Think from KERA

Autocrats are famous for enacting vague laws with specific punishments – and if people preemptively overcorrect their behaviors, all the better. Matthew Purdy is editor at large and writer for The New York Times Magazine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the Trump administration has intentionally created vagaries around tariffs, D.E.I. and other areas so that it is difficult to know if one i...

When you pop open your medication bottle and take your pills, you assume they are safe. But how do you know? Debbie Cenziper, investigative journalist for ProPublica, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how medicines made in overseas labs don’t always meet U.S. safety standards; why lawmakers, doctors and patients are often unaware of this problem; and why we can’t easily find out where our medication...

It takes seconds for an A.I. chatbot to give you an answer – but many manhours went into getting you there. Varsha Bansal, tech reporter for The Guardian, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the grueling work of training A.I. to give answers that are fact checked and meet safety guidelines, and why, when it seems our future is digital, humans are still very much needed behind the scenes. Her article i...

 Muscle-bound bodybuilders may line up for testosterone replacement therapy – and increasingly, so do menopausal women. Susan Dominus, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why middle-aged women are raving about its benefits — despite possible side effects — and why the FDA hasn’t approved any use of the hormone for women. Her article is “‘I’m on Fire’: Testo...

 From flavored yogurt to a package of Ding Dongs, Americans love ultraprocessed food. Alice Callahan is a New York Times reporter with a Ph. D. in nutrition, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our diets became so reliant on foods made in a factory, why farm subsidies and advertising are partially to blame, and why we can’t seem to put these foods down. Her article is “How Ultraprocessed F...

For many of us, reading involves mostly scrolling through content on our phones rather than picking up a book. James Marriott writes for The Times of London, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how high literacy rates have ushered in human rights and leaps in scientific understanding – and what happens to a society that stops thinking deeply and focuses on the doomscroll. His essay “The dawn of...

 We adore them when their cherubic faces light up the big screen, but when child actors grow up, they’re yesterday’s news. New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the life cycle of the child star from public adoration to fleeting fame, why we won’t allow them to age, and the demands the industry makes of them at such a tender age. His article is “What Do We Want from Ou...

On the eve of our country’s 250th birthday, would the Founding Fathers recognize the America we live in today? Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the seismic legal and moral shifts that have happened since the Declaration of Independence was penned and how they have shaped the political left and right – and we’ll talk about why we might be surprised if we could ta...

 Decades before the headlines about Tylenol, moms have always had to worry if they were to blame for their child’s autism. Sara Luterman, Disability and Aging Reporter for The 19th, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the so-called “refrigerator moms” of the 1950s, and what today’s rhetoric from the Health and Human Services Secretary mean for mothers struggling to navigate a difficult diagnosis. Her...

The way life emerged on Earth is being reconsidered – but not without some disagreement. Journalist Asher Elbein joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how one discovery in Africa is having scientists radically rethinking when life emerged, what it means that this life existed in the harshest of conditions and why it’s dividing the scientific community. His article “Life’s Big Bangs” was published in Sci...

Why are we following the lead of tech billionaires when it comes to guiding public policy? Science journalist Adam Becker joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways Silicon Valley scions might have A.I. all wrong, the obsession with space colonies and why we aren’t asking more critical questions for their version of the future. His book is, “ More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and...

For scientists to solve the mysteries of the ocean, they need to start with questions like “how do fish float?” Duke University biology professor Sönke Johnsen joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the wonders of vertical migration, why sharks must keep swimming to stay alive, and the clues offered to biologists that help piece together the questions of aquatic life evolution. His book is “Into the Grea...

The culture war around trans rights has many headlines, but one hot button issue is gun rights. Writer and critic Grace Byron joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why gun ownership for trans individuals is becoming a political talking point, why owning a gun can affirm sexuality, and why gun violence is being blamed without merit on transgender ideology. Her article, “The Complexities of Trans Gun Owne...

The spooky season is here, and we might have Christian theology to thank for that. Bryan P. Stone is Leighton K. Farrell Endowed Dean at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss ghosts, witches, vampires and more and how they germinate from Christian imagery, subvert traditional teachings and play on Chrisitan anxieties. His book is “Christiani...

 Two years of war ended when a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed between Israel and Hamas. Will it hold? Natasha Hall, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how President Trump’s strong demands on Israel and Hamas forced both sides to the table, and what happens to any future deals if both sides can’t keep to the terms of the agree...

Ready to travel to Mars? Doctors specializing in space medicine are working to get you there. Shayna Korol is a Future Perfect fellow at Vox, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the new field of space medicine, where doctors try to anticipate and treat the many ways space travel affects and ails the body – from radiation to muscle loss – and how their research and breakthroughs might also help...

Big tech pretty much runs our lives; will these companies one day own power grids, too? Karen Weise, technology correspondent for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how tech is driving up electricity costs for everyone, why municipalities are scrambling to upgrade their grids, and the prospects for selling power to cities that need it most. Her article is “Big Tech’s A.I. Data Cen...

The cost of paying out Veterans Administration disability claims is more than the budget of the entire U.S. Army. Craig Whitlock is an investigative reporter who specializes in national security issues for The Washington Post. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the veteran disability claim process works, the wide array of conditions covered and why administrators are reluctant to change how it...

There was a time when NGOs were revered, but now they’re often eyed with suspicion. Suparna Chaudhry is an associate professor of international affairs at Lewis & Clark and the author of the forthcoming book “Civil Societies, Uncivil States: State Repression of NGOs.” She joins guest host John McCaa to discuss what happened to the reputation of NGOs – which once were seen as philanthropic life...

When someone decides to move to a new city, the top reasons are likely not what you would imagine. Patience Fairbrother, senior vice president of talent attraction at Development Counsellors International (DCI), joins host Krys Boyd to discuss their research into where highly-skilled talent lands and how cities can attract those in-demand workers. The DCI study is called “Talent Wars.” Learn about...

Mothers who opt for open adoption relationships hope for a future with their child — but it doesn’t always end up that way. Author Nicole Chung joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why open adoptions are more complicated than it may look from the outset, why some mothers find themselves shut out of their biological children’s lives, and how the experience of birth mothers in these arrangements has been...

 On a planet with 8 billion people, what’s the argument for an individual doing the right thing if it’s barely a drop in the bucket? Travis Rieder is a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, where he directs the Master of Bioethics degree program. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how individuals should consider their approach to climate change, eating animals and othe...

 For a Native American girl growing up, finding your voice is finding your power. Joy Harjo is a former poet laureate of the United States and member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her life dedicated to words and music, opening her eyes of life beyond traditional Western thought, and why artists are the culture point people for troubled times. Her book is “Girl...

Every time you type a query into your A.I. program, you’re ticking up the cost of your electricity bill. Brian Deese is Institute Innovation Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he joins guest host John McCaa to discuss how energy hungry A.I. is putting pressure on the grid – potentially to the point of breaking – and the solutions that are being sought to curb this growing pro...

For many, “The Great British Bakeoff” is must-see TV – and watching it has taught us a lot about food. Ruby Tandoh is a journalist who was also a finalist on the show, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how everyone is a “foodie” now, why hard-to-find ingredients are all the rage even in the Average Joe’s kitchen, and how unlimited access to recipes online has made us more discerning. Her boo...