Logo for The Curiosity Desk

The Curiosity Desk

GBH News

Edgar B. Herwick III hosts GBH’s newest show, The Curiosity Desk, where he answers your questions and examines everyday mysteries hiding in plain sight. Tune in daily for conversations, insights and profundities about the world we live in. 

Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.

©2026 WGBH Educational Foundation

Edgar B. Herwick III hosts GBH’s newest show, The Curiosity Desk, where he answers your questions and examines everyday mysteries hiding in plain sight. Tune in daily for conversations, insights and profundities about the world we live in. 

Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.

©2026 WGBH Educational Foundation
44hr 39min
Thumbnail for "Got Goat?".
March 31, 202651min 59sec49.91 MB
Thumbnail for "Is My Pollen Allergy Getting Worse?".
April 14, 202652min 5sec50.01 MB
Thumbnail for "How Can I Score 654 Points In Scrabble?".
April 13, 202652min 1sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "How Many Frogs At Are Mount Auburn Cemetery?".
April 10, 202652min 3sec49.98 MB
Thumbnail for "How Do You Get A Species Named After You?".
April 9, 202649min 40sec47.69 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Are "Ticked Off" Meat-Lovers Going Vegan?".
April 8, 202652min 18sec50.22 MB
Thumbnail for "Nutella On The Far Side of The Moon: An Artemis ll Update".
April 7, 202652min 5sec50.01 MB
Thumbnail for "What Is Enriched Uranium, Exactly?".
April 6, 202652min 18sec25.12 MB
Thumbnail for "Where's The Bathroom?".
April 3, 202652min 12sec50.13 MB
Thumbnail for "What Does an Ant's Organs Look Like?".
April 2, 202652min49.92 MB
Thumbnail for "What's So Funny?".
April 1, 202652min 31sec50.44 MB
Thumbnail for "How Do You Get a Dog Out of a Sinkhole?".
March 30, 202651min 59sec49.91 MB
Thumbnail for "North Shore: Who's Got the Best Beef?".
March 27, 202652min 3sec49.98 MB
Thumbnail for "What Stops An Asteroid From Smashing Into Earth?".
March 26, 202652min 26sec50.34 MB
Thumbnail for "How Was the "Codfather" Caught?".
March 25, 202654min 16sec52.11 MB
Thumbnail for "Who's In Charge of Outer Space?".
March 24, 202653min 58sec51.82 MB
Thumbnail for "What Makes Finland So Happy?".
March 23, 202653min 58sec51.81 MB
Thumbnail for "Who You Gonna Call?".
March 20, 202652min 2sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Are Boston Common Squirrels So Fat?".
March 19, 202652min 2sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "Why is Winnie the Pooh a Symbol for Chinese Dissidents?".
March 18, 202652min 1sec49.94 MB
Thumbnail for "How Do Immigrants Prop Up U.S. Health Care?".
March 17, 202651min 55sec49.84 MB
Thumbnail for "What's the Skinny on GLP1 Body Image?".
March 16, 202651min 59sec49.91 MB
Thumbnail for "What is My Gen Z Friend Even Saying?".
March 13, 202652min 5sec50.01 MB
Thumbnail for "What Did That Short-Wave Message From Iran Mean?".
March 12, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
Thumbnail for "What's It Like Inside a Wildfire?".
March 11, 202652min 5sec50.01 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Do Basketball Sneakers Squeak?".
March 10, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
Thumbnail for "How Much Cocaine are Nantucketers Using?".
March 9, 202651min 52sec49.8 MB
Thumbnail for "How is AI Being Used in the Iran War?".
March 6, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
Thumbnail for "What Can Chess Teach Us About Life?".
March 5, 202652min 2sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "Can You Actually Catch 'Em All?".
March 4, 202652min 20sec50.24 MB
Thumbnail for "Who Doesn't Love to Eat Spam?".
March 3, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "Who Declares War?".
March 2, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "How Do You Stop a Glacier From Melting?".
February 27, 202653min 30sec51.37 MB
Thumbnail for "Do Ads Ruin AI Search Results?".
February 26, 202654min 16sec52.11 MB
Thumbnail for "How Did Montreal Get So Good at Plowing Snow?".
February 25, 202645min 33sec43.74 MB
Thumbnail for "Are We Wimps in Snow?".
February 24, 202643min 54sec42.16 MB
Thumbnail for "Snow Day Special!".
February 23, 202652min 1sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Are You Backing Into That Parking Spot?".
February 20, 202643min 17sec41.56 MB
Thumbnail for "Could a Figure Skater Land FIVE Turns?".
February 19, 202646min 1sec44.19 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Don't We Have More Saunas?".
February 18, 202645min 59sec44.15 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Does an International Border Go Through This Library?".
February 17, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
Thumbnail for "What About Teddy Roosevelt?".
February 16, 202652min49.94 MB
Thumbnail for "How Do You Avoid Bad Luck?".
February 13, 202651min 54sec49.85 MB
Thumbnail for "How Close Are We to Curing Ovarian Cancer?".
February 12, 202651min 48sec49.74 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Does Everyone Hate Ticketmaster?".
February 11, 202652min 31sec50.43 MB
Thumbnail for "Could You Judge a Figure Skating Competition?".
February 10, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "What Happens in the River Under the Ice?".
February 9, 202652min 1sec49.96 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Is Gillette Stadium in Foxborough?".
February 6, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "Why did John Urschel Leave the NFL for MIT?".
February 5, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "Can Dogs Talk?".
February 4, 202652min 4sec50 MB
Thumbnail for "Is Government Waste Really So Bad?".
February 3, 202651min 59sec49.92 MB
Thumbnail for "What Makes Mo Rocca Curious?".
February 2, 202652min49.93 MB

Got Goat?

Thumbnail for "Got Goat?".
March 31, 202651min 59sec

We explore the short and long-term economic consequences of going to war – with Iran or otherwise – with MIT Economics Chair Jon Gruber.

Plus listeners' linguistic curiosity questions are answered by Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette, hosts of the podcast & radio show “A Way With Words.” 

And it's time for "The Secret Ingredient" with James-beard winning chef Irene Li. This week Irene joins us with Tamika Francis, founder of the global cuisine-focused pop-up Food & Folklore. We’ll look at goat meat as an under-utilized and climate-conscious source of protein. 

Thumbnail for "Got Goat?".
Got Goat?
00:00
51:59