Jay Caspian Kang joins us to talk about the evolution of what it means to be Asian-American – and about his own family’s story as they moved across the country to find their footings.
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The vexing mysteries of Lyme Disease
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat joins us to talk about living with Lyme Disease, the pain and isolation he’s felt, and his new understanding of why some patients seek solace in conspiracies.
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Can someone else own your DNA?
Law professor Jorge L. Contreras joins us to discuss a landmark case brought when the U.S. government issued patents to biotech companies to use human genes, and the field of human genetics law it created.
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A Black scholar’s contrarian take on antiracism
Columbia University’s John McWhorter joins us to make the case that people of color are sometimes harmed by well-meaning antiracists who sometimes lose sight of the thing they are fighting against.
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The scientists who couldn’t help their own daughter
Daniel Engber, senior editor at The Atlantic, joins us to discuss the parents – one a bioengineer in regenerative medicine and another a specialist in rehabilitation robotics – who found they had to rethink their life’s work to help their young daughter after an accident.
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The science of your dreams
Neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro joins us to discuss how dreams are connected to how we learn and even how we understand our existence.
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What qualifies you to be life coach?
Journalist Rachel Monroe joins us to talk about the for-profit Life Coach School, the students who chose that path, and the pitfalls they encountered upon entering the largely unregulated profession.
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One way to save our forests? Move them.
Journalist Lauren Markham joins us to discuss “assisted species migration,” or moving tree populations to save them from extinction.
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Why we can’t stand humiliation
Essayist and author Vivian Gornick joins us to discuss why humiliation sticks with us long after the incident that brought it on.
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A behind-the-scenes look at the Mark Twain Prize
Cappy McGarr joins us to discuss the creation of the Mark Twain Prize and share behind-the-scenes stories of when comedy and politics intersect.
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His mom left the Phillippines for his sake–was it worth it?
Albert Samaha of BuzzFeed News joins us to tell the story of his family who left a middle-class life in the Philippines only to question whether leaving was the right decision after all.
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Teach students to think for themselves
José Antonio Bowen talks about why he believes education doesn’t do enough to foster independent thinking and why he’d rewrite the 3 R’s to relationships, resilience and reflection.
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