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Hundreds of millions of years ago, changes in the Earth’s climate triggered the extinction of an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the Earth’s species. That’s right, scientists think only one out of 10 species survived a major blast of greenhouse gas about 250 million years ago.

Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted "with medium confidence... that 20-30% of the world’s species would be at risk of extinction if current climate patterns continue." Scientists grappling with those numbers are looking to the pre-historic past for clues on how global warming might affect life on Earth today, and tomorrow.

Carl Zimmer writes about science for The New York Times and a number of other publications, and he's the author of six books, most recently "Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life." For another installation in Word of Mouth's "Next Green Thing" series, Zimmer joins us to talk about biodiversity in the balance, which he recently reported on for Yale Environment 360.

(Photo by ArtWerk)

The Environmental Protection Agency has already issued four alerts for poor air quality in New Hampshire this spring and summer. We can expect more as the season drags on.

When ground level ozone mixes with heat and sunlight, the air becomes unhealthy to breathe. These conditions can get amplified in cities like Boston, where heavy traffic creates even more smog.

One Cambridge-based company is doing its part to cut down on the auto emissions that make the air so dirty. The New Amsterdam Project is a delivery company that ships hundreds of pounds of products around greater Boston using modified bicycles with cargo loads on the back. Reporter Shannon Mullen produced a story about the souped-up bicycles for our Next Green Thing series.

(Photo by Shannon Mullen)

The price of beer is going up, along with everything else. Aside from the usual economic factors, the ingredients in beer are getting more expensive, adding to the price of brew. Hops, which gives it its bitter kick, has gone from 2 dollars a pound to over 20 dollars a pound in just the past couple of years. To save a little bit of cash, beer lovers might want to consider brewing their own batches this summer. Producer Julie Sabatier put together this how-to for the show Destination DIY.

(Photo by jk5854)

The human response to rhythm is primal. When a song comes on, we tap our feet and bob our heads without thinking about it. Even toddlers barely on their feet move up and down to music. Aside from all those talented animated creatures in Walt Disney movies, humans are the only mammals with the instinct and the talent for what brain researchers refer to as “unconscious entrainment”. And dance is by far the most synchronized group practice; the gestures and movements might have even been a form of language in pre-verbal societies. The newest issue of Scientific American looks at research into the neural choreography behind dance, and editor-in-chief John Rennie joins us on Word of Mouth to explain it.

And if you’re in the Hanover area this week, check out Slow Dancing, a free outdoor video installation by David Michalek showing at Dartmouth College. It’s an incredible exhibit, featuring ultra-slow-motion video portraits of dancers from around the world, including ballet, breakdancing, Middle Eastern belly dancing, Beijing opera and Javanese court dance. It’s up through Saturday, and you can watch some of the film clips by clicking here.

(Photo by Trish Brunner)

Today on Word of Mouth, remember the dinosaurs! Researchers are looking at the mass extinctions of the past to see what the future may hold for a planet that’s getting warmer. Plus, we’ll hear how one Boston company is trying to cut down on smog by abandoning delivery trucks in favor of souped-up bicycles. Also, we’ll get an audio how-to for the aspiring home brewer, and we’ll find out what scientists are learning about the human inclination to dance.

(Photo by slworking2)