Think from KERA

Who makes the best doctor? When is the best time of year to have a baby? Answers to questions like these are in medical data. Dr. Anupam B. Jena is an economist, physician, the Joseph P. Newhouse Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard and host of the Freakonomics, MD podcast. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss questions you can consider in advance of a health event to be better prepared to mak...

For a great example of public housing practices, look to Vienna, Austria. Francesca Mari, contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the way housing is set up in Vienna and why it’s become a model for building wealth and security for even low-income renters. Her article is “ Imagine a Renters’ Utopia. It Might Look Like Vienna .”  Learn about your ad choic...

The search for life in the universe helps reaffirm what it means to be human. Jaime Green is a science writer and series editor of The Best American Science and Nature Writing. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the science, even science fiction, that inspires astronomers to look for life in the cosmos and what it means for those of us living back on Earth. Her book is “ The Possibility of Life:...

If you need a souvenir from a great trip, was it all that memorable to begin with? Agnes Callard, associate professor in philosophy at the University of Chicago, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our wanderlust might be just a panacea for staving off the hands of time and how we may need to rethink our global adventures. Her essay “ The Case Against Travel ” was published in The New Yorker.  Lea...

Affirmative action had been in place for decades, now schools must fine-tune the process. Bertrand Cooper joins host Krys Boyd to make the case that race-conscious admissions by universities frequently benefit students who are already from elite backgrounds and that it’s time to also consider socioeconomic status if we’re ever going to actually level the playing field. His article in The Atlantic...

Feeling stuck in life is common, but good news: There are tried and true strategies for greasing the wheels. Adam Alter is professor of marketing and the Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also holds an affiliated professorship in social psychology at NYU’s psychology department. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the emotions, thoughts...

Billions of dollars are being stolen from individuals, businesses and governments … and banks are turning a blind eye. Kurt Eichenwald, senior investigative editor at The Conversation, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his reporting into sham bank accounts being opened by crime rings with real and fake identities and the large profits they make for financial institutions. His article written with Da...

Whether you realize it or not, your beauty routine is very likely imported from South Korea. Elise Hu is a correspondent and host-at-large for NPR and host of TED Talks Daily. She joined host Krys Boyd to discuss K-beauty – which prioritizes perfection – its reach across the globe, and the consumerism that has crept into our very skin. Her book is “ Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the...

Translating the credible fear interviews of asylum seekers means finding the language to accurately relay trauma. Alejandra Oliva is an essayist, translator and immigrant justice advocate, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her work as a translator on the border, how it relates to her life as a Mexican-American woman, and what it takes to actually become a U.S. citizen. Her book is “ Rivermou...

The Fair Housing Act recognized more than half a century ago that with redlining and racist policies, neighborhoods were never segregated by choice. Leah Rothstein is a consultant to affordable housing developers and local governments, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss solutions to alleviate inequalities that remain in communities to this day. Her book, written with her co-author and father...

If you dread small talk and squirm in the corner at parties, the return to in-person get-togethers has probably been unwelcome. Julie Beck, senior editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how we can regain that pre-pandemic confidence in social situations. Her podcast is “ How to Talk to People .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Finn Murphy discusses his attempt at a Colorado hemp farm, battling the elements and a disappearing bank account, and his pivot to middleman as he pursued his American Dream. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

President Joe Biden is 80-years old, and he’s soon to ask the American people for four more years in office. Vanity Fair contributing editor Chris Smith joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways both Republican and Democratic strategists view President Biden’s age and how voters might assess his abilities. His article is “ The Question of Joe Biden’s Age: ‘It’s a Legitimate Concern .'” Learn about...

Good news: A bowl of ice cream might be good for you. And researchers are now trying to figure out why. David Merritt Johns is a journalist and public health historian, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the surprising results of studies about food that’s traditionally been considered off-limits, and what it says about scientific experimentation and unconscious bias baked into the system. His...

Finding fossils from the Ice Age is difficult; finding fossils of children in the Ice Age is next to impossible. April Nowell, Paleolithic archaeologist and professor of anthropology at the University of Victoria in Canada, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the efforts to uncover the mysteries of childhood in the Ice Age, what raising children meant for evolution and society, and how archeologists a...

A lesser-discussed threat of climate change is the loss of biodiversity due to the encroachment of invasive species. Wired contributor Sonya Bennett-Brandt joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the plants that kill native flora and choke ecosystems – and the people who are dispatched to quell the spread. Her article is “ The Secret Life of Plant Killers .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/a...

Even with cultural messaging about body positivity, talking to children about weight is still tricky. Journalist Virginia Sole-Smith joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the ways we talk about bigger bodies, dieting and inclusion with kids – and about the pressures parents feel to get it right. Her book is “ Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture .” Learn about your ad choices: dov...

You know who thinks open-office designs are a good idea? People with offices. Scientific American contributing editor George Musser joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the open-office plan took off, the downsides its designers didn’t anticipate, and what a better office layout might look like. His article is “ Fixing the Hated Open-Design Office .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-...

Sometimes joy can be found in moments of relief from life’s burdens. Ross Gay is an author and poet who teaches at Indiana University, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his essay collection about finding meaning in bleak times to create compassion, hope, and to better connect to our shared humanity. His book is “ Inciting Joy: Essays .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Some megaprojects, like the Empire State Building, are success stories while others, like Boston’s Big Dig, flop on a massive scale. Bent Flyvbjerg, First BT Professor at Oxford and VKR Professor at ITU, Copenhagen, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss grand-scale projects and why some become famous, while others become infamous. His book, co-written with journalist Dan Gardner, is “ How Big Things Get...

Insects can give us the creepy-crawlies, but they can also fascinate and spark innovation in the human world. Entomologist Arthur V. Evans joins host Krys Boyd for a primer on the world of beetles – some 400,000 species strong – their ability to survive, and their importance to ecosystems. His book is “ The Lives of Beetles: A Natural History of Coleoptera .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail....

Our eyes and ears do a lot of the heavy lifting to guide us through the world – what if we attempted to engage with all of our senses equally? Author Gretchen Rubin joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her awaking to relearn how to see, taste, touch, smell, and hear, and why she found life richer and more fulfilling when she slowed down. Her book is “ Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the...

We’re awash in a world of rankings – but is acquiring the best hair dryer or washing machine always worth the effort? Writer and critic Rachel Connolly joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the best-of lists we consume to make sense of our lives and how we use them to gain a false sense of control over a world with limitless choice. Her piece in The New York Times Opinion section is “ The Tyranny of ‘th...

When great artists do very bad things, do we discard their work wholesale? Claire Dederer joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the lens #metoo has put on work created by flawed men, and how we balance our sense of morality and ethics with a love of what are widely considered masterpieces. Her book is “ Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma .”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

With all the TV commercials for treatments for hay fever to eczema it’s clear that many people suffer from allergies. Theresa MacPhail is a medical anthropologist and associate professor of science and technology studies who researches and writes about global health, biomedicine and disease. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why allergies are getting worse and what the world’s best allergy clini...