Animals Sometimes Don’t Follow The Rules

Photo of a group of African safari animals composited together in a scene of the grasslands of Kenya.

Animals Sometimes Don’t Follow The Rules

September 24, 2021 Culture, Education, Environment, Science and Technology, Upcoming

Mary Roach joins us talk about when humans and wildlife are in conflict – from errant elephants to rule-breaking moose and life-threatening trees.

The Essential Jobs No One Wants

September 23, 2021 Culture, Economics, Upcoming

Eyal Press joins us to talk about everyone from drone pilots to workers on slaughterhouse floors and how we’re all complicit in jobs we wouldn’t want to hold ourselves.

What Is The Job Of A Journalist?

September 23, 2021 Culture, Current Events, Education, Upcoming

Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies joins us to discuss ethics in an ever-polarized media landscape, how social media has changed journalism, and what it means for society when individuals can choose only the news they want to hear.

50 Seasons Of ‘Texas Country Reporter’

September 21, 2021 Culture, History, Upcoming

Bob Phillips joins us to talk about 50 seasons of the beloved Texas travel show and highlight some of the places and people that have made their mark on the state over the years.

Meet The Creatures Living Above And Below Us

September 17, 2021 Culture, Education, Environment, Science and Technology

Two pioneering female scientists speak with us: one who describes life in the tops of trees as an eighth continent, and an oceanographer who studies bioluminescent marine animals that light up the ocean floor.

Why People Obsess Over Pakistani Mangoes

September 16, 2021 Culture, Environment

Food writer Ahmed Ali Akbar joins us to discuss the backchannels of importing fruit, the lengths people will go to, and the customs bureaucracy that keeps foods from reaching American shores.

Photo illustration of television manipulation and crowd control.

The Science of Mind Control

September 15, 2021 Culture, Health, Science and Technology

Joel E. Dimsdale, distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, joins us to talk about mind control in the realms of religion, politics and society.

The Gender Politics Of Contraception

September 14, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Politics

Krystale E. Littlejohn, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, joins us to discuss why cis-gendered women are expected to prevent pregnancies, and how that reality underscores the gendered role of labor in America.

How Sandra Day O’Connor Shaped The Supreme Court

September 13, 2021 Culture, History, Politics, Race/Identity

Filmmaker Michelle Ferrari joins us to discuss the life and career of Sandra Day O’Connor, a nominee of President Ronald Reagan who became a critical swing vote on historic issues of race, gender and reproductive rights.

How Should We Remember 9/11?

September 10, 2021 Culture, Current Events, History, Think

Andrew Levy, professor of English at Butler University, joins us to discuss how the many iterations of “Never Forget” events and monuments have created new narratives of the power and presence of America, and why those need to be reexamined.

The Changing Seasons Of Friendship

September 9, 2021 Culture

Essayist B.D. McClay joins us to discuss the many phases of a friendship, from joy to loss, using touchstones from classic stories.

Photo illustration of man in tinfoil helmet and glasses.

How Ideas Infect Our Brains

September 9, 2021 Culture, Health, Mental Health, Science and Technology

Andy Norman, director of the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University, joins us to discuss the ways conspiracy theories can corrupt sound thinking – and how we can strengthen ourselves to fight back against bad ideas.