Around the world, authoritarian leaders are on the rise – from Russia and Hungary to the U.S. We examine the return of the Strongman — and how to save democracy.Read more
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Episode Archives
Walking prolongs our life and made us human. So why are we doing less and less of it? Read more
Original Air Date:
July 30, 2022
Psychedelics show remarkable promise for treating depression, addiction and PTSD. They just might revolutionize the treatment of mental illness.Read more
Original Air Date:
July 02, 2022
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, producer Charles Monroe-Kane made 300 yard signs that read "You're not ok. That's ok." He put them on his porch. Soon they were gone.Read more
Original Air Date:
June 18, 2022
Geometry is the secret sauce of mathematics. It's different from everything else, and it applies to everything from human evolution to romance novels.
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Original Air Date:
May 28, 2022
We talk with poets and novelists about how they deeply notice the historical time we live in — through their words and voice.Read more
Original Air Date:
May 07, 2022
As our world gets more and more virtual, traditional skills like blacksmithing and woodworking are starting to look better and better to a lot of people.Read more
Original Air Date:
April 09, 2022
What might seem like fleeting chart-topping fodder is actually a powerful vehicle for bringing people together, and music fans can teach us about community and hope.Read more
Original Air Date:
March 26, 2022
Ghosts from the past stalk Europe again today in the wake of Russian tanks and missiles. To find a path forward, we might need to look back.Read more
Original Air Date:
March 05, 2022
The bond we share with dogs runs deep. How do dogs make our lives better? How do they think? And how do we give them the lives they deserve?Read more
Original Air Date:
February 05, 2022
Sharing of personal pronouns is just one sign of an increasingly widespread shift in how we think about gender. So what’s next? Maybe gender should be messy? Maybe trans should be joy?Read more
Original Air Date:
January 15, 2022
Ever want to quit your job and buy an old farmhouse, to live self-sufficiently on a few acres of your very own? The reality is much more complicated.Read more
Original Air Date:
December 18, 2021
There are old folktales of people who can become animals. Animals who become people. And there’s a lesson for our own time in those shapeshifting stories.Read more
Original Air Date:
November 20, 2021
They’ve been hunted and silenced and burned at the stake, but witches are still practicing the craft. We take you from the 17th century to the online witch communities of today.Read more
Original Air Date:
October 30, 2021
Teachers. Actors. Ancient rug weavers. Whisperers of forbidden poetry. The women of Afghanistan want you to know they are more than timid victims under a burqa.Read more
Original Air Date:
October 02, 2021
On the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, photographer James Nachtwey reflects on his life as a war photographer, and we consider the deep history of war itself.Read more
Original Air Date:
September 11, 2021
Floods, wildfires, winds and extreme temperatures. We talk with the people who are writing the story of climate change as we are living it.Read more
Original Air Date:
August 14, 2021
What does it take to win Olympic gold? To become "the world's fastest human"? This hour, Olympic fame, the politics of sports, and the science of running.Read more
Original Air Date:
July 31, 2021
Science tells us mountains are giant piles of rock, formed millions of years ago. But that's not all they are — there was a time when mountains were gods.Read more
Original Air Date:
July 24, 2021
One of the most fun things we get to do is bring the soundscape of a novel to life — cue the monsters, the storms, the footsteps of a creature emerging slowly from the ocean. This week, we listen to our favorite cinema of the ear.Read more
Original Air Date:
July 03, 2021
Is there a better way to talk about death? And to grieve? The pandemic has brought us a period of global mourning — and a new reckoning with loss.Read more
Original Air Date:
June 19, 2021
The pandemic has made clear that parents are walking a tightrope with no safety net. Is it time for a parenting revolution?Read more
Original Air Date:
May 22, 2021
Remember when reading still felt magical? We talk to authors about Wonderland, magic wands, unicorns and other children's stories that inspire.Read more
Original Air Date:
May 01, 2021
In countries all over the world, rates of loneliness are skyrocketing. How did it become a condition of modern life?Read more
Original Air Date:
April 10, 2021