KNAU update for Jan. 10 — KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny on Science Friday Today, Global Chili Pepper Meeting and more

Tune into Science Friday today at noon to hear Ira Flatow speak with KNAU’s science reporter Melissa Sevigny. They’ll discuss her recent story on an experiment at Biosphere 2, where scientists turned off the rain in the enclosed rainforest and forced it through a two-month-long drought. The experiment looks at how carbon and water cycles change when plants are under stress. It involves more than 80 scientists from around the world.

We are just past the Winter Solstice, which means the days are starting to get longer again. But there’s still a ways to go before the cold nights give way to spring. Our seasonal poet Rob Bettaso reflects on the dark days of winter. Learn more at KNAU.org.

For decades tribal members relied on Kayenta coal to heat their homes, and now it’s their first winter without reliable or affordable fuel. Learn more at KNAU.org.

An eight-person team will hit the water Thursday around midnight in an attempt to break one of the most storied boating records in Grand Canyon lore. They plan to paddle all 277 miles of the Colorado River through the canyon in under 34 hours. Learn more at KNAU.org.

Utes have occupied land in the southwest corner of Colorado for centuries. Now their food heritage is sowing seeds of prosperity for members of the Ute Mountain Tribe. Learn more at KNAU.org.

New Mexico State University is preparing to host the world’s largest conference dedicated to chili peppers. It’s the state vegetable and the basis for the official state question: “Red or green?” Learn more at KNAU.org.