Think from KERA

Hospice care is a good option for dying loved ones so why not pets? Dr. Sunita Puri joins host Krys Boyd to discuss end-of-life care for beloved animals.

India has claimed the world’s largest population since 2023 but that changes fast. Tom Sasse joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why a decline in birth rates will hinder future growth.

How do you write satire about an administration that is already over the top? Author Ben Fountain joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his wild new novel in which a pro-wrestler holds almost magical powers that captivate crowds.

Caleb Gayle is a journalist, author and professor at Northeastern University, and he is also a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. He joins guest host John McCaa to tell the story of Edward McCabe, who made it his life’s work to set up a Black state in Oklahoma.

Dating should be fun, but single, straight people are finding it a drudgery or even worse cringe. Magdalene J. Taylor, senior editor at Playboy, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss “heteropessimism”.

The common evolutionary question centers around nature vs. nurture. Jonathan R. Goodman a social scientist joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Darwinian survival vs. species interdependence.

Simon Paré-Poupart, a sociologist and garbageman in Montreal, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his life on the back of a garbage truck.

Sharron Wilkins Conrad joins guest host John McCaa to discuss how Black families viewed martyred leaders who advocated for change.

Stefan Szymanski is professor of sport management at the University of Michigan and a leading sports economist. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, with all the money and sponsorships and hype around professional soccer teams.

New American pope has been a very vocal critic of American foreign, domestic policy. Victor Gaetan joins Krys Boyd to discuss Pope Leo’s policies.

Microbes have lived on this planet since long before humans. Shayla Love joins host Krys Boyd to discuss these masters of evolution that can mutate in a single generation.

The damage caused by alcohol costs Americans billions of dollars. Isabella Cueto, chronic disease joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the harms of alcohol from elevated cancer risk to liver damage.

For two-time National Book Award winner Jesymn Ward, the deep South is the only place she can call home.

Creativity knows no bounds but it’s best captured within set limits.

A look at Iran’s recent history — from the promise of democracy to oppressive rule and further corruption.

To really understand the nuts and bolts of economics, look to the black market.

H.W. Brands is Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History joins host Krys Boyd to discuss George Washington who saw himself as a solider and not a politician.

Dylan Gottlieb is author of “Yuppies: The Bankers, Lawyers, Joggers, and Gourmands Who Conquered New York”. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the social and political changes Yuppies brought throughout the country.

Science journalist Elizabeth Preston joins host Krys Boyd to discuss parenting styles of animals – like otters that teach their offspring to swim.

Christopher Cox is an editor at New York Magazine, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the $50,000 tests that promise to help prospective parents choose the most desirable traits.

Amanda Hoover is a senior correspondent at Business Insider covering the tech industry. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how companies are trying to discern if A.I. is being used to cheat through interviews.

People are injecting themselves with unregulated compounds bought from the internet — so how safe is this health trend? Dr. Dhruv Khullar discusses.

Hakeem Oluseyi is an astrophysicist. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the space-time continuum and how our imagination shapes our existence.

Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw discusses how her upbringing shaped her work in critical race theory and intersectionality.

Whether you notice it or not, you speak with an accent. Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics, discusses why some are fading away, and more.

Alex Mayyasi, host of the new podcast “Gastronomics” and a longtime contributor to “Planet Money,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the nuts and bolts of the economy.

Peter Wehner, contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Psalms he quotes about smiting enemies

Clifford Winston is an economist who specializes in transportation and microeconomic policy. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss where the low-priced cars have gone.

The U.S. military attack on Venezuela was fast and surgical — so how is the country doing now?

Anna Konkle is co-creator and co-star of the Hulu series “Pen15,” and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her childhood – when her parents fought all the time and she felt like the peacemaker.

Cal Newport, professor of computer science at Georgetown University, discusses how employing computers to do our deepest thinking dulls our ability to concentrate.

Jodi Kantor, Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times investigative reporter, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how to find passion in your work, what it takes to find out what we’re good at and how to choose work that the world needs.

If you know someone who falls in love at first sight over and over again, there’s a word for that: emophilia.

Journalist Fortesa Latifi joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss family reality content and the perks, money and fame that come with it.

Schools around the country are shuttering their Black studies departments—often without regulatory prompting. Jafari S. Allen, a professor of African American studies, discusses why schools are blaming low enrollment for shutting down these departments.

Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the phenomenon where we’re on our phones but digitally surrounded by people, and how this isolation is rewiring us to be more anti-social – including in both our personal relationships and political lives.

Charles Bethea discusses immersive camps that teach men how to become alpha males.

Social psycologist Paul Eastwick discusses discuss why we need to look past imperfections when choosing a mate.

Lexicographer Kory Stamper discusses the difficulty of defining colors and why it took the help of scientists to create descriptions of everything around us.

Deepika Chopra outlines strategies for developing optimism.

Vanessa S. Williamson is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of taxation in this country

Simon Lewson discusses the courage parents must drum up to allow children to have age-appropriate autonomy.

Stanford Law fellow Duncan Hosie discusses why the judicial branch shouldn’t be the end game for dealing with a president’s executive orders.

Michaeleen Doucleff discusses misconceptions about dopamine, why it’s making kids lonely and ways to introduce healthier habits.

Social security benefits help children and spouses survive after a death — but accessing them is a Sisyphean task. Chabeli Carrazana discusses why.

Dutch teens with mental illness can choose to end their lives though euthanasia. Charles Lane discusses how, why and the controversial psychiatrist behind the movement.

Jon Lee Anderson discusses why Cuba was declared a threat to U.S. national security and how this compares to 1962’s Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nicola Twilley 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.

Eric Levitz is a senior correspondent at Vox, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how only about a half of 1 percent of homes are owned by institutional investors

Len Gutkin, editor of The Chronicle Review, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why some feel a return to the classics is a strategy to even out Left-leaning college campuses.

NYU School of Law Professor Kenji Yoshino discusses how the language of DEI backfired and how to build a “multicultural meritocracy.”

McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses how his magazine gave him $10,000 to use as seed money as he explored the rise of online sports gambling.

Opinion columnist Megan McArdle discusses why she thinks the idea of a billionaire wealth tax is a short-sided idea.

Plenty of crime dramas and horror films feature a psychopath on a rampage. That diagnosis, however, might be the real fiction. Rasmus Rosenberg Larsenis is assistant professor of forensic epistemology.

Researcher Kyle Manley makes the case for leaving public lands as-is and how we can put a dollar value on ecological impact.

Historian Helen Zoe Veit discusses her new book, Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History.

Drew Fagan discusses why one of our largest trading partners has found itself in the crosshairs of President Trump.

Tayari Jones discusses her new novel.

There is a species of elephant that looks and behaves differently than the ones we’re most familiar with — and explorer Steve Boyes is trying to find them.

Gentle parenting indulges a child’s biggest emotions – and it’s wearing parents out. Monica Corcoran Harel is a journalist who covers culture and relationships.

Bruce Hoffman discusses the potential of retaliation on U.S. soil and the Dept. of Homeland Security’s capacity to prevent it.

Ibram X. Kendi, the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, discusses how authoritarian leaders tap into the fears of white populations.

We hear a lot about the tribulations for young men in America today, but that doesn’t mean young women have it easy. Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses.

David Frum, staff writer for The Atlantic, discusses what Trump’s tolerance for risk might mean for the future of this conflict.

Natasha Loder, Health Editor for The Economist, discusses why alcohol consumption is starting to wane.

Author Michael Pollan explores how much we know about the mysteries of the conscious mind.

Nick Chater, professor of behavioral science at the Warwick Business School, discusses why it’s not moral failings of individuals that contribute to social ills like climate change and obesity, but built-in systemic failures.

Keon West, social psychologist at Goldsmiths at the University of London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his rigorous research into racist beliefs, the results of social experiments that show how far we’ve moved the mark since the Civil Rights era and what we can definitively say about prejudice today.

George Saunders’ latest novel takes readers into a journey of the soul—this time quite literally. The Booker Prize-winning author talks with host Krys Boyd about his latest work, which takes on greed, capitalism, and questions of good and evil from the perspective of a being that must transport a soul to the afterlife—but this time encounters questions that define our modern age; Saunders also talks about how his own personal spirituality shapes his writing process.

Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, discusses the success of Republican strategy to develop local leaders and why the Democrats have fallen behind.

Daniella Mestyanek Young is a cult survivor and Harvard-trained psychologist. She discusses why she feels every organization falls within a “spectrum of cultiness.”

Ben Rein is a neuroscientist. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, like good sleep and proper nutrition, social interaction is critical.

The Smithsonian holds thousands of objects in their collection. The conversation about what to display can get contentious. Writer Lily Meyer discusses.

Leslie John, James E. Burke Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, discusses why sharing our feelings garners trust.

It’s been four years since the beginning of the Ukraine war. David Kramer discusses why he thinks the U.S. should increase military assistance to Ukraine.

After a pandemic-era spike in crime, public safety numbers are improving. Henry Grabar discusses the surprising reasons why.

Washington Correspondent Ben Terris discusses President Donald Trump’s health and the discrepancies in what the White House says about it.

Author Daisy Hernandez discusses we welcome some immigrants and shun others.

As the nation nears its 250th anniversary, it’s a fitting time to consider the very best – and very worst – of our foreign policy decisions. James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, discusses them.

Matthew L. Demont, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College, discusses the fight Black military personnel faced to gain civil rights at home.

Kate Brown, a distinguished professor in the history of science at MIT, discusses how community gardens can transform neighborhoods.

Rachel Weiner, local transportation reporter for The Washington Post, discusses why foot traffic on American streets is dangerous

Walter Isaacson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how one sentence in the Declaration of Independence set out a promise of America.

Karen Weise joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how data centers are driving up electricity costs for everyone.

Physician and contributing writer at The New Yorker Dhruv Khullar joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the use of A.I. in medicine.

Enter A.I. Drew Harwell is a technology reporter for The Washington Post, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise of obituary-writing artificial intelligence, how funeral homes are eager to embrace it.

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.

Nate Soares joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what happens when A.I. brain power surpasses what humans are capable of.

Mehrsa Baradaran discusses the history of the wealth gap and why politics keep that gap alive for Black Americans.

Michael Shermer discusses misinformation and why it’s essential we reject the idea that nothing can be verified as truth.

Ben Fritz, entertainment industry reporter for The Wall Street Journal, gets into why hyper-individualized content is coming at the expense of culture.