This episode examines recent progress in genetics, including advances in genetic science, practical applications of genomics, and ethical issues raised by genome technology. The guests are Michael Snyder, PhD, Chairman of the Genetics Department and Director of the Center of Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University, and Russ Altman, MD, PhD, Professor of Bioengineering, Genetics and Medicine and former Director of Stanford's Bioengineering Department. Michael Snyder is a leader in the field of genomics, has created several new genome mapping techniques, and is the cofounder of several successful biotechnology companies, including Protometrix, Affomix, and Personalis. Russ Altman specializes in sophisticated computer modeling to gain insight into the human genome. He was a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and is Chairman of the Food and Drug Administration's Science Advisory Board, where he advises the FDA Commissioner. Questions addressed include whether the genome contains information for intangible traits such as personality and intelligence as well as physical traits such as hair and eye color, how understanding a person's genome can help predict their susceptibility to disease, whether it's possible to modify a person's genome to make him less susceptible to disease, and whether altering a genome carries ethical risks. Martin Wasserman hosts.

This episode looks at a revolutionary new advance in the field of photography. The guest is Paul Gallagher, V.P. of Strategic Market Development at Pelican Imaging, Inc., maker of the PiCam. The PiCam can take pictures that can be refocused after the picture has been taken, including selective refocusing of particular parts of the picture, and can take 3D pictures that can be printed by a 3D printer.

This episode features an interview with leading atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson, director of the Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University, who claims that it's possible to fill the world's energy needs by clean renewable sources such as wind, water and solar power alone, without having to use fossil fuels at all. Prof. Jacobson studies the physical and chemical processes of air pollution and global warming, and looks for ways to integrate clean energy sources into the power grid.

Olfactory technology is trying to do with the sense of smell what we can already do with the senses of sight and hearing. Just as we can record pictures and sounds by mechanical means, store them digitally in computers, and reproduce them at will, a group of scientists is trying to do the same thing with smells