The Curiosity Desk

November 3rd, 2026 We open with a quick cross-Commonwealth Election Day check-in with GBH News’ Diane Adame in Brighton, and NEPM’s Phillip Whittemore-Bishop in Springfield.  It’s another round of Four Things To Know with Gal Tziperman Lotan from the GBH Daily newsletter.  We’re talking with Commonwealth Beacon reporter Chris Lisinksi about his coverage of a competition problem in Massachusetts, w...

November 2, 2026  First up - we open the show with Christine Farmer from the group Mass Blue Skies, to explain Friday’s news about Amazon withdrawing its proposal to offer drone delivery services in Westborough (for the meantime) Then: with the eyes of the world on the U.S. ahead of election day, we turn our focus to global elections, with insights from Pablo Calderon Martinez, Associate Professor...

October 30, 2026  First up, it's an election-themed edition of our misfit news panel In Case You Missed It. Guests are Katie Lannan from MASSterlist and Axios Boston reporter Mike Deehan . They’ll talk about referendums on data centers, and undercurrent of reform in state ballot races, and the state of play in the race for treasurer. For this week’s bonus guest, we'll also meet Brookline fourth-gr...

October 29, 2026 Misinformation researcher Joan Donovan returns for her Thursday segment The Glitch Report, this week with film critic Mike Snoonian to talk tech-anxiety reflected in classic cinema.  Curiosity Desk producer Olivia Quercio answers some Halloween-themed Curiosity Questions about the origins of the Monster Mash & what’s going on in our brains when we sense a house is haunted.  Ed...

October 28, 2026 First - we begin with NOVA Senior Producer Caitlin Saks , explaining this week’s news about the discovery of a new dwarf planet candidate right here in our solar system. How have we missed 2026 ED138 until now? And when will astronomers decide on a catchier name? We’ll also debrief with Curiosity Desk producer Leah Crowley , who’s getting reaction from library-goers.  After - we'r...

October 27, 2026 We open with an AI News Panel, focused specifically on AI’s impact this election. Misinformation, AI voting support & more. We’ll hear from Boston Globe reporter Aaron Pressman , MIT political scientist Adam Berinsky , and Kate Gage from the Cooperative Lab Project.    Computer chips power so much of the technology we rely on, but do any of us understand how they actually work...

October 26, 2026   We’re starting off the week with an energy panel, exploring Gov. Healey’s interest in expanding natural gas pipelines in Massachusetts. We’ll hear from Jordan Wolman at Commonwealth Beacon, MASS Fiscal Alliance’s Paul Craney , and Eva Morgan from The Sierra Club. Then: author Geo Rutherford on her book Spooky Rivers: 25 Strange and Mysterious Rivers That Snake Across Our Planet...

October 23, 2026  This week McLean Hospital announced a brand-new center for research into the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry. We’ll hear about the new center and the work to come from Dr. Virginie-Anne Chouinard , the center’s Associate Director. Then, it’s our Friday misfit news menagerie, In Case You Missed It. Today we’re joined by freelance journalist Maura Johnston and Emily Schario...

October 22, 2026  First up, we begin with misinformation researcher Joan Donovan , back for another round of The Glitch Report. Today she joins with Libby Liu and Naomi Seligman of Whistleblower Aid, the pro-bono legal group that's defended the likes of Frances Haugen and the still-anonymous CIA worker whose 2019 complaint led to Trump’s first impeachment.  Then, we're back answering another round...

October 21, 2026 First up: Edgar meets Avijit Ghosh, Lead Technical AI Policy Researcher at the AI platform Hugging Face. We’ll hear how the company is doing, three months after it was hack by an agentic AI. They’ll also discuss the company's core mission of democratizing AI, and why everyone benefits when the frontier labs like OpenAI and Anthropic aren’t the only bots in town.  Then.... Life a m...

October 20, 2026  Live from downtown, Edgar’s check in with Ari Rosenthal, co-founder of the Mass. AI Action Network & the lead-organizer of protests beginning today at 1:00.  Then, MIT economist Jon Gruber returns to help break down what may be the most confusing question on Mass. ballots this November – Question 5.  After, another round of Four Things To Know, with Gal Tziperman Lotan from t...

October 19, 2026  First, we are exploring security flaws in current electronic voting systems with Susan Greenhalgh from Free Speech for People. Then, CFP Jennifer Lane returns to answer listener calls & texts about interest, credit cards, and high yield savings accounts. 

First up, we’re exploring a proposal to deploy Amazon deliver drones at a facility in Westborough, and local pushback. We’ll talk with Christine Farmer & Stephanie Stephanie Stuchlik from the group Mass Blue Skies, before hearing from The Mass. ACLU’s Kade Crockford.  Then, it’s our misfit news panel In Case You Missed It. Guests today are GBH’s Renuka Balakrishnan and freelance filmmaker CC P...

