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To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Esperanza Spalding is one of the brightest young stars in jazz - except she resists being labeled a "jazz musician." In fact, her new album "Emily's D+ Evolution" sounds more like rock than jazz. When she sat down in our studio with Steve Paulson, she talked about her childhood roots in classical music before her momentous discovery of jazz improvisation.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

According to historian Thomas Laqueur, neither sanitation nor the soul fully explain the rang of rituals we've developed for caring for dead bodies. For him, there is a deeper anthropological truth at work: caring for the dead marks the human transition from nature into culture.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

David Orr says modern poetry shouldn't intimidate us. He's the author of "Beautiful and Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry."

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

I dunno, but it seems kind of extreme, not to mention risky, to bio-engineer a mass mosquito die-off.  So Steve Paulson tracked down the world’s greatest living entomologist to see what he has to say.  E. O Wilson is sometimes called “the ant man” – that’s the insect he studied most – but he’s best known as the evolutionary biologist and a champion of biodiversity.  He’s 86 years old now, and has just finished what is probably his last book – called “Half Earth”.  It’s a passionate plea to save humanity by dedicating half the planet to nature.  You’d assume that Wilson would be happy to let mosquitos live in that half… but that’s not what he told Steve.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Francine Segan, author of "The Philosopher's Kitchen", tells us of the importance of bread to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Debra Ginsberg tells Jim Fleming what can turn a shift into a nightmare; why so many wait staff are performers; and that people tip better when they're spending someone else's money.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Journalist Christopher Noxon explains what happened when he formed a personal posse of life coaches in Los Angeles.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Not all cavemen are in the past. The Modern Caveman Movement involves men in urban gyms, grunting and sprinting on all fours, lifting heavy stones, and running barefoot.

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