Anthropologist and cognitive scientist Dimitris Xygalatas discusses how both very small and very elaborate customs connect human behavior across centuries.
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Misunderstanding math has real-world consequences
James C. Zimring, an experimental pathology professor, discusses percentages, probabilities, and the other data that can confound and even deceive us – and how to not fall into familiar, time-worn traps.
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How to find a job you’ll actually love
Marcus Buckingham the head of research at ADP Research Institute, joins us to discuss how to identify your strengths and apply them to fulfilling work.
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Why your boss wants you back at the office
Rani Molla, senior data reporter for Recode joins us to discuss how corporate America might move forward after Covid shutdowns.
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One teen’s quest to become Internet famous
A fictional teen’s need to be recognized by her peers leads down a path of unintended catfishing on social media in Crystal Maldonado’s new YA novel.
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Have cable news hosts become too powerful?
David Zurawik, the recently retired media critic of The Baltimore Sun, talks about the impact these media stars have on our democracy – and about whether its necessary (or even possible) to reign them in.
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Poetry, laughter and pain: a Mexican American writer shares her life
Erika L. Sánchez joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss some very personal stories about mental health, success and confronting racism in everyday life.
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Were we wrong about Tracy Flick in ‘Election?’
Tracy Flick was the ambitious upstart of her high school in the book “Election,” later played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie. So, whatever happened to her? Author Tom Perrotta talks about his follow-up novel that follows Tracy’s life as an adult.
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A conversation with novelist Jennifer Egan
Novelist Jennifer Egan discusses her novel, “The Candy House,” in which memories are uploaded, shared and exchanged with others.
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What parents get wrong about teens and their phones
Principal investigator Emily Weinstein talks about the ways teenagers navigate their online world and to offer support to parents struggling to understand their teens’ drive to always be connected.
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When did parenting get so competitive?
Andrew Bomback is an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University. He offers advice on how to break free of the intense cultural pressure surrounding parenting.
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Who takes care of you when you die?
Journalist Hayley Campbell joins us to talk about people who deal exclusively in death – from homicide detectives to gravediggers – and to ask why death remains a taboo subject in Western culture.
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