Journalist Mark Pendergrast tells Steve Paulson that coffee came from Ethiopia, functioned as a patriotic symbol during the early days of the American Republic, and prolonged the slave trade in places like Brazil.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Janice VanCleave tells Jim Fleming some of the experiments from the "Weather" volume, including how to build a cloud, and why the sky looks blue.
Lizzie Gottlieb has a younger brother with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. She made a film, "Today's Man," about his abortive efforts to get a job and move out of his parents' brownstone in New York.
Peter Turchi tells Steve Paulson that both map-making and writing place great importance on the empty spaces.
Psychologist Justin Barett thinks most children have a natural aptitude for religious belief. He says it's not surprising that so many people believe in spirits or supernatural beings.
Sir Ian McKellen is heard first, reading from the novel "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver. It's part of her "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness" series, set 6000 years ago.
Jennifer Baker is a philosopher at the College of Charleston and the author of a recent essay called "Procrastination as Vice."
The science world is buzzing about the discovery confirming the Big Bang. Here's our extended interview with Lawrence Krauss about how something could come from nothing.
Pages
