Earth & Sky

Find our why Berkeley professor Michael Pollan, who wrote The Omnivore’s Dilemma, is making a case against what he calls ‘eating scientifically.’ He’s talking about breakdown of foods into scientific terms – for example, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.

Scientists have linked car exhaust with higher risk of heart disease. That’s according to a study led by research toxicologist John Incardona that started with fish.

A 2006 study found that 43 percent of Americans think food from cloned animals is unsafe to eat. Mark Walton of ViaGen, a Texas-based cloning company, shares his perspective.

According to the CDCP, 16 percent of U.S. children (over 9 million) between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese. Christina Economos studies childhood obsesity, and she says the problem is getting worse.

“If things work the same in people as in mice, and you had a perfect drug, you might imagine that you could extend life span by 20 or 30 year,” said MIT biology professor Lenny Guarente. Hear more about genes that might extend the human life span.

A boy from Laos wonders how long we – or our descendants – might live. An MIT biologist responds, and talks about new research that could help extend our lifespan.