October 15, 2026 It’s another round of The Glitch Report, with Joan Donovan . This week she joins with actor Alex Winter (Bill from Bill & Ted ) to talk about their work launching the grassroots protest movement Telsa Takedown. Then it's Curiosity Desk producer Olivia Quercio answers the latest batch of listener curiosity questions. Lastly, Author Caroline Bicks on her book Monsters in the Arc...

October 14, 2026 First up, we talk with Scott Delaney, co-founder of the group Grant Witness on how federal cuts in science funding are impacting Massachusetts. Then, it's the return of “Ask The Dog & Cat Behaviorists” Rachel Geller from All Cats All the Time & Kate Bigger from High Fidelity Dogs.  

October 12, 2026  First, Edgar meets Chuck Loring, Jr., Director of Natural Resources for Penobscot Nation, to talk about the tribe’s securing of 11,000 acres of land in Maine. Then, Author Kevin Galvin on his book Troubled Times: The Boston Courthouse Bombing of 1976. After, William James College psychobiologist Kymberlee O’Brien on why it makes our brains happy to look at turning leaves. 

This week, news came of the passing of pioneer software engineer Margaret Hamilton. We’ll get reflections from Peter Volante , a software engineer who worked under her during the Apollo missions.  Today is, famously, Leif Erikson Day. Curiosity Desk producer Leah Crowley Zooms in live from the Leif Erikson statue on the Comm. Ave Mall to report on whether any Bostonians are celebrating. We’ll also...

October 8, 2026 First up, misinformation researcher Joan Donovan returns for “The Glitch Report,” this week with Washington Post columnist Drew Harwell . They’ll talk about Drew’s reporting on flock cameras and women in alt-right spaces.  Then, Curiosity Desk producer Rachel Armany returns to answer a batch of listener-submitted curiosity questions. This week that includes the origins of “colonial...

October 7, 2026 Last week we spoke with Mass. Senator Jo Comerford about her frustrations with an MRWA plan to source an additional 20 million gallons of water from the Quabbin Reservoir, daily, without local buy-in. Today we hear from Stephen Estes-Smargiassi , Executive Director of MWRA.  Edgar hears from GBH’s Craig LeMoult & Heather Billings from the Center for EcoTechnology about what is...

October 6, 2026  First up, we begin with Barbara Kates-Garnick from the Fletcher School at Tufts, breaking down Gov. Healey’s State of Energy Emergency and why energy costs are so expensive in Mass.  Then, MIT economist Jon Gruber & GBH’s Ian Coss join for a conversation about Mass. healthcare reform, tied to this newest season of The Big Dig called Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story .  After,...

October 5, 2026  First, the MBTA's rolling out a new system where bus cameras will monitor and – eventually – ticket cars in bus lanes. We’ll hear from GBH’s Jeremy Siegel about the change, plus transit reporter Jose Martinez on a similar system already in place in New York City.  Then, Author and humorist Eli Burnstein talks about his new book Phrased & Confused: The Curious Meanings of Timel...

October 02, 2026 We’ll hear from Mass. Sen. Jo Comerford about pushback by Quabbin-area communities to a new water draw proposal. Then - it’s the latest round of our misfit news panel, ICYMI. Guests are GBH’s Henry Santoro and Emily Sweeney from the Boston Globe. They’ll offer their take on thousands of entries in the contest for the future voice of Logan Airport (and if Emily has them all beat)....

October 1, 2026 First up, it's another round of “The Glitch Report” with misinformation researcher Joan Donovan . Today, Joan joins with University of Virginia researcher Lana Swartz for a conversation about how AI and social media are revolutionizing scam culture. Then, Dutch researcher and archaeologist Dr. Walter Crist joins to talk about his work uncovering the rules to ancient Roman board gam...

September 30, 2026 First: we’re kicking things off with a panel on renter's issues, from rent stabilization to the tenant right-to-purchase bill. We’ll also answer some listener questions sourced on Reddit. Joining is Commonwealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith , tenant rights lawyer Jessica Drew from Greater Boston Legal Services, and Doug Quattrochi from MassLandlords.  Then: voting closes today...

September 29, 2026  First up, it's the latest edition of our AI News panel. Guests this week are Boston Globe assistant business editor Andy Rosen , A.I. researcher Elena Glassman , and Agents of Purpose founder Kathy Pham. Topics include Trump's meeting today with major CEO’s, Anthropic getting spoofed on SNL, and takeaways from the UN General Assembly & US/China meetings last week. Then, Edg...