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James Trefil Discusses Cities as Ecosystems.

Physicist James Trefil. His new book, "A Scientist in the City," (Doubleday) is a exploration of how the laws of nature and technology came together to make our cities. Trefil starts by looking at cities as natural ecosystems, and then looks at the key scientific discoveries that made cities possible. Trefil has written more than ten books on science, including, "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Science." Trefil is also a regular commentator for NPR, and he teaches at George Mason University.

22:28
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Other segments from the episode on January 25, 1994

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, January 25, 1994: Interview with James Trefil; Interview with Don Byron; Review of Benjamin Cheever's book "The Partisan."
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17:00

Clarinetist, Jazz Musician, and Klezmer Virtuoso Don Byron

Clarinetist, jazz musician, and klezmer virtuoso Don Byron. He's an unlikely candidate to play klezmer, a product of Eastern European Yiddish culture: Byron is African American and dreadlocked. Byron has become best known for klezmer, but musically he's all over the map: He plays jazz with his Don Byron Quintet, modern classical music with the Semaphore quintet, and he toured Europe last fall with Music for Six Musicians, an Afro-Cuban ensemble. He's also currently writing a classical piece for the avant-garde Kronos Quartet.

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22:23

The Principle of Universality and What it Can Teach Us about "God."

Physicist James Trefil. His writings have been praised for bringing the complexities of modern science to the general reader. One of his best-known books, Meditations At Sunset, won wide praise for his ability to explain the wonders of the physical world in ways the layman can comprehend. His other books include The Moment of Creation and Meditations at 10,000 Feet. His latest book, Reading The Mind of God, explores the sequence of events that led to the discovery of universality - the principle that the laws of nature on earth apply throughout the universe.

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52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

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