The Point

He's best known for his extraordinary strength and x-ray vision, and his sense of justice and righteousness. But Superman has evolved since his creation in the 1930's, often reflecting shifts in American culture and norms. Writer Larry Tye, author of Superman, the High-flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero, discusses this history of Superman.

What is your greatest fear? Speaking in public? Spiders? Snakes? What makes us afraid? A powerful and primitive emotion, fear prompts both a biochemical and emotional response. While one is universal the latter is highly individualized. Psychologist Michael Abruzzese and Psychiatrist Marc Whaley discuss the psychology of fear.

Tom Keyes is the Republican candidate for the Plymouth-Barnstable State Senate seat representing Bourne, Falmouth, Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, and Sandwich. He talks about his positions on the issues and why he is running for office.

While it may not be the issue that decides elections, funding for scientific research is a fundamentally political beast. Take, for example, President George W. Bush's 2004 manned space exploration initiative - an overhaul of NASA's priorities aimed at putting American men and women back on the moon and, eventually, on Mars. Or there's Sarah Palin's somewhat notorious comments during the 2008 presidential campaign mocking biomedical research using fruit flies and calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Fall is "the time" for birding on the Cape and islands - a chance to see a diversity of species that pass through on their way south for winter. Ornithologist Vernon Laux talks fall migration and brings us up to date on the latest bird news.

Pablo Suarez, Scientist with the Red Cross/ Red Crescent Climate Center and a gaming enthusiast, talks about innovative ways to educate developing nations about the impacts of climate change. Suarez has developed participatory games to help explain the complexities and threats surrounding climate change and raise awareness about the options of dealing with it before a storm, crop failure or flood hits.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and pregnant women are 60% more likely to experience physical abuse than non-pregnant women. Mary Starr- Director of Cape Cod Center for Women, Beth Homand, Nurse Practitioner at Community Health Center of Cape Cod and Carmen Espinoza, Falmouth Police Department Domestic Violence Advocate discuss the prevalence of Domestic Violence on Cape Cod and the islands and area resources to help victims.

Plants and photosynthetic bacteria sustain much of life on Earth. They form the base of food chains both on land and in the ocean, and they produce the oxygen we breathe. Indeed, when the first photosynthetic algae arose some 3 billion years ago, they fundamentally changed our planet — breathing oxygen into the atmosphere and paving the way for life as we know it today.

Author Martin Sandler talks about his new book The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure. In the winter of 1897 eight American whale ships and three hundred men are locked in ice with no means of escape. The story follows the three rescuers in a race against time and odds.

Brenda Swain, Falmouth Service Center Executive Director, and Mary Anderson,
Family Pantry of Cape Cod Executive Director and co-chairs of the Cape Cod Hunger Network discuss hunger. The two largest Cape pantries have undergone some changes. We talk about that and the various programs available from fuel assistance to nutrition education.

I've read my fair share of science books and field blogs and talked to more than a few scientists. In most cases, I hear their stories and think "Cool! I want to do that!" In a few other cases, I think "That's hardcore, but I could probably handle it." As I read Ben Linhoff's Following the Ice blog this summer (and re-read it last night), all I could think is "That guy is crazy. I never want to camp next to a glacier in Greenland for three months." I'll moderate that a bit now that I've met Ben. He isn't crazy. But I still never want to camp next to a glacier in Greenland for 3 straight months. I'm certainly glad Ben is willing to, though, because his research is important.