News

Our brains undergo all kinds of states of consciousness... But how? And what are those states? 

Helen Baghdoyan (Beaman Professor) and Ralph Lydic (Robert H. Cole Endowed Professor of Neuroscience) teach Anesthesiology and Psychology at the University of Tennessee. They spoke with WUOT’s Chrissy Keuper about their research on how the brain regulates various states of consciousness, and how anesthesia actually works…

You may have turned on WUOT this morning and thought, "Hey! Wait! Something sounds different!"

Maybe you thought, "Now I could swear they usually do the news at this time..." or "Did I slip into some weird space-time continuum from which there's no escape?"

Well, it's not your imagination--something is different. (But it's not a weird space-time continuum.)

As a child, Randy McGinnis learned to play the Native American flute, but he didn't begin to appreciate its fragility as an important symbol of his Cherokee heritage until he was an adult.   "About twenty years ago," he says, "I realized it was disappearing.  There was nobody playing the Native American flute.  It was fading away."

Communicable diseases are all around us. They range from the simple common cold to more serious illnesses, such as Ebola. One of these is dominating the news cycle. The other is not. In this edition of Dialogue, we find out why.

State Constitutional Amendment 1 (abortion):

• Yes (53%)
• No (47%)

State Constitutional Amendment 2 (judicial selection):

• Yes (61%)
• No (39%)

State Constitutional Amendment 3 (income tax):

• Yes (66%)
• No (34%)

State Constitutional Amendment 4 (lotteries):

• Yes (70%)
• No (30%)

Tennessee Governor

  In an election day replete with landslides in East Tennessee, the battle for the 13th State House seat was a noticeable exception.  Republican challenger Eddie Smith defeated Democratic incumbent Gloria Johnson by less than 200 votes in the hotly contested district.    Shortly after conceding the race, Johnson announced her intentions to run for Democratic State Party Chair.  And shortly after that, she spoke with WUOT's Matt Shafer Powell...

Voters in 79 counties, cities and towns across Tennessee will decide Tuesday whether wine should be available for sale in their local grocery stores.   WUOT's Chrissy Keuper spoke with two men who have a different perspective on the issue.

This Saturday, November 1st, the Oak Ridge Symphony and Chorus will present a concert, celebrating the music of Franz Schubert.  The concert is being given at a slightly different venue for ORCMA: the Pellissippi State Community College Clayton Center for the Arts, and will begin at 7:30pm.  Earlier this week, Melony Dodson spoke with Music Director and Conductor of the Oak Ridge Symphony, Dan Allcott, about this concert and the works that are being performed.  As always, Maestro Allcott gives some interesting facts and background information about the works that are being presented on th

Today is the last day of WUOT's fall fund drive. If you haven't yet made a pledge of support, now's the time to do it, especially if you're an Ira Glass and This American Life fan! If you donate today by 8 p.m., you'll be entered into a drawing to win FRONT ROW SEATS to see Ira Glass at the Tennessee Theatre May 30, 2015! 

Automakers decided to meet fuel economy standards by making new gasoline direct-injected engines. But scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered those engines may be bigger polluters than current motors, generating as much as ten times more particulate matter, or soot. ORNL researcher John Storey talks with WUOT's Chrissy Keuper.

At the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Rhea County, one man is paid to figure out how to destroy the reactors...and then keep it from happening. Brandon Hollingsworth meets him.