Think from KERA

 Scientists are using the secrets of biology to unlock living well past current human life spans. Venki Ramakrishnan shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for uncovering the structure of the ribosome. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Venki runs a research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the quest to live for...

Is it possible that conversations with A.I. can be as effective as talking to a friend or therapist? Author Vauhini Vara joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her experience asking A.I. for critiques and insights into her deepest feelings – and we’ll consider the portrait A.I. creates of us based on what we share with it. Her book is ”Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age.” Learn about your ad choices:...

At the beginning of the pandemic, messages of togetherness were everywhere. That quickly changed. David Wallace-Wells joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Covid five years on, how the pandemic changed the way we view each other, and the distrust it has woven into our most venerable institutions. His opinion piece in The New York Times is “How Covid Remade America.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail...

Medical child abuse, formerly known as Munchausen by Proxy, is not as rare as we’ve been led to believe. Detective Mike Weber has 40 years of law enforcement experience, including 15 years as a crimes against children investigator. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss his experience with several cases of medical child abuse, profiling of the mothers who committed the injuries, and how h...

It can be bewildering to see a child go from loving to learn to dropping out of academic engagement. Jenny Anderson is a co-author of “The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better” written with co-author Rebecca Winthrop. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss why teens disconnect from the world and to offer strategies to get them back on track not only in...

Sisters of Mary Morning Star is a group of Catholic nuns who work with women on Texas’ death row. New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the deep bonds the sisters have with condemned inmates, what it says about faith and friendship, and how they view the death penalty as law. His article is “The Nuns Trying to Save the Women on Texas’s Death Row.” Lea...

In the 2024 election, Democrats lost the presidency and control of the Senate. What now? Katie Glueck covers American politics with an emphasis on the Democratic Party for The New York Times. She joins guest host John McCaa to discuss why the Blue Wave never materialized, the current mood of a party marked by in-fighting, and strategies Democratic Party leadership might employ heading into the 202...

If knowledge is power, withholding an education is also a way of denying power. University of South Carolina School of Law professor Derek W. Black joins guest host John McCaa to talk about the history of Southern leaders withholding literacy from Black people from the end of the Civil War through Reconstruction and beyond – and about the lengths that Black Americans have gone to get an education....

  Researchers are diligently gathering data about near-death experiences to better understand the thin line between life and death. Science journalist Rachel Nuwer joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the phenomenon, which has been recorded since ancient times, and how it may offer insight into how we understand consciousness. Her Scientific American article is “Lifting the Veil on Near-Death Experienc...

“Do you like me? Check yes or no.” Say goodbye to the childhood love note — teens aren’t dating anymore. Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the demise of teenage dating, what kids are missing out on when they don’t practice being in adult-like relationships, and how a new idea of adolescence is being formed — for better or worse. Her article is “Teens Are For...

 As far as student motivation goes, letter grades get a big fat “F.” Author Daniel Pink joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of letter and number grading, why they don’t move students to care about their education or help with material retention, and why it might be time to ditch them altogether. His article “Why not get rid of grades?” was published in The Washington Post.  Learn about you...

For human rights organizations dealing with oppressive governments, sometimes humiliating them on the world stage actually gets things done. Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his organization’s tactic of “naming and shaming” countries that violate human rights and why Americans are sometimes blind to the lessening of freedoms and dignity...

Denmark is known as a progressive bastion in a right-moving Europe – and its leadership is making the case that restricting immigration is the path to maintaining its liberal society. David Leonhardt is an editorial director at The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Denmark’s Center-Left party, which argues that restraining immigration and demanding immigrants assimilate quickly is...

Rebekah Taussig has chronicled her life in a wheelchair – a rewarding experienced that has also proved limiting. Taussig is the author of “Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body,” and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, while she’s a champion of disability rights, she worries this has pigeonholed her when she wants to explore so many other topics and possibilities....

Close to 100,000 people will wait for a donated kidney this year – and 1 in 5 perfectly healthy candidates will be passed over. Brian M. Rosenthal is an investigative reporter at The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the problems with the system of organ donation, why healthy matches are routinely skipped and what can be done to fix a broken process. His article is “Organ Transpla...

Legally immigrating to the United States involves red tape, legalese, mounds of paperwork, money and a lot of finger crossing. Felipe Torres Medina is a Peabody and Writers Guild of America Award–winning writer for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his seemingly impossible journey to obtain a green card, why navigating the system can feel Kafkaesque, and what...

The measles outbreak in West Texas is a harbinger for a very real public health threat America currently faces. Dr. Adam Ratner is a pediatric infectious diseases physician in New York City, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the return of measles, what it does to the body — especially in young children — what it took to develop the very safe and effective vaccine we have today and what it mea...

Five years after the Covid pandemic gripped the nation, it’s time to reflect on how socioeconomic status determined life or death. Sarah Jones, senior writer for New York magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the cracks in the social fabric that Covid revealed, why denialism of the illness proved to be so devastating and the death of her own grandfather from the disease. Her book is “Disposabl...

Americans were once encouraged to “Go West, young man.” Now, people are increasingly sticking to their own, familiar neighborhoods. Yoni Applebaum is deputy executive editor of The Atlantic and author of “Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity.” He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how a decline in geographic mobility has reshaped the last 50 years – an...

“By Jove, I think I’ve got it!” A-ha moments can feel electrifying, but where do these bursts of insight come from? John Kounios is professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and director of the Creativity Research Lab at Drexel University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what scientists understand about how the brain solves problems – and how we might tap into this phenome...

  If you’ve achieved a managerial position at work, that also means you’ve unlocked a whole new world of dealing with interpersonal conflict. Jim Guinn is president of the Resolution Resource Group, a training and development company. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how managers spend the equivalent of one full workday a week managing team problems and his plan for identifying stressors before...

Life-saving advancements have come a long way, but engineering artificial blood has been a challenge. Nicola Twilley is a New Yorker contributor and co-host of the podcast Gastropod. She talks to Krys Boyd about the breakthroughs — and setbacks — in the quest for artificial blood, why it’s needed more than ever, and why eyes are on Big Pharma to finance it. Her article is “The Long Quest for Artif...

President Trump has focused much of his first two months in office on slashing the federal bureaucracy – an effort that has already been met with lawsuits and protests. Andrew Cockburn is Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine, and he joins us to talk about why reigning in federal agencies has been a challenge for previous administrations – and if the Department of Government Efficiency has figure...

  The brain operates all of our thoughts, feelings and movements — and it also helps us adjust to a rapidly changing environment. This hour, host Krys Boyd is joined by three guests who will explain how we can regain our ability to focus and tame our overactive minds – plus we’ll learn all about the growing research into the many ways listening to music benefits our brains. Learn about your ad cho...

Gun violence reduction programs are often run by men and targeted to men. Meanwhile, Black women who are victims of domestic violence often are ignored. Abené Clayton is a reporter for the Guardian’s Guns and Lies in America project. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Black women are especially vulnerable to gun violence and community violence, why root causes aren’t being addressed, and why...