Episodes
A look inside the human brain with neuroscientist David Linden who helps explain some of its mysteries.
Published 04/26/18
A hero to the right, a foe to the left, Antonin Scalia was one of the most influential Supreme Court justices to ever serve. Richard Hasen discusses Scalia's legacy.
Published 04/19/18
Class in America, often ignored, has shaped the country from the very beginning. We take a look at the changing role of class and how it has led us to where we are today.
Published 04/12/18
Are Indiana Jones and Lara Croft real archaeologists? Brian Fagan takes us through the history of archaeology from the early treasure hunting days to the rigorously scientific present.
Published 04/05/18
Baseball is America's Pastime but can it survive in the technological era when games are longer than most attention spans? Susan Jacoby, author and longtime baseball fan, discusses the history of the game and what it can do to keep fans engaged.
Published 03/29/18
Yale University professor Milette Gaifman discