Think from KERA

Late-term abortions are taboo to talk about, but they may be a battleground for all abortion rights. Amy Littlefield, The Nation's abortion access correspondent, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why late-term abortions are both rare and mischaracterized, what she witnessed when she visited an abortion clinic, and where public support for these types of abortions stands now after Dobbs. Her article...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is focused on addressing why nearly three percent of children are diagnosed with autism. Vox senior correspondent Dylan Scott joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Kennedy’s inquiry may be misdirected, how he’s discounting the fact that around 80 percent of autism causes are genetic and why a smoking gun is unlikely to be found. His article i...

Sunshine might be more than a balm for the winter blues — it may also combat autoimmune diseases. Science journalist Rowan Jacobsen joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why researchers are focused on patients with multiple sclerosis and their responses to UV therapies, how these therapies might calm the immune system, and the promise this strategy holds for treating other illnesses. His article “ Can S...

From the Wright brothers to the Williams sisters – how do some families produce extraordinary siblings? New York Times Magazine staff writer Susan Dominus joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her exploration of high-achieving siblings, what their parents did right (and what you might be doing wrong), and how a little friendly competition might be a key motivator. Her book is “ The Family Dynamic: A Jou...

Parents are taught the warning signs for when a child is being bullied, but how do you recognize when it’s your child doing the bullying? Elizabeth Englander is executive director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University, professor of psychology and a founding member of the Social and Emotional Research Consortium. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why chi...

Attempts to moderate online hate might actually be creating more harmful content. Tamar Mitts is a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, where she is a faculty member at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, the Institute of Global Politics, and the Data Science Institute. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the difficult task of policing online hate, why...

Eel smuggling is one of the most lucrative wildlife crimes —  so what makes these slimy creatures so coveted? Ellen Ruppel Shell, professor emeritus of science journalism at Boston University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss an animal that’s one of the most trafficked on Earth, a brief history of the significance of eels, and why they’re still somewhat mysterious. Her book is “ Slippery Beast: A T...

Getting eight hours of quality shuteye every night is quite literally a dream, and not everyone can achieve it. Merijn van de Laar is a sleep scientist and psychologist, and he joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss approaching insomnia through an archaeological lens, asking how our ancestors got a good night’s rest and what they could teach us here in the modern world. His book is “How to S...

The rise of athleisure wear is a signal: fitness has become a luxury industry. Cat Zhang, culture writer at the Cut, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the pandemic propelled Americans into “performing” fitness, why it’s become a symbol of the wealthy and privileged, and how we got so competitive in the first place. Her article is “We Are Thinking About Fitness All Wrong.” Learn about your ad cho...

Only 2-percent of Black women are physicians, which leaves millions without doctors that look like them. Uché Blackstock MD is the founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her family, her mother who was also a Harvard-trained doctor, as well as her sister, and how she’s devoted her career to understanding and addressing health inequities of different races. H...

Our genes don’t really determine how well we’ll age in later life — and that’s good news. Dr. Eric Topol is executive vice president and a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, the largest nonprofit biomedical institute in the United States. He’s also a practicing cardiologist, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the study of what he calls the “wellderly” – those people who age t...

Society expects a mother to be nurturing and attentive at all times. So what happens when mom just isn’t feeling particularly maternal? Margo Lowy, psychotherapist and contributor to Psychology Today, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the perfectly normal feelings of sometimes hating the work of motherhood, why it’s so hard to talk about it, and why more women need to open up about their unaddressed...

 Content creation has exploded this decade, but how much of it is actually good? Spencer Kornhaber, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the massive output of music, TV, movies, podcasts – even memes – constantly chips away at our attention spans. We’ll also talk about how derivative this content often is, how streaming might’ve killed creativity, and why innovation i...

College students sometimes get in trouble for using A.I. to complete assignments, but is there a way to use it as a teaching tool? Clay Shirky, vice provost for A.I. and technology in education at New York University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how professors are using A.I. in the classroom and whether or not the technology gets in the way of critical thinking. His article “ Is AI Enhancing E...

Mentally ill inmates are at risk of neglect, dehydration – even starvation. New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the four-fold increase since the 1980s of people in jail awaiting trial, the increasingly outsized population of mentally unwell people lacking proper treatment, and the alarming rise in jail deaths that could’ve been prevented with better supervision....

The dad who coaches the team and brings home the bacon is a modern invention. Augustine Sedgewick joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how fatherhood has evolved over millennia, how the patriarchy and fatherhood diverge, and how thinkers as far back as Aristotle thought about the role of dads. His book is “Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...

Space is the final frontier — and not too long ago, to explore it you had to be a man. Cady Coleman is a former NASA astronaut, retired U.S. Air Force colonel, scientist, pilot and musician. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how hearing Sally Ride speak changed the trajectory of her life and what months on the International Space Station taught her about her career and motherhood. Her book is “S...

Every relationship has a person who loads the dishwasher like an architect, and one who throws plates in like a tornado. Ellen Cushing, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why arguments over daily chores might signal deeper issues in a partnership, why some household appliances have such a hold on us, and, yes, we’ll get to scientific proof of how that dishwasher is real...

We hear a lot about the male “epidemic of loneliness” these days—maybe it’s from behaviors learned in childhood. Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private practice and senior fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how we parent girls and boys differently, asking boys to hide their emotions while allowing girls to express theirs and how even in infanc...

Finding happiness is no longer an abstract pursuit—there’s serious science behind it, but it’s research that hasn’t always been held in the highest esteem. Susan Dominus, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how studying happiness became a respected field of study, what psychologists are learning about different types of happiness, and what data says about...

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...

 We think we’ll win the lotto even though the odds are low— and that sums up just how wrong we are when we think about risk. Allie Volpe is a senior reporter at Vox. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the many ways we get risk management wrong, why data shows it is hindering younger generations from taking chances and ways we can manage anxiety over the things we can’t control. Her article is, “...

Last Thursday, the first American Pope was introduced to the world as Pope Leo XIV. Christopher White, Vatican correspondent at the National Catholic Reporter and author of the upcoming book “Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, what his mission for the church might be going forward, and the signif...

We want our airline pilots to fly only when they’re healthy, which can lead to masking symptoms of mental illness. Helen Ouyang is an emergency physician and associate professor at Columbia University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss rules around pilot health — which can discourage them to seek necessary treatment for fear of being deemed unfit to fly — and why there are both pros and cons to...

A.D.H.D is a fairly common diagnosis, but some researchers are wondering if we should start taking a more nuanced approach to treatment. Paul Tough is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why A.D.H.D. might be experienced by anyone at a given time and might not be a permanent diagnosis, and why doctors are rethinking standard stimulant me...