President Obama's surrounded by science advisors. So you might figure he doesn't need to know much about physics, but you'd be mistaken. How is a President supposed to assess the risk of a "dirty bomb," or weigh the pros and cons of various energy sources, from solar power to nuclear energy?...Read more
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Episode Archives
Many of us first met Islam on 9/11 with planes slamming into the World Trade Center – not a very good first impression. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, a proper introduction, as we talk with Muslims and Westerners who are redefining our relationship. From a Danish cartoonist with a...Read more
Did you know that novelist Thomas Hardy had a second career as a poet? Or that many people don't find their artistic passions until after the age of 85? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we talk about change over time - that is, how change is really a lifelong project. A former monk...Read more
We remember the magical moments of chemistry in certain interviews; the brilliant sound design that emerged from particular studio sessions; the stories that took us places and those that changed us.Read more
For journalists, the first days of Donald Trump’s presidency have been a bit surreal. We find ourselves wondering how legendary muckrakers might have reacted to some of these first press briefings. So delving into the TTBOOK...Read more
There are children who seem to be re-born into new families, while remembering specific and verifiable things about their former lives. It may be coincidence, or imagination, but some of their stories will curl your hair! In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, a search for...Read more
What does it take to become a U.S. president? Driving ambition, of course, but what else? We'll dissect a few presidents - from Lincoln and LBJ to Obama - and consider the chances of a female president in 2016.Read more
Popular myths, urban legends and just plain lies. Why do we persist in believing things that just aren't true?Read more
Have you seen the David Lynch film “Mulholland Drive”? Did you understand it? One reviewer says watching “Mulholland Drive” is “like playing Twister and Scrabble simultaneously while high on LSD.” In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge two young men talk about their internet audio...Read more
What’s your billion dollar idea? You know, the one that’s going to change the world? America’s the land of invention, right? And it’s that can-do spirit that makes this country great. But America’s no longer the global innovation giant it once was.
Where have you gone, Thomas Edison?Read more
When’s the last time you were wonderstruck? Would your life be richer for more wonder? What wonder is, how to make it, where to find it and what it does for us... we all get gently awed in this hour.Read more
It's been called all kinds of things: God, Brahman, Nirvana, All, Dao. But renowned religion writer Karen Armstrong says we've often lost sight of what this ultimate reality means, so it's not surprising it can seem so unbelievable. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, Karen Armstrong...Read more
When disaster strikes, photojournalists run toward it instead of away. Usually, with a camera in hand. Their job is to get up close to tragedy and danger, to document things we need to see, in the hopes of somehow making a difference. This hour we’re talking with some of the world’s great...Read more
If you believe those at the top of society deserve their success, doesn’t that mean you think those at the bottom deserve their failure? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we’ll talk about status anxiety. Also, we’ll find out why American poverty matters to everyone.Read more
They weren’t exactly the Marx brothers, but Groucho had more in common with Karl Marx than you might think. Both had minds that were lightning fast, and both were professional provocateurs. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we’ll reassess these two legendary figures – the...Read more
It’s a mob scene in Madison, Wisconsin as novelist Mark Winegardner reveals the new Godfather. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge our yearly stage show at the Wisconsin Book Festival. Guests also include singer/songwriter Jane Siberry and the humor writers from The Onion.
This...Read more
The scene is a gritty punk club. Dark and smoky with sticky floors. A crowd shuffles and talks, waiting for the music. One man takes the stage. He sits down and plays – not rock, not techno, but the solo cello suites of J.S. Bach. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, breaking the...Read more
Electrons to Enlightenment
Part Three
One of the Dalai Lama's favorite places in America is a neuro-biology lab at the University of Wisconsin, looking for scientific proof that meditation works. In other labs across the country,...Read more
We’ve heard a lot about Islamic fundamentalists who hate the West. Some people can’t wait for the United States to invade Afghanistan. But no one would be happier to see the back of Osama bin Laden than the Average Afghan. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the crucial...Read more
We're keepin it surreal this hour with a hallucinatory vortex chock full of innovative fiction. Like Salvador Dali said -- "Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision." Join us as we expand your vision and melt your mind....Read more
If you think the influence of Shakespeare is confined to the page and the stage, think again. Take starlings, the aggressive European birds who’ve pushed a lot of Native American birds out of their nests. They were introduced by a Shakespeare fanatic, who loosed dozens of them in Central Park....Read more
Boots on the Ground: Stories from the War in Iraq
Part Two
On March 20, 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq. More than 6 years later, we're still there. What happened? Were we prepared? We'll talk with the planners of the War in Iraq. From...Read more
Filmmaker Ken Burns calls the national parks "America's best idea." We'll take you to Yosemite,Denali and Carlsbad Caverns. We'll also explore some forgotten parts of our history: how the "buffalo soldiers" helped create America's first parks, and why the very idea of protecting nature has...Read more
Laura Blumenfeld’s father was a tourist in Jerusalem when he was shot in the head. The shooter was a member of the PLO. He had lousy aim – his victim lived. But Blumenfeld never forgot that day. In fact, she vowed to find the man responsible and take revenge. She kept her word. Her story...Read more