KERA's Think

 Decades before the headlines about Tylenol, moms have always had to worry if they were to blame for their child's autism. Sara Luterman, Disability and Aging Reporter for The 19th, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the so-called “refrigerator moms” of the 1950s, and what today's rhetoric from the Health and Human Services Secretary mean for mothers struggling to navigate a difficult diagnosis. Her article “This isn't the first time moms have been blamed for their kids' autism.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The way life emerged on Earth is being reconsidered – but not without some disagreement. Journalist Asher Elbein joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how one discovery in Africa is having scientists radically rethinking when life emerged, what it means that this life existed in the harshest of conditions and why it's dividing the scientific community. His article “Life's Big Bangs” was published in Scientific American. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Why are we following the lead of tech billionaires when it comes to guiding public policy? Science journalist Adam Becker joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways Silicon Valley scions might have A.I. all wrong, the obsession with space colonies and why we aren't asking more critical questions for their version of the future. His book is, “More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity.“This episode originally aired, May 20th 2024. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

For scientists to solve the mysteries of the ocean, they need to start with questions like “how do fish float?” Duke University biology professor Sönke Johnsen joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the wonders of vertical migration, why sharks must keep swimming to stay alive, and the clues offered to biologists that help piece together the questions of aquatic life evolution. His book is “Into the Great Wide Ocean: Life in the Least Known Habitat on Earth.”This episode originally aired, December 5th, 2024. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The culture war around trans rights has many headlines, but one hot button issue is gun rights. Writer and critic Grace Byron joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why gun ownership for trans individuals is becoming a political talking point, why owning a gun can affirm sexuality, and why gun violence is being blamed without merit on transgender ideology. Her article, “The Complexities of Trans Gun Ownership” was published in The New Yorker. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The spooky season is here, and we might have Christian theology to thank for that. Bryan P. Stone is Leighton K. Farrell Endowed Dean at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss ghosts, witches, vampires and more and how they germinate from Christian imagery, subvert traditional teachings and play on Chrisitan anxieties. His book is “Christianity and Horror Cinema.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 Two years of war ended when a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed between Israel and Hamas. Will it hold? Natasha Hall, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how President Trump's strong demands on Israel and Hamas forced both sides to the table, and what happens to any future deals if both sides can't keep to the terms of the agreement. Her Foreign Affairs article, co-authored with Joost R. Hiltermann, is “The Gaza Deal Is Not Too Big to Fail.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Ready to travel to Mars? Doctors specializing in space medicine are working to get you there. Shayna Korol is a Future Perfect fellow at Vox, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the new field of space medicine, where doctors try to anticipate and treat the many ways space travel affects and ails the body – from radiation to muscle loss – and how their research and breakthroughs might also help those of us who stay Earthbound. Her article is “Human bodies aren't ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Big tech pretty much runs our lives; will these companies one day own power grids, too? Karen Weise, technology correspondent for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how tech is driving up electricity costs for everyone, why municipalities are scrambling to upgrade their grids, and the prospects for selling power to cities that need it most. Her article is “Big Tech's A.I. Data Centers Are Driving Up Electricity Bills for Everyone.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The cost of paying out Veterans Administration disability claims is more than the budget of the entire U.S. Army. Craig Whitlock is an investigative reporter who specializes in national security issues for The Washington Post. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the veteran disability claim process works, the wide array of conditions covered and why administrators are reluctant to change how it operates. His article is “How some veterans exploit $193 billion VA program, due to lax controls.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

There was a time when NGOs were revered, but now they're often eyed with suspicion. Suparna Chaudhry is an associate professor of international affairs at Lewis & Clark and the author of the forthcoming book “Civil Societies, Uncivil States: State Repression of NGOs.” She joins guest host John McCaa to discuss what happened to the reputation of NGOs – which once were seen as philanthropic lifelines and now are accused of mismanagement and meddling in international affairs – and what happens to the people on the ground when these organizations do not function as intended. Her article “Why the World Turned on NGOs” was published in Foreign Policy. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When someone decides to move to a new city, the top reasons are likely not what you would imagine. Patience Fairbrother, senior vice president of talent attraction at Development Counsellors International (DCI), joins host Krys Boyd to discuss their research into where highly-skilled talent lands and how cities can attract those in-demand workers. The DCI study is called “Talent Wars.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Mothers who opt for open adoption relationships hope for a future with their child — but it doesn't always end up that way. Author Nicole Chung joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why open adoptions are more complicated than it may look from the outset, why some mothers find themselves shut out of their biological children's lives, and how the experience of birth mothers in these arrangements has been understudied. Her article “When Adoption Promises Are Broken” was published in The Atlantic.   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 On a planet with 8 billion people, what's the argument for an individual doing the right thing if it's barely a drop in the bucket? Travis Rieder is a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, where he directs the Master of Bioethics degree program. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how individuals should consider their approach to climate change, eating animals and other moral questions when one person's actions are too small to affect change. His book is “Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 For a Native American girl growing up, finding your voice is finding your power. Joy Harjo is a former poet laureate of the United States and member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her life dedicated to words and music, opening her eyes of life beyond traditional Western thought, and why artists are the culture point people for troubled times. Her book is “Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Every time you type a query into your A.I. program, you're ticking up the cost of your electricity bill. Brian Deese is Institute Innovation Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he joins guest host John McCaa to discuss how energy hungry A.I. is putting pressure on the grid – potentially to the point of breaking – and the solutions that are being sought to curb this growing problem. His article, co-written with Lisa Hansmann, is “The Coming Electricity Crisis” and was published in Foreign Affairs.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

For many, “The Great British Bakeoff” is must-see TV – and watching it has taught us a lot about food. Ruby Tandoh is a journalist who was also a finalist on the show, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how everyone is a “foodie” now, why hard-to-find ingredients are all the rage even in the Average Joe's kitchen, and how unlimited access to recipes online has made us more discerning. Her book is “All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When you think about the challenges of the U.S. southern border, mosquitoes are probably not top of mind – but they should be. Umair Irfan is a correspondent at Vox, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why climate change is making the mosquitoes population boom, why keeping them in check is essential for combating disease, and how the government is attacking the problem with an eye toward keeping people and animals safe. His article is “Mosquitoes at the U.S. southern border reveal a frightening reality about climate change.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

With satellites above our heads, we can easily forget about the cables that connect us along the ocean floor. Samanth Subramanian, author of “The Web Beneath the Waves: The Fragile Cables that Connect Our World,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how internet access, online banking and even making simple calls all happens because of fragile cables running along the bottom of the ocean. The companion piece to his book called “Extremely Offline: What Happened When a Pacific Island Was Cut Off from the Internet” was published in The Guardian. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Your doctor might take weeks to diagnose a complicated set of symptoms when A.I. can do it in seconds. Dhruv Khullar is a physician and contributing writer at The New Yorker, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the use of A.I. in medicine, whether doctors will lose the skills to properly diagnose, and how accurate these new computer-aided diagnoses actually are. His article is “If A.I. Can Diagnose Patients, What Are Doctors For?” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A year ago, two dire wolf puppies were born — the first ones in more than 10,000 years. Matt James, chief animal officer for Colossal Biosciences, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the company's success bringing back the dire wolf in what it calls a de-extinction process, why he feels inaction on conservation outweighs the risk of Colossal's work, and plans the company has to bring back the wooly mammoth and other long-extinct animals. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon declared a “war on cancer.” Today, President Trump seems to be winding it down. Jonathan Mahler, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how Trump administration efforts to target suspected waste and abuse have shut down vital cancer research, how government funding helped make enormous strides in cancer survival rates, and what happens to patients who find themselves sick with a diagnosis now. His article is “Trump Is Shutting Down the War On Cancer.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 What we prioritize in our cities impacts how we work, live and play. In this episode, host Krys Boyd talks to three experts about creating a walkable city, how zoning codes are quietly shaping your daily life, and the ways that urban green spaces can promote biodiverse wildlife.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 To find the most reliably conservative area of the United States, look no further than West Texas. Jeff Roche, professor of American history at the College of Wooster in Ohio, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how “cowboy conservativism” spread across the nation, its origins in Christian settlers to the region, and how the towns located in the rural plains influence the rest of the nation. His book is “The Conservative Frontier: Texas and the Origins of the New Right.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 Self-driving cars are coming for American roadways, and cities better get prepared. David Zipper is a senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, where he examines the interplay between transportation policy and technology. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of autonomous vehicles, why we might not need those colossal parking lots and ways cities can recoup some of the costs these driverless cars incur. His article for Vox is “A self-driving car traffic jam is coming for U.S. cities.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and conservationist who deepened our understanding of chimpanzees, died this week at the age of 91. In 2016, she spoke with host Krys Boyd about her life's work, her secret to achieving a global reach, and her “Damascus moment” that changed her career trajectory forever.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 One solution to a dearth of housing units is to build them more efficiently. Henry Grabar is a staff writer at Slate, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss new, pre-fabricated housing options. That includes not only mobile homes, but also single-family units and even apartment buildings. Plus, we'll hear how builders are hoping to streamline construction to have homes up in not months, but days. His article is “The Solution to America's Housing Crisis Might Be Built in a Factory.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

If A.I. can write a song with just you in mind, will you still be able to share that musical experience with others? Joshua Rothman, a staff writer for The New Yorker, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what happens to culture when we rely on A.I. to generate visual art or music, what it means for engaging in difficult subjects, and what machine-generated art means for our very human desires. His article is “A.I. Is Coming for Culture.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Gen X kids were left to their own devices as latchkey kids. Now they're raising Gen Z, and it's definitely not as freewheeling. David French is an opinion columnist at The New York Times, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the over-parenting of Gen X – including constant monitoring and check-ins with teachers – and the anxiety showing up in Gens Z and Alpha. His essay in The Times is “How Did the Latchkey Kids of Gen X Become the Helicopter Parents of Gen Z?”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The phrase “Black girl magic” has deep roots in enslaved women's lives. Lindsey Stewart is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the medicine that stemmed from African traditions that was often more trusted than white doctors' advice, how this magic was passed down through generations, and how it endures today. Her book is “The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women's Magic.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When her abusive husband kidnapped her child for nine days, Karen Palmer knew it was time to run. The writer and Pushcart Prize-winner joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the early teenage trauma that drove her into a dangerous relationship with her ex-husband, why she fled into “D.I.Y witness protection” and changed her identity, and how she finally found the courage to write about her experiences. Her book is “She's Under Here: A Memoir.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

After decades of use, hormonal birth control is suddenly under the microscope. Emma Goldberg, business features writer for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why birth control has become a political issue, why a growing number of women are pushing back on taking it, and how social media influencers are driving the conversation. Her article is “‘Who Am I Without Birth Control?'” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It's hard out there for singles trying to date, especially now that A.I. has entered the chat. Patricia Marx, staff writer for The New Yorker, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her experiment into “dating” A.I. models that promised companionship, whether they could actually make the perfect partner, and if we need flesh and blood to make our hearts sing. Her article is “Playing the Field with My A.I. Boyfriends.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It's common knowledge, say, that every driver stops for a stop sign – and we shouldn't take that shared understanding for granted. Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rules of society we all know and follow and the ways our world would fall apart if people disregarded this social contract. His book is “When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Inflation in the U.S. has been rising since the spring, and the job market is softening. Will these trends extend beyond our borders? Mohamed A. El-Erian is president of Queens' College, University of Cambridge and Renee Kerns Professor of Practice at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how American economic trends spread globally, why even a devalued dollar is still the currency preferred internationally and if Federal Reserve President Jerome Powell should resign. His article “Is America Breaking the Global Economy?” was published by Foreign Affairs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

An overarching desire to seek revenge can be just as potent as a drug addiction. James Kimmel Jr. is a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, a lawyer and the founder and co-director of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss parts of the brain that light up when a revenge scenario is talked about, why Americans equate justice with revenge, and what happens when we focus on forgiveness instead. His book is “The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction – and How to Overcome It.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

One in 20 children is allergic to peanuts — but a cure may be on the horizon. Maryn McKenna is a journalist specializing in public health, global health and food policy and is a contributing editor at Scientific American. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why peanut allergies jumped astronomically since the 1990s, what makes the allergy so deadly, and how researchers are zeroing in on cures for a hypervigilant population of allergy sufferers. Her article is “Can Peanut Allergies Be Cured?” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When bad journalism and moneyed interests collide, science suffers. Peter J. Hotez is dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine – and he played a key role in developing the Covid-19 vaccine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how anti-science factions have hijacked the conversation and his many failed attempts to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onboard with vaccines. His book, written with Michael E. Mann, is “Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Maggots may be unappetizing, but they may play a key role in the future of what ends up on your plate. Nicolás Rivero, climate solutions reporter at The Washington Post, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss an operation in France using billions of maggots to process food waste and feed cattle, and what this novel approach to industrial farm waste says about the future of the industry. His article is “At the world's biggest bug farm, 10 billion maggots recycle food waste.”   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

President Trump's request that Texas redraw its congressional districts has created a domino effect around the country. Robert T. Garrett is the former Austin bureau chief for The Dallas Morning News, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss redistricting and other challenges to the status quo Trump hopes start in Texas and spread from there. His article for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune is “The Texas Redistricting Fight Has Been the Testing Ground for the Trump Administration's Latest Legal Strategy.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

To set some world records, you need buy-in from a lot of people – and it's harder than you might think to get thousands together just to play a kazoo. Lauren Larson, senior staff writer at Texas Monthly magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the difficulty of setting wacky world records today, when lackadaisical participants prefer to stay at home post-lockdown and Guiness Book of World Records rules are stringent. Her article is “They Want You to Get Off Your Couch, and Go Set a World Record” was published in The New York Times Magazine.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Former CDC director and now CEO of Resolve to Save Lives Dr. Tom Frieden joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we need the political will to transform an ailing system. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

An at home DNA test might be a fun window into the past, but they can go sideways — so much so that a cottage industry has sprung up to deal with the fallout. Jennifer Wilson is a staff writer at The New Yorker, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss when home DNA kits like 23andMe reveal paternity secrets, children who feel like this new information has led to a “re-birth” and why anger is fueling a call for paternity testing at birth. Her article is “The Family Fallout of DNA Surprises.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Did you know that the outfit you are wearing right now is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions? Laila Petrie, director general of the charity Future Earth Lab, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what counts as sustainable in the fashion industry – where greenwashing is rampant – and how fast fashion contributes to climate change. Her article in Scientific American is “How to Be a Smarter Fashion Consumer in a World of Overstated Sustainability.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Both the left and right have failed to craft policies that end gun violence — so what might work? Jens Ludwig is a professor of public policy at the University of Chicago, where he also directs the school's crime lab. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how behavioral economics offers insight into what works to curb gun homicides. His new book is “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 Our current loneliness epidemic may seem insurmountable, but solutions to overcome the problem are out there. This episode, host Krys Boyd talks with three experts who take on loneliness head on, from why it's so hard to address, to ways to use our creativity to connect with others, to a guide for making and keeping friends.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Today's Silicon Valley is far from the tech utopia many of us may still have in our minds. Mike Isaac, Silicon Valley and technology reporter for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the transformation of the cushy Silicon Valley work style to a more serious tone where A.I. dominates the conversation, how the pandemic changed the work vibes there, and why it might be a harbinger for how we will all work in the near future. His article is “Silicon Valley Is in Its ‘Hard Tech' Era.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

For people seeking to lose weight, Ozempic can seem like a dream drug — but it doesn't work for everyone. Andrea Javor is a freelance writer, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her journey using Ozempic, the disappointment that came when the scale didn't budge for her, and why doctors think GLP-1s can regulate diabetes without the weight loss. Her article “Ozempic didn't work for me. I was furious – and ashamed” was published by The Guardian. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Grammar hounds might despise it, but “like” is both ubiquitous and necessary in our everyday speech. Megan C. Reynolds, editor at Dwell magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss one little word that defines so much of modern speech: like – from approval on social media to, like, the way we all casually talk today – and why we should all give it a second look. Her book is “Like: A History of the World's Most Hated (and Misunderstood) Word.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

President Trump is determined to shift manufacturing jobs back to American soil — but that's a monumentally difficult task. Rachel Slade joins host Krys Boyd to discuss challenges small businesses face when they want to source American-made products, how regulation gets in the way, and why labor unions might help bring jobs back. Her book is “Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way).”This episode originally aired June, 6th 2025. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Happiness may feel elusive, but there are some proven strategies to get you there. Arthur C. Brooks is Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also a columnist at The Atlantic, where he writes the weekly “How to Build a Life” column. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a compendium of his columns about the pursuit of happiness, how we can conquer our worries, and when it's time to stop pursuing perfection. His book is “The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices