She Found Light At The Bottom Of The Ocean

Photo of coral reef bioluminescent plant in the ocean.

She Found Light At The Bottom Of The Ocean

August 31, 2021 Environment, Science and Technology

Marine biologist Edith Widder is senior scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, and she joins us to discuss bioluminescence, which illuminates the ocean hundreds of feet below the earth’s surface.

Photo illustration of passengers on a train talking and drinking coffee.

There’s No Danger In Strangers

August 30, 2021 Culture, Mental Health, Science and Technology

Journalist Joe Keohane joins us to discuss the benefits of breaking down our silos and inclinations to isolate in order to find connection, empathy and a path to happiness.

A photo of someone holding a sign that reads, "equality."

For Racial Justice, We Have To Get Past Our Shame

August 30, 2021 Culture, Race/Identity, Science and Technology

Shakil Choudhury is a consultant with 25 years of experience in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion training, and he joins us to talk about addressing racism with the science of psychology.

Was An Interstellar Object Really An Alien Spacecraft?

August 26, 2021 Culture, Science and Technology

Matthew Bothwell is an astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, and he joins us to talk about the rock – named “Oumuamua,” the theories that sprung up around it, and what happens when scarce data leads to wild speculation.

Photo illustration of a male doctor diagnosing a women.

For Centuries, Doctors Really Didn’t Understand The Female Body

August 23, 2021 Culture, Health, Mental Health, Science and Technology

Elinor Cleghorn suffered through a long series of misdiagnoses before finally correctly being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. She joins us to unpack the long history of how medicine has failed women.

A photo of Tortuguero National Park, a rainforest in Costa Rica.

There’s A Whole Other World Above Your Head

August 23, 2021 Culture, Environment, Science and Technology

Meg Lowman is a biologist, educator and executive director of the TREE Foundation. She joins us to talk about the diversity of creatures that call tree canopies home.

Photo illustration of a detective board with evidence, crime scene photos and map.

Why Your Brain Loves A Mystery

August 17, 2021 Culture, Science and Technology

Author Jonah Lehrer joins us to discuss the psychology, neuroscience, and anthropology of why we love solving puzzles, finding patterns and discovering the unknown.

What If Sugar Had All The Sweetness Without The Calories?

August 17, 2021 Economics, Environment, Science and Technology

Journalist Nicola Twilley joins us to talk about the food science that focused not on sugar replacements but instead on actually making sugar better.

Did Texas Learn Anything From The Power Grid Failure?

August 12, 2021 Culture, Current Events, Environment, Politics, Science and Technology

Mose Buchele, a reporter and host at Austin public radio station KUT, joins us to discuss the worst blackout in the state’s history and how our drive to operate on a grid separate from the rest of the country contributed to the problem.

She Went To Med School At 18. Now She Fights For Your Health

August 11, 2021 Health, Politics, Science and Technology

Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician, public health professor at George Washington University and former Baltimore health commissioner. She joins us to discuss her work in the area of public health on everything from opioid addiction to disease outbreaks to infant mortality.

Photo illustration of a software developer programming code on computer monitor.

Could An Algorithm Predict A Suicide?

August 5, 2021 Health, Mental Health, Science and Technology

Harper’s magazine senior editor Will Stephenson joins us to discuss the emerging field of suicidology, which hopes to explain the act and its precursors, while gaining a deeper understanding of its complexity.

Why Do We Judge Women Over How They Give Birth?

August 4, 2021 Health, Mental Health, Science and Technology

Leslie Jamison teaches in Columbia University’s MFA program, and she joins us to talk about the rise of the Cesarean section and the backlash against it, pitting the procedure against the idea of a “natural birth” and a woman’s worth as a mother.