_A growing body of research is looking into the connections between spirituality and the functioning of the human brain. Our panelists take us on a journey into the deep recesses of the religious mind in hopes of answering some key questions: Is there a part of the brain that’s responsible for making people religious? Or is it the other way around, with spirituality affecting the way the brain operates?

_Panelists:
John Baker, executive director of the Community Foundation of Central Missouri and former pastor at First Baptist Church in Columbia
Daniel Cohen, teaching assistant professor in the MU Department of Religious Studies
Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology in the MU School of Health Professions
Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of the book "Principles of Neurotheology" (joining the program by phone)

In the early 1950s, cancerous cells were taken from a tumor that killed a young black woman and became the first human cells to be successfully kept alive and replicated outside the human body. That cell line, known as HeLa, went on to become one of the most important ingredients in medical research, leading to several important breakthroughs -- and generating large profits for biomedical companies. But the woman and her descendants had no idea any of this was happening.
The details of this true story are chronicled in this year's One Read book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." Our discussion focuses on the medical issues raised in the story, in particular how race, medicine, civil rights history and bioethics all come together in the book and in our world today.
For more information about this year's One Read events, click here.

Panelists:
Doyne McKenzie, collections manager, Daniel Boone Regional Library
Traci Wilson-Kleekamp, director of diversity and outreach initiatives, MU School of Medicine

The Missouri River was once the lifeblood of this region, bringing goods and prosperity through towns across the state. But like the muddy water itself, the river's ideal use and flow is not as clear as it may have been years ago. Dams and levees have altered its course and threatened aquatic life; and over the past decade outdoor and nature enthusiasts have led a growing effort to clean up trash littered along the river and turn the waterway into a central point for recreation. We look at statewide conservation efforts and what lies in store for the Big Muddy.

Panelists:
Jeff Barrow, director, Missouri River Relief
Steve Johnson, executive director, Missouri River Communities Network
Ken Midkiff, director, Sierra Club Clean Water Campaign
Scott Mansker, host of PBS show "River Miles" (joining the program by phone)

Although scientists say it is possible to provide everyone with more than enough food calories, humanity still faces the stark reality of chronic hunger, and not just in the developing world. In this town-hall forum, our panelists explain the challenges -- for consumers, farmers, governments, and scientists -- that make it difficult to feed the world now and into the future.

Panelists:
Maria Rodriguez Alcala, assistant director of undergraduate studies in agricultural and applied economics, University of Missouri
Bill Allen, assistant professor of science journalism, University of Missouri
Paul Lasley, professor and chair of the Sociology and Anthropology departments, Iowa State University.

Ongoing problems at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have raised questions about nuclear power safety in the United States. What safety precautions are in place at the nuclear power plant in Callaway County? How might the situation in Japan affect plans for a second nuclear reactor there? And what is the latest in the science of nuclear power in general?

Panelists:
Scott Bond, manager of nuclear development, Callaway Power Plant
Sudarshan Loyalka, Curators’ Professor of Nuclear Engineering, University of Missouri

How much of what we do is by choice, what philosophers and theologians call “free will”? And how much can be attributed to the unconscious workings of our brains? Can brain scans, such as functional MRIs, show what is happening in the brain? Can they predict violent criminal behavior - and if so, should they be admissible in legal proceedings? In advance of a symposium on the topic next weekend at MU, we invited a few experts to help explain how advanced study of the brain intersects with our humanity.

Panelists:
Phil Robbins, University of Missouri associate professor of philosophy and co-chair of the Life Sciences and Society Symposium planning committee
Ines Segert, University of Missouri professor of psychology
Jim Fallon, professor of anatomy and neurobiology, University of California-Irvine (joining by phone)

Related links:
Life Sciences and Society Symposium website
NPR story about Jim Fallon’s discovery of his own psychopathic potential
Overview brain imaging and purposes, as explained by the University of Pennsylvania
CNN article about research by Adrian Raine (mentioned multiple times during the Intersection conversation)

After years of back and forth with local officials, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week released a pollution control plan that identifies storm-water runoff as the main source of pollutants in Hinkson Creek. On today's program, panelists explain what pollution in the creek means to the average citizen of mid-Missouri. We also look at how Hinkson Creek might be cleaned up, how quickly it could happen, and how much the clean-up efforts might cost taxpayers like you.

Panelists:
Ken Midkiff, member of the Sierra Club, Osage Group and columnist for the Columbia Daily Tribune
Karen Miller, Boone County southern district commissioner

As the legal battle slowly continues over federal financing of embryonic stem cell research, the science itself is advancing quickly. In this discussion we take an inside look at some of the stem cell research going in university labs right here in Columbia and elsewhere in Missouri.

Panelists:
Philip Peters, Ruth L. Hulston Professor of Law at MU
R. Michael Roberts, Curators' Professor of Animal Science and Biochemistry at MU and member of the National Academy of Sciences
Steven Teitelbaum, Messing Professor of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis (joining the program by phone)