Episode Archives

Filter episodes by the year they originally aired.
A healing hand

As terrible as it sounds, most of us will go through something traumatic at some point in our lives. The experience can be deeply isolating and crushing, but it doesn't have to be. Read more

Original Air Date:

July 05, 2015

Price is right

You score a royal flush in poker!  Do you credit your skill? Or luck?  We talk with a poker champion, a game designer, an investment banker and a choreographer about how to untangle skill from luck.Read more

Original Air Date:

June 07, 2015

It doesn't matter whether you grew up going to Coney Island, Six Flags, or Pacific Park — to a kid, all amusement parks are magical. This hour we take a trip to the land of funnel cake, freak shows and fast rides.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 17, 2015

boxer

We explore the popularity and enduring appeal of combat sports.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 03, 2015

shame statue

Social media has brought us all closer together. Sometimes that's a good thing. But when it comes to online shaming, it's a bad thing. Read more

Original Air Date:

April 18, 2015

Needle and vial

If there isn't any evidence that vaccines cause autism, then why is anti-vaccination on the rise? Read more

Original Air Date:

March 29, 2015

Fermented tea

Fermentation revivalists share a slow food philosophy, a DIY approach to foodcraft, and a deep interest in the health of the American gut.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 15, 2015

skeleton

Our planet is facing a mass extinction crisis. By the end of the century, we could lose up to half of all living species. But people are working hard to save endangered species and habitats, and a few scientists are even trying to bring lost species - like passenger pigeons and woolly mammoths...Read more

Original Air Date:

January 25, 2015

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Walk long enough and far enough, and you will never be the same.  This week, stories of people who transformed their lives by picking up their feet, blazing trails, enduring blisters and frostbite and bad trail food. Read more

Original Air Date:

December 21, 2014

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

We take a closer look at negative stereotypes about African American men, how those biases affect our justice system, and what we might be able to do about it.Read more

Original Air Date:

December 21, 2014

ghostly hands

Does death gives life meaning? You might think so, looking at the prominence of death and the afterlife in so many religions. In this hour, we explore the philosophical and religious dimensions of mortality and the afterlife.Read more

Original Air Date:

December 07, 2014

Graveside service

How do we mark death and celebrate lost lives around the globe?Read more

Original Air Date:

November 30, 2014

candle in hand

In this hour, we explore the medical, spiritual and psychological questions about the moment of death.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 23, 2014

cemetary

We live much longer than we used to, thanks to medical advances, but what are the emotional and financial costs of extending life? Read more

Original Air Date:

November 16, 2014

skull

We talk with experts about how to begin difficult conversations about making death a greater part of life, and how they can transform both the dying and the surviving.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 09, 2014

Why do Americans suck at math? And why do so many claim to hate it?Read more

Original Air Date:

August 10, 2014

Karl Marx

Was Marx right after all in his critique of capitalism?  Our ongoing economic struggles have spawned a new generation of Marxist activists and intellectuals, and renewed interest in Karl Marx's own life. Read more

Original Air Date:

June 01, 2014

support your local planet

Today we explore some new paradigms for thinking about our environmental future.  And, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of death of the great environmentalist, Rachel Carson.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 04, 2014

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Everyone loves a good joke, right? Well, at least when it's not at your expense. We explore hoaxes throughout history, get in the mind of a prolific prankster, and hear from writer Walter Kirn about getting duped by a dangerous con man.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 30, 2014

Where do you find crazy ideas and some of the world's smartest people? In theoretical physics - the world of parallel universes, super strings and black holes.  We go on a whirlwind tour of the universe - from the multiverse to an imaginary walk on Mars.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 09, 2014

To be American can mean many things. It can mean a young black teen in a hoodie, or a illegal immigrant who’s been living here for 20 years. How do we reconcile the many different American experiences?Read more

Original Air Date:

March 02, 2014

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Not every story about Afghanistan involves guns and soldiers.  We see the country through art, poetry and games - from the ancient sport of Buzkashi to Afghanistan's famous hand-woven carpets. Also, Charles Yu on living safely in a science fictional universe.Read more

Original Air Date:

February 23, 2014

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

The bedtime stories of Sinbad, Ali Baba and Aladdin are enchanting stories. They’re also much more: violent, sexually explicit, political, and feminist.Read more

Original Air Date:

February 02, 2014

chairs on a beach

It's the "silver tsunami" — the massive numbers of people now entering their senior years.  And for all those now retiring? They’re trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives.Read more

Original Air Date:

January 26, 2014

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