KERA's Think

For some people, the ability to visualize a treasured memory or even a loved one’s face just isn’t possible. New Yorker staff writer Larissa MacFarquhar joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss a condition that makes it impossible for people to put their thoughts into mental images, the huge effect that has on other parts of their lives and how researchers can use the condition to help study trauma. Her article is “Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

“Sweet dreams,” we say at bedtime. But why do we dream at all? And what happens when we’re plagued by nightmares? Michelle Carr is director of the Dream Engineering Laboratory in the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, an assistant professor at the University of Montreal and a former president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the sleeping mind, how to move past nightmares to a more restful night and how we can even take control of our dreams. Her book is “Nightmare Obscura: A Dream Engineer’s Guide Through the Sleeping Mind.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

After the promises of Reconstruction began to wither, Black Americans searched for freedom in radically different locales. Caleb Gayle is a journalist, author and professor at Northeastern University, and he is also a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. He joins guest host John McCaa to tell the story of Edward McCabe, who made it his life’s work to set up a Black state in Oklahoma. His book is “Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The U.S. and China may be the world’s current superpowers – but that doesn’t mean they can ignore other countries. Emma Ashford is a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, and she joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the implications of moving to a multipolarity, in which Russia, India and others hold increasing sway over global affairs. Her article “Making Multipolarity Work” was published by Foreign Affairs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Advancements in science give hope to those who need life-saving skin grafts, replacements for failing organs – and even for those dreaming of a new head of hair. Science journalist Mary Roach joins guest host Paige Phelps to discuss the myriad of ways researchers are making progress on creating new body parts and why our immune system is the biggest hurdle of all. Her book is “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

From our little fur babies to “Herbie” the car, we imbue the world around us with wonderous human-like qualities. Justin Gregg is senior research associate with the Dolphin Communication Project and an Adjunct Professor at St. Francis Xavier University, where he lectures on animal behavior and cognition. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the benefits of anthropomorphism — and the detriments of its polar opposite — dehumanization. Plus, we’ll be introduced to a wide world where we love to see animals and objects as reflections of ourselves. His book is “Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When we clock in on Monday morning, most of us are looking at a 40-hour work week. But what’s so special about 40 hours? Andrew Blackman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of the 40-hour week, how the Great Depression finally presented an opportunity to shrink the working day, and how we might shave off even more hours in our modern era. His article “How Did We Get a 40-Hour Workweek and Has It Had Its Day?” was published in The Wall Street Journal. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was a radical concept for the Founding Fathers. How did they get there? Walter Isaacson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how one sentence in the Declaration of Independence set out a promise of America, how Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams wrestled with its crafting, and how we can still use these words as our common values in a polarized nation today. His book is “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

All those loyalty points you’re racking up at the grocery store, hotels and airlines benefit those companies way more than you. Samuel A.A. Levine is a senior fellow at U.C. Berkeley’s Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice and he previously served as director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why newcomers to loyalty programs get priority over long-time customers, the privacy we trade off to get what we think are deals and why we might encounter higher prices anyway. His paper (co-authored by Stephanie T. Nguyen) “The Loyalty Trap: How Loyalty Programs Hook Us with Deals, Hack our Brains, and Hike Our Prices” was published by The Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator and U.C. Berkeley Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Newly designed earbuds promise real-time translations right to your ear. But is something lost when we don’t engage with other languages? Ross Benjamin is an award-winning translator of German-language literature. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what we miss when we don’t squirm a little in a foreign country and why being less than fluent affects how we pay attention and learn. Plus, we’ll talk about all the beauty we’ll gloss over when A.I. handles the hard parts. His article “The Costs of Instant Translation” was published in The Atlantic. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Did you know that the outfit you are wearing right now is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions? Laila Petrie, director general of the charity Future Earth Lab, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what counts as sustainable in the fashion industry – where greenwashing is rampant – and how fast fashion contributes to climate change. Her article in Scientific American is “How to Be a Smarter Fashion Consumer in a World of Overstated Sustainability.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Every relationship has a person who loads the dishwasher like an architect, and one who throws plates in like a tornado. Ellen Cushing, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why arguments over daily chores might signal deeper issues in a partnership, why some household appliances have such a hold on us, and, yes, we’ll get to scientific proof of how that dishwasher is really supposed to be loaded. (Be prepared to tell your significant other.) Her article is, “There Are Two Types of Dishwasher People.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Federal spending on everything from education to medical research has been sharply curtailed this year. So, what might fill the funding gap? Host Krys Boyd talks with three guests about the role of philanthropy in America – from providing an economic boost to communities to sending students to college to protecting our national parks. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

There’s a record number of single people out there, but they aren’t finding each other. Jonathan Rosenthal, international editor for The Economist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why young people are throwing in the towel on finding the perfect partner, what education levels have to do with it, and why those who do want to partner up might be misled by dating apps hiding datable matches. His article is “All over the rich world, fewer people are hooking up and shacking up.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A.I. is becoming smarter without much help from humans, and that should worry us all. Nate Soares, president of Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what happens when A.I. brain power surpasses what humans are capable of, why we don’t have the technology yet to understand what we’re building, and why everything will be just fine … until it isn’t. His book, co-written with Eliezer Yudkowsky, is “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In the story of the melting pot, the United States can integrate all peoples into one — but what if that’s more of a myth than a metaphor? Colin Woodard is an author, historian, journalist and director of Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the civics lessons we’re taught about our country are sometimes overridden by regional cultures, why the origins of our divisions come from where we live, and how a new national story might bring us together. His book is “Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Three of the 18th Century laws making up the Alien and Sedition Acts have expired, but the Alien Enemies Act is getting quite a workout today. Qian Julie Wang is managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP, a firm dedicated to advocating for education and civil rights. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII was allowed, why students can be deported for supporting Palestine, and how this antiquated law is being used in public policy today. Her introduction appears in the new edition of “The Alien and Sedition Acts.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Autocrats are famous for enacting vague laws with specific punishments – and if people preemptively overcorrect their behaviors, all the better. Matthew Purdy is editor at large and writer for The New York Times Magazine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the Trump administration has intentionally created vagaries around tariffs, D.E.I. and other areas so that it is difficult to know if one is breaking the law – and how that helps to consolidate presidential power. His article is “In the Trump Presidency, the Rules Are Vague. That Might Be the Point.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When you pop open your medication bottle and take your pills, you assume they are safe. But how do you know? Debbie Cenziper, investigative journalist for ProPublica, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how medicines made in overseas labs don’t always meet U.S. safety standards; why lawmakers, doctors and patients are often unaware of this problem; and why we can’t easily find out where our medication is made. Her article is “Is Your Medication Made in a Contaminated Factory? The FDA Won’t Tell You.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It takes seconds for an A.I. chatbot to give you an answer – but many manhours went into getting you there. Varsha Bansal, tech reporter for The Guardian, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the grueling work of training A.I. to give answers that are fact checked and meet safety guidelines, and why, when it seems our future is digital, humans are still very much needed behind the scenes. Her article is “How thousands of overworked underpaid humans train Google’s AI to seem smart.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices