution, but chemical exposure risk is commonly regulated one chemical at a time. A study conducted by a group of Johns Hopkins researchers found that “fence line” residents are at higher risk for multiple health problems because of the toxic mix of air they breathe. Lead author Dr. Keeve Nachman joined Host Paloma Beltran to walk through the study.

Astronomer Philip Plait wondered what it would be like to walk on Mars, fall into a black hole, or fly through a nebula, so he wrote a book, Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe. He joins Host Aynsley O’Neill to reveal the strange colors of a sunset on Mars, what it’s like on a planet orbiting binary stars, the unique challenges of landing on an asteroid, and more.

The summertime magic of fireflies lighting up at dusk is facing threats because of climate change and habitat destruction. Living on Earth’s Ashanti Mclean shares with Hosts Aynsley O’Neill and Paloma Beltran a few tips that can help to protect firefly species.

A paper published in the journal Scientific Reports describes the case study of an orangutan who treated and healed his own wound. Zoologists have long seen behaviors of self-medicating in the animal kingdom, but until now it has rarely if ever been documented in scientific literature. Michael Huffman, an ecologist who reviewed the paper joined Host Paloma Beltran to discuss how some animals are known heal themselves.