KERA's Think

Non-disclosure agreements were once primarily used for guarding corporate secrets. These days, though, you might have to sign an NDA for a first date. New York Magazine features writer Reeves Wiedeman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the bold new world of NDAs – from professional settings to personal affairs – and why they are suddenly showing up everywhere. His article is “Hush Hush Affair.

Space is the final frontier — and not too long ago, to explore it you had to be a man. Cady Coleman is a former NASA astronaut, retired U.S. Air Force colonel, scientist, pilot and musician. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how hearing Sally Ride speak changed the trajectory of her life and what months on the International Space Station taught her about career and motherhood. Her book is “Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change.”

We’ve all heard of “the five stages of grief;” problem is, they’re not based on solid science. Lucy Hone, director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why grieving looks different than what we’ve been taught previously and strategies for finding your way back to hope and normalcy. Her book is “Resilient Grieving: How to Find Your Way Through a Devastating Loss (Finding Strength and Embracing Life After a Loss that Changes Everything).”

With President Joe Biden in the White House at 81 and Donald Trump at 78 running to replace him, plenty of Americans are wondering how people at advanced ages handle high-pressure jobs. Stacy Vernon is program manager, head of adult assessment at the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what makes a “super ager,” common health ailments for senior citizens, and if age makes a demanding job more difficult.

The pandemic exposed plenty of systematic flaws – including in the patchwork structure that is the global supply chain. Peter S. Goodman, global economics correspondent for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the supply chain changed after WWII, how labor practices and shipping routes revealed deep-seeded problems in the system, and what needs to happen to ensure economic certainty during the next global disaster. His book is “How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain.”

Reality TV is known for its shock value and guilty pleasures, but it’s also become an art form in and of itself. Emily Nussbaum, staff writer at The New Yorker, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of reality TV – from the Loud family in the 1970s to “Cops” and “The Bachelorette” – and what makes it an intriguing and controversial genre even in today’s saturated market. Her book is “Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV.”

Science has a mystery on its hands: Did life begin on the surface of the earth, or far, far below it? Ferris Jabr is the author of “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.” He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the amazing microbes embedded deep within the Earth’s mantle that might be keys to understanding life as we know it on this planet — as well as many others. His companion article in The New York Times Magazine is “The Mysterious, Deep-Dwelling Microbes That Sculpt Our Planet.”

The wars in Gaza and Ukraine have captured the world’s attention – but the civil war in Sudan has been just as devastating. Comfort Ero is president and CEO of The International Crisis Group, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Sudan’s yearling internal conflict, the refugees it’s produced, and why it’s not receiving the same attention as other wars. Her article “Sudan and the New Age of Conflict” was published in Foreign Affairs.

If you had $50,000, would you clone your best friend? Some dog owners are saying yes. Alexandra Horowitz is senior research fellow and head of the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College, Columbia University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the new and unregulated industry of pet cloning, its hit-or-miss successes, and if this is even something that we should be doing. Her article “Would You Clone Your Dog?” appeared in The New Yorker.

Courting the Latino vote means remembering Latinos are not a monolith. Mike Madrid is a political consultant and a cofounder of The Lincoln Project, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why both Democrats and Republicans have had trouble connecting with Latino voters – and why focusing on immigration is a turn-off for the middle-class. His book is “The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy.”

As our nation teetered on the brink of the Civil War, the certification of the election of Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a certainty. Author Erik Larson joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the presidential election of 1860, how Southerners labeled it a “hostile act,” and the chaotic months that followed before the first bullets flew at Fort Sumpter. His book is “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War.”

The U.S. is one of the biggest carbon emitters in the world, but it’s the smaller countries that suffer the most. Vann Newkirk, senior editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the idea of climate reparations, what responsibility the U.S. has to pay a fair share, and why this might be the most solid plan for approaching climate change solutions. His article is “What America Owes The Planet.”

Three-quarters of everything on the American plate is shipped and refrigerated —which is pretty revolutionary. Nicola Twilley, co-host of Gastropod, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how just a century ago we relied on local butchers and farmers – which could mean a feast or famine diet – and how refrigeration hit the scene and completely changed how we eat. Her book is “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves.”

If you enjoy the small talk you have with your barista or grocery clerk —A.I. could soon make them a thing of the past. Allison Pugh, professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what we lose when we swap out human workers for robots and artificial intelligence – and the very real benefits of human connection to help us feel seen. Her book is “The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected.”

It was once considered sloppy science to assign human characteristics to animal subjects — now there’s a new school of thought. Journalist Brandon Keim joins host Krys Boyd to discuss research into animal cognition and how it might affect the way we view animal rights – plus we’ll hear about the wonderful advances in how we understand the intelligence of the creatures around us. His book is “Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World.”

We regularly hear about how climate change affects the ecosystem, but we rarely hear about how it affects human bodies. Jeff Goodell is an author and senior fellow at Atlantic Council, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why increasing heatwaves kill the most vulnerable and how they will affect food supplies and water resources – even disease outbreaks. His book is “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.” This show originally aired September 2023.

The Department of Education rolled out a new Federal Student Aid form, but its many glitches have negatively impacted students and colleges alike. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, national higher education reporter for The Washington Post, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what was supposed to be an easier, more user-friendly FAFSA, how instead it now leaves students questioning if they’ll have funding, and the schools that are unable to tally enrollment dollars. Her article is “‘Very unpredictable’: Colleges fear FAFSA fiasco will hurt enrollment.”

After a shaky debate performance, even loyal Democrats are wondering if it’s time for President Biden to remove himself from the 2024 ticket. Jeffrey Engel, David Gergen Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the pressure Biden is under to step aside – and whether the Democratic Party would consider drafting another candidate regardless of the president’s wishes.

When it comes to prosecuting Jan. 6 cases, maybe we should take a top-down approach and not bottom up. Linda Kinstler is a visiting researcher at Georgetown University and a junior fellow at Harvard. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the idea of “oblivion,” allowing society to forgive low-level offenders in order to heal a fractured society. Her recent essay in The New York Times is “Jan. 6, America’s Rupture and the Strange, Forgotten Power of Oblivion.”

New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how CoComelon, a low-tech animation show featuring nursery songs, capitalized on the untapped market of toddler viewing habits.