KERA's Think

Bad news: more young people are getting cancer. The good news? Better drugs are targeting the disease. Dylan Scott, a reporter for Vox’s Future Perfect, and science journalist Jyoti Madhusoodanan, join host Krys Boyd to discuss the reasons why cancer is hitting earlier and earlier, and the scientific breakthroughs using the body’s own immune system to combat it.

In his work as a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Nicholas Kristof has seen the best and worst of humanity. The op-ed columnist for The New York Times joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his memoir, which details the danger of war zones and oppressive regimes – and the exhilaration of telling the stories of unsung heroes. The book is “Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life.”

The ease of A.I. translating for us via apps is also speeding the erasure of lesser-used languages. Matteo Wong is a staff writer for The Atlantic, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the looming extinction of some 7,000 languages since A.I. is only using about 10 to learn from. Plus, we’ll ask the question: In this new landscape, what will it take for a language to exist? His article is “The A.I. Revolution Is Crushing Thousands of Languages.”

It’s possible to both love your children and regret having them – though very few parents would actually admit to those dual feelings. R.O. Kwon, author of the novel “Exhibit,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her interviews with parents who are made to feel like monsters because they wish their lives had taken different paths, how love for offspring doesn’t play into the conversation, and her own certainty that she never wants to be a mother. Her article “The Parents Who Regret Having Children” was published in Time.

n pursuit of a distinguished career, are we missing out on a good life? Christopher Wong Michaelson is Opus Distinguished Professor and academic director of the Melrose and The Toro Company Center for Principled Leadership at the University of St. Thomas and on the Business and Society faculty at NYU’s Stern School of Business. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the differences between career and calling and how we assign meaning to our vocation. His book, written with Jennifer Tosti-Kharas, is called “Is Your Work Worth It?: How to Think About Meaningful Work.”

Without nails and other simple inventions, we wouldn’t have bustling megacities of today. Roma Agrawal is an engineer, author and broadcaster best known for working on the design of The Shard, Western Europe’s tallest tower. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss simple inventions such as the rivet and string that we don’t think of as particularly revolutionary but which carry all the innovations of today on their shoulders. Her book is “Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way).” This episode was originally aired, December 4th, 2023

Originalism is a legal argument that we should follow the Constitution to the letter; living that out is quite a conundrum. Author and journalist A.J. Jacobs joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his year of following the Constitution as closely as possible in his quest to understand what “American values” really mean in the 21st Century. His book is “The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning.”

It wasn’t uncommon for previous generations to hide away family with disabilities in institutions. Jennifer Senior is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the story of her aunt Adele, who was sent away at age 6 because of intellectual disabilities. Adele’s existence was hidden from Senior’s mother for years – a loss for each sister that advanced approaches to treatment often prevent today. Her article is “The Ones We Sent Away.”

We all could use tips on how to stop scrolling and pay better attention to the world around us. Jeff Karp is a biomedical engineering professor at Harvard Medical School and MIT, a Distinguished Chair at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his strategies for lengthening attention span coming from his experience with significant ADHD, and offers advice on how to put down our devices. His book is “LIT: Life Ignition Tools: Use Nature’s Playbook to Energize Your Brain, Spark Ideas, and Ignite Action.”

It wasn’t that long ago that life in prison actually lead to early release, and it was considered part of the tradition. Reiko Hillyer is associate professor of history at Lewis & Clark College, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of prison furloughs in this nation – where life on the outside was a way of integrating inmates back into their communities – and how tough-on-crime laws of the 1980s and ’90s changed the way we look at offenders today. Her book is “A Wall Is Just a Wall: The Permeability of the Prison in the Twentieth-Century United States.”

Some people tune into the sports; for others, the Westminster Dog Show is all the Super Bowl they need. Tommy Tomlinson is host of the podcast SouthBound and teaches magazine writing at Wake Forest University. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the world of competitive dog shows, where the lives of dogs take on a new level of attention to detail. His book is called “Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show."

That first year of motherhood is a blur of heightened emotions; now compound that with the heartbreak of a marriage falling apart. Leslie Jamison teaches at the Columbia University MFA program, and she joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her new memoir, “Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story,” about the intense joy she felt watching her child grow coupled with the duality of sorrow as she faced divorce. Her companion article, “The birth of my daughter, the death of my marriage,” was published in The New Yorker.

Cocooning with little activity and bed rest is still prescribed for concussion patients – and that could be harmful. Science journalist Isobel Whitcomb joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the newest science of concussion – which shows dark rooms and a long break from communication actually sets back recovery times – and how medical science is working to better disseminate the newest, best advice. Their article, published in Slate, is “How We Got Concussions So Wrong.”

If the thought of running out of energy on long road trips is keeping you from a buying an EV, the next wave of technology is coming. Christopher Mims, technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the growing life span of batteries for these high-tech cars, with a future promising as much mileage as gas-powered vehicles. His article is “The EV Battery of Your Dreams Is Coming.”

Ruth Reichl made a name for herself writing about food for The New York Times and Gourmet magazine. And now she turns her talents to the world of fiction – while keeping one foot planted in her first love. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her new novel, which tells the story of a woman one a life-changing culinary trip to France. It’s called “The Paris Novel.”

Beyoncé might’ve been the first Black woman to hit No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart, but she stands on the shoulders of giants. Alice Randall, the first Black woman to write a No. 1 country hit, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Black roots of country music, from Grand Ole Opry acts that broke boundaries, to rising stars shaping the genre’s bright future. Her book “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.”

More than half the U.S. population lives in the suburbs—so why all the dissing? Julie Beck is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how dismissing the suburbs discounts the very rich lives of those who choose to live there—plus we’ll examine how nostalgia and convenience play a part in what makes a place feel like home. Her article is “What the Suburb Haters Don’t Understand.”

Being a “third culture” kid—someone pulled between their immigrant parents and U.S. culture—can take a mental toll. Sahaj Kaur Kohli is the founder of Brown Girl Therapy, a mental health and wellness community organization for adult children of immigrants, and an advice columnist for the Washington Post. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why seeking out therapy is really difficult for the children of immigrants—from finding someone aware of cultural nuances, to understanding why sometimes family isn’t supportive. Her book is “But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures.”

A running joke in the tech world is that flying cars are perpetually three to five years away. So when will they ever be a reality? New Yorker staff writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the industry trying to create “electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles”—a.k.a. flying cars—and what it was like for him to actually fly one of the prototypes. His article is “Flight of Fancy.”

We bandy about the phrase “gaslighting” a lot these days, maybe it’s time for a refresher on what it really means. Kate Abramson, associate professor of philosophy at Indiana University Bloomington, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what defines gaslighting, what motivates perpetrators, and why the idea intrigues us so. Her book is “On Gaslighting.”