‘Catalyst’ special: Osiris Rex, genes in space, locusts & medicine

A special edition of Arizona Horizon featuring stories from the Arizona PBS show, “Catalyst.” Host Vanessa Ruiz and producer Steve Filmer share the latest in science.

Osiris Rex brings asteroid to earth

Would you travel a hundred million miles just to grab and bring back a handful of dirt? You might if that sample could unlock secrets of how the solar system formed or if an asteroid was headed our way. In October, a spacecraft called Osiris Rex grabbed a sample from an asteroid named Bennu.

Does life in space change our genes?

It’s said that politics changes people but so does spending time in space. A look into Senator Mark Kelly and his twin brother’s genes.

Patient treatments

There’s a lot of focus on medicine right now and while vaccines and treatments can work what seems like miracles, there are parts of medicine that have some catching up to do.

Locust swarms

History shows that pandemics aren’t the only threat to human populations. Even old religious texts mention swarms of locusts and the risk of famine they can bring. A new outbreak of locusts is now threatening East Africa. Researches here in Arizona are working on ways to stop the swarms.