Think from KERA

The Social Security Administration is using decades-old job data to bar applicants from disability benefits. Lisa Rein covers federal agencies and the management of government in the Biden administration for The Washington Post. She joins host Krys Boyd to detail how the administration has spent $250 million to modernize its vocational services but still uses outdated market data to determine bene...

Have you ever felt like another being was near you even when you were completely alone? Ben Alderson-Day is an associate professor of psychology and a fellow of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Durham University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the psychology and neuroscience of feeling watched or hearing voices as he tries to unravel a phenomenon felt by people the wo...

When a murder-suicide of parents and six children occurred in California, questions about the foster care and adoption system were raised. Journalist Roxanna Asgarian joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the family that adopted those children from the foster system in Texas, and why checks and balances on child removal from birth families aren’t as thorough as they should be. Her book is “ We Were Once...

The Buy Nothing movement started as a way to share items between strangers. The trouble came when corporations wanted in. Wired contributing writer Vauhini Vara joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the founders of The Buy Nothing Project, Inc, a movement with fervent followers that were mad when the platform went to an app backed by investors, and the questions that raises about what makes something ca...

Twenty-million people sell their plasma each year, and the most vulnerable populations are usually the first in line. Journalist Kathleen McLaughlin joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her own journey with an auto-immune disease and her research into where blood plasma really comes from – a journey through the for-profit blood industry that stretches all the way to China. Her book is “ Blood Money: Th...

Implicit bias is a problem for humans, and humans are programming it into computer algorithms. Meredith Broussard is an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and research director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why net neutrality is a myth, the racism and ableism built into systems, and why A...

Our days are marked by appointments dictated by the clock. What would happen if we just walked away? Artist and author Jenny Odell joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why she believes our clock-watching is tied to for-profit goals and not the reality of nature, and to offer ways to slow down and take in the beauty of the true rhythms of life. Her book is “ Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Cl...

Memory is key to who we are and, yet forgetting is so common. Boston University School of Medicine neurology professor Andrew E. Budson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his work studying memory, how to control what you remember and how diet plays into this ability. His book, with co-author Elizabeth A. Kensinger, is “ Why We Forget and How to Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory .” Learn abou...

Ethnocide refers to a systematic erasure of an ancestral culture. Barrett Holmes Pitner, founder of The Sustainable Culture Lab, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Black Americans have faced ethnocide since the beginning of the slave trade, why the post-Trump world has spotlighted this issue further, and the way it continues to shape the future. His book is “ The Crime Without a Name: Ethnocide a...

The next job for sophisticated chatbots might be to stand in for mental health professionals. Dhruv Khullar is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and a physician and assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the shortage in the mental health field and the development of predictive algorithms that promise to spot suicidal triggers. His article is...

Urban landscapes are spreading throughout the globe, pushing nature out. Ben Wilson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the modern quest for biodiversity within cities, how ancient civilizations lived alongside grasslands and rivers, and what we can do to reclaim green spaces. His book is “ Urban Jungle: The History and Future of Nature in the City .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-c...

Judith Heumann has used a wheelchair since childhood – which forced her to fight for her right to an education. And that was just the beginning of her activism for disabled rights. Today, she’s an internationally recognized leader in the Disability Rights Independent Living Movement who served in the Clinton and Obama administrations and was the World Bank’s first adviser on disability and develop...

The perfect mother on TikTok or Instagram is a far cry from the reality of motherhood off the screen. Jessica Grose is an opinion writer at The New York Times who writes the newsletter On Parenting, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what successful parenting really looks like, from her own stories of pregnancy and child-rearing to the societal expectations we have for parents. Her book is ca...

The nationwide shortage of police officers has made headlines, but cities are struggling to recruit for jobs of all types. Daphne Duret is a staff writer for The Marshall Project. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss why jobs from garbage collectors to first responders are falling out of favor, and what’s being done to boost numbers. Her article is “ It’s Not Just a Police Problem, Ame...

Veterinarians might not care for humans, but they still tend to members of the family. Karen Fine is a veterinarian working in Massachusetts, and she joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her dream to become a vet and the lessons she’s learned about care, life and heartbreak along the way. Her book is “ The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, L...

Chatbots are becoming more sophisticated and are better able to mimic human speech. That can be exciting … and problematic. Washington Post tech reporter Gerrit De Vynck joins host Krys Boyd to break down what’s next for this new technology. His article is “ Microsoft’s AI chatbot is going off the rails .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The field of psychology mines the depths of our personalities, but it also says a lot about brain function, too. Paul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the science of the mind, from nature vs. nurture, to what these insights can tell us about the most hot...

David Cross is known for his razor-sharp wit and commentary. The performer, writer, producer, Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his new show that plumbs topics like raising children in America, cops and abortion, and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. His show, which is touring in 40 cities across North America, is “ David Cross: Worst Daddy in the...

With new standards of gender fluidity, dressing in femme styles is en vogue—but is it co-opting gay culture? Mark Harris, a contributor to T: The New York Times Style magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Gen Z’s approach to sexuality through fashion, and the questions it raises about LGBTQ labeling and identity. His article is “ Is Celebrity ‘Queer Baiting’ Really Such a Crime? “ Learn about...

Don’t let middle age stop you from pushing your physical boundaries. Steven Kotler, Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his quest to keep his mental and competitive edge with trick skiing, and talks about the benefits of testing your limits. His book “ Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

After the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, there were ample calls for reckoning in law enforcement. Neil Gross, professor of sociology at Colby College, is a former patrol officer in the police department in Berkeley, California. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how three police departments have taken on reform efforts, trying to change police culture from the inside to view justic...

The polygraph was heralded as an infallible way to detect a criminal, but soon after, controversy arrived. Writer and director Rob Rapley joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the invention of what is known as the lie detector test, its uses and abuses, and how it’s used today. His American Experience film, “ The Lie Detector ,” is available on PBS streaming apps. This episode originally aired on Januar...

Women have suffered through hot flashes and hormone fluxes thinking there was no help for symptoms of menopause. New York Times Magazine staff writer Susan Dominus joins host Krys Boyd to talk about hormone therapy, which was once regularly prescribed but now is rarely used following a flawed study that doctors are hesitant to move past. Her article is “ Women Have Been Misled About Menopause .” L...

The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but that protection isn’t absolute. Dennis Baron, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss times when employers, schools and, yes, the government have the authority to curtail what you say. His book is “ You Can’t Always Say What You Want: The Paradox of Free Speech .” Learn abou...

After her mother’s suicide, Laura Trujillo faced a reckoning. Trujillo is managing editor for Life and Entertainment at USA Today, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the shock she faced when her mother took her own life, the dark secret she had to plumb to move forward, and where she ultimately found peace. Her book is “ Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter’s Search for Truth and Renewal...