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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
126hr 33min
Thumbnail for "How Is AI Playing Ping-Pong?".
August 24, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "What Do I Need To Know This Back-To-School Season?".
September 9, 202653min 29sec25.56 MB
Thumbnail for "Will Your Grandkids Want A Turtle?".
September 8, 202652min 1sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "Are We Living Through A "Great Romance Slump"?".
September 4, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
Thumbnail for "Eyes Like a Hawk, Blind Like a Bat, and... Ears Like a Fish?".
September 3, 202652min 8sec62.58 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Can't George Santos Use Kalshi?".
September 2, 202652min 11sec50.11 MB
Thumbnail for "What's The Consensus On Political Polling?".
September 1, 202652min 10sec50.1 MB
Thumbnail for "What's Eating The Soft-Shell Clam?".
August 31, 202652min24.97 MB
Thumbnail for "How Do You Race With Kinetic Sculptures? (Chaotically)".
August 28, 202652min 19sec50.24 MB
Thumbnail for "Did Meta Really Lose?".
August 27, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "Are We On The Cusp Of Nuclear Fusion?".
August 26, 202652min 7sec50.04 MB
Thumbnail for "Too Much True Crime?".
August 25, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Does Craig LeMoult Have So Many Butterflies?".
August 21, 202652min 8sec50.07 MB
Thumbnail for "What Is Cognitive Architecture?".
August 20, 202651min 59sec49.92 MB
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August 19, 202652min 7sec50.05 MB
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August 18, 202653min 13sec51.11 MB
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August 17, 202650min 54sec48.88 MB
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August 14, 202650min 13sec48.23 MB
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August 13, 202652min 1sec24.98 MB
Thumbnail for "Should Edgar Buy A New Car?".
August 12, 202652min 5sec50.01 MB
Thumbnail for "What Was the Golden Age of Languages?".
August 11, 202652min 10sec50.09 MB
Thumbnail for "How Do We Know What Abigail Adams Sounded Like?".
August 10, 202651min 48sec49.74 MB
Thumbnail for "What's The Rocky Horror Drama?".
August 7, 202652min62.41 MB
Thumbnail for "Can Prediction Markets Sway An Election?".
August 6, 202652min 39sec63.2 MB
Thumbnail for "What Comes Before Eureka?".
August 5, 202651min 59sec49.92 MB
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August 4, 202652min 10sec50.09 MB
Thumbnail for "Special Hour: 🍅 Tomato Takeover 🍅".
August 3, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "ICYMI: It's 3 AM. Do You Know Where Henry Santoro Is?".
July 31, 202652min 23sec50.31 MB
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July 30, 202654min 31sec52.35 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Does New England Love Its Stone Walls?".
July 29, 202652min49.94 MB
Thumbnail for "AI News Panel: Did OpenAI Truly "Go Rogue"?".
July 28, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
Thumbnail for "Who Decides the Ballot Question Order?".
July 27, 202652min 6sec50.04 MB
Thumbnail for "What Does It Mean To Live In Harmony With The Rats?".
July 24, 202651min 59sec49.91 MB
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July 23, 202652min 10sec50.09 MB
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July 22, 202651min 53sec49.82 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Are Fireflies So Lit?".
July 21, 202650min 53sec48.87 MB
Thumbnail for "The Impossible Curiosity Desk: A Plant-Based Special".
July 20, 202652min87.37 MB
Thumbnail for "Bonus Interview: Why Can't I Fall Asleep?".
July 18, 202616min23.06 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Is The Sky Yellow?".
July 17, 202652min 9sec50.08 MB
Thumbnail for "What Salt Is Worth Its Salt?".
July 15, 202651min48.97 MB
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July 14, 202652min 12sec50.12 MB
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July 13, 202652min 11sec50.11 MB
Thumbnail for "Do Elephants Make Good Friends?".
July 9, 202652min 7sec50.04 MB
Thumbnail for "The World Cup Effect".
July 8, 202652min 8sec50.06 MB
Thumbnail for "Should A.I. Start Paying Up?".
July 7, 202651min 58sec49.9 MB
Thumbnail for "Can Today's Guest Read Edgars Mind?".
July 6, 202652min 20sec50.25 MB
Thumbnail for "What is the Election Fraud Doom Loop?".
June 25, 202650min 30sec72.75 MB
Thumbnail for "Who Wants The Bourne Bridge?".
June 24, 202653min 57sec51.81 MB
Thumbnail for "Is The World Cup A Religious Experience?".
June 23, 202653min 57sec51.82 MB
Thumbnail for "What Makes World Cup-Quality Soccer Turf?".
June 22, 202651min 59sec49.92 MB
Thumbnail for "What Does A 174 Year-Old Speech Mean In 2026?".
June 19, 202652min 10sec50.09 MB
Thumbnail for "Do You Like, Hate When People Say Like?".
June 18, 202651min 49sec49.75 MB
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June 17, 202652min49.94 MB
Thumbnail for "Can You Teach A.I. Compassion?".
June 16, 202651min 58sec12.48 MB
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June 15, 202653min 59sec25.79 MB
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June 11, 202652min 4sec49.99 MB
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June 10, 202651min 58sec49.91 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Did We Stop Keeping Pigeons As Pets?".
June 9, 202652min49.93 MB
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June 8, 202652min 5sec50.02 MB
Thumbnail for "What's Real About Reality Show Cooking?".
June 5, 202652min 3sec49.98 MB
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June 4, 202652min 3sec49.99 MB
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June 3, 202652min49.93 MB
Thumbnail for "Will A.I. Cyborgs Outlast Us All?".
June 2, 202652min49.93 MB
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June 1, 202651min 48sec49.75 MB
Thumbnail for "What's It Take To Bee A Spelling S-T-A-R?".
May 29, 202652min 4sec50 MB
Thumbnail for "Does History Have A Lesson For Today's College Grads?".
May 28, 202651min 56sec49.87 MB
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May 27, 202651min 57sec49.89 MB
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May 26, 202652min 9sec50.08 MB
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May 22, 202652min 2sec49.97 MB
Thumbnail for "Stuck On Stamps: What Fuels The Philatelists?".
May 21, 202651min 58sec49.91 MB
Thumbnail for "Why's There A Green Light At My Walk Signal?".
May 20, 202652min 26sec75.53 MB
Thumbnail for "Is it Possible To Learn While You Dream?".
May 19, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
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May 18, 202652min 4sec50 MB
Thumbnail for "Did We Really Just Discover 10,000 New Planets?".
May 15, 202652min 1sec49.95 MB
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May 14, 202651min 41sec74.44 MB
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May 13, 202642min 41sec61.49 MB
Thumbnail for "How Does War Affect To Cost of My Fertilizer?".
May 12, 202643min 3sec62.02 MB
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May 11, 202645min 29sec65.51 MB
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May 8, 202644min 50sec43.05 MB
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May 7, 202643min 27sec62.58 MB
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May 6, 202641min 36sec59.92 MB
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May 5, 202652min 7sec50.04 MB
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May 4, 202652min 3sec49.98 MB
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May 1, 202652min 6sec50.03 MB
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April 30, 202651min 57sec49.88 MB
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April 29, 202651min 55sec49.85 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Do We Think We Hate Small Talk?".
April 28, 202652min 12sec50.12 MB
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April 27, 202652min 9sec50.08 MB
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April 24, 202652min 8sec50.07 MB
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April 23, 202652min 4sec49.99 MB
Thumbnail for "What's A Rain Bomb? (And Should I Be Worried?)".
April 22, 202652min 3sec49.99 MB
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April 21, 202652min74.89 MB
Thumbnail for "Will Boston Marathon Runners Agree To A Live Interview?".
April 20, 202652min 1sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "How Does A Jester Perform On The Radio?".
April 17, 202652min 6sec50.03 MB
Thumbnail for "What Does the Label on Your Egg Carton Mean?".
April 16, 202651min 15sec49.22 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Is It So Hard To File My Taxes?".
April 15, 202652min 18sec50.22 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
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April 10, 202652min 3sec49.98 MB
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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
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April 3, 202652min 12sec50.13 MB
Thumbnail for "What Does an Ant's Organs Look Like?".
April 2, 202652min49.92 MB
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April 1, 202652min 31sec50.44 MB
Thumbnail for "Got Goat?".
March 31, 202651min 59sec49.91 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
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March 26, 202652min 26sec50.34 MB
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March 25, 202654min 16sec52.11 MB
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March 24, 202653min 58sec51.82 MB
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March 23, 202653min 58sec51.81 MB
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March 20, 202652min 2sec49.95 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Are Boston Common Squirrels So Fat?".
March 19, 202652min 2sec49.95 MB
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March 18, 202652min 1sec49.94 MB
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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
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February 20, 202643min 17sec41.56 MB
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February 19, 202646min 1sec44.19 MB
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February 18, 202645min 59sec44.15 MB
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February 17, 202652min 2sec49.96 MB
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February 16, 202652min49.94 MB
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February 13, 202651min 54sec49.85 MB
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February 12, 202651min 48sec49.74 MB
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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
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February 6, 202652min49.93 MB
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February 5, 202652min49.93 MB
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February 4, 202652min 4sec50 MB
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February 3, 202651min 59sec49.92 MB
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February 2, 202652min49.93 MB

How Is AI Playing Ping-Pong?

Thumbnail for "How Is AI Playing Ping-Pong?".
August 24, 202652min

August 26, 2026 

While everyone hums and haws about AI consciousness, Colombia College Chicago Philosophy professor Stephen Asma has been reflecting on the seemingly-conscious & potentially horrifying implications of “wetware biocomputers,” small collections of human stem cells that can be taught to, among other things, play pong. He’ll join to discuss. 

Tufts nutritionist Lynne Asuman helps decode the dense, confusing, multi-syllabic world of nutrition labels.

There’s a feature on the Merriam-Webster website called “Time Traveler,” that lets you search word origins by year. Edgar talks with editor at large Peter Sokolowski about how our words are born and evolve with time, and how understanding their origin expands our understanding of the language we use. 

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