We kick off a week of candidate forums leading up to the primary election, beginning with Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District. We also explore the impact a fictional planet from Star Wars has had on real world science, and also discuss the increasing phenomenon of high-profile laws being decided in courts instead of in legislative chambers.
Featured in this Show
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'Star Wars' Fans Use Fictional Planet Of Tatooine As Tool For Explaining Science
A long-ish time ago, in a studio far, far away, the planet Tatooine was created by George Lucas for the movie “Star Wars” to be the home of film protagonist Luke Skywalker. The desert world, however, has also recently taken on a new role: The subject of a science lesson.
Scientists and science writers are taking part in an online Tatooine Science Carnival, using the fictional planet to help explain biology, climatology and other real-life disciplines.
Matt Shipman, a science writer and public information officer at North Carolina State University, said he came up with the idea to apply real-life science to a fictional planet when he wondered why the animals on this desert planet were so enormous. He took the question to Twitter and received active interest among fellow “Star Wars” fans.
Although scientists spend their working hours immersed in real-life facts and figures, Shipman said they were quick to take part in this theoretical discussion centered on made-up life forms.
“I think if you did a Venn diagram of scientists and science fiction fans, there would be an enormous amount of overlap,” Shipman said. “So, encouraging people to talk about what they know best – science – while talking about something they really love — “Star Wars” — it engendered a great deal of enthusiasm.”
It might be easy to watch “Star Wars ”and point out the scientific inaccuracies that exist, but Shipman said everybody who participated in the Tatooine Science Carnival simply had fun with it.
“We’re simply doing something we thought would be a lot of fun,” he said. “If we’re doing anything, we’re sort of celebrating ‘Star Wars’ rather than denigrating ‘Star Wars.’”
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Wisconsin Laws Are Increasingly Decided In Courts, Not In Legislative Chambers
In politics, legal challenges are nothing new, but there’s been an increase in the frequency of high-profile laws being challenged in Wisconsin courts. A politics reporter discusses this phenomenon and some of the high-profile laws making their way through the courts.
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What Tatooine Can Teach Us About Real World Science
What can a fictional movie planet teach us about real world science? A lot, according to science writers in the Tatooine Science Carnival, who use the Star Wars planet to illustrate principles of biology, climatogy and more.
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4th Congressional District Candidate Forum: Gary George
Central Time hosts a candidate forum with Gary George, a former Democratic state senator who is running against U.S. Representative Gwen Moore in Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional district Democratic primary.
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4th Congressional District Candidate Forum: Gwen Moore
Central Time hosts a candidate forum with Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who is being challenged by former Democratic state senator Gary George in Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional district primary.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Cynthia Schuster Producer
- Amanda Magnus Producer
- Chris Malina Producer
- Matt Shipman Guest
- Jason Stein Guest
- David Shiffman Guest
- Gary George Guest
- Rep. Gwen Moore Guest
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