Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, St. Joseph’s Villa and the Virginia Association of Science Teachers are offering a conference this weekend for pre-K to 5th grade teachers about how to promote a nature-based education.  Charles Fishburne talks with keynote speaker David Sobel, a senior faculty member at Antioch University, who has written seven books and 60 articles on children and nature, in this WCVE Science Matters report.

How does sugar impact our brain? Well, this is a tale of two sugars - glucose and fructose. Both occur naturally, but one of them has a vastly different way of communicating with your brain. In one corner we have glucose, commonly found in pineapples and oranges among others. The consumption of this sugar registers a “full” feeling in the brain. So basically you eat enough of the foods with this in it and your brain thinks “Oh boy, I’m stuffed.” Now, in the other corner you have fructose, commonly found in sodas and canned foods.

A Researcher at VCU’s Massey Cancer Center is working on a “vaccine” that shows promise in treating and preventing metastatic cancer.  Charles Fishburne has more in this WCVE Science Matters report.

What’s the future of fuel? There are many ideas that have been presented ranging from solar to wind to hydropower. The growing energy needs of our planet will require some creative thinking and likely some ideas that don’t reside in the standard energy toolbox that we are accustomed to today. With that said, a sweet new idea has been brought to the table that involves using sugar to help fuel the world of tomorrow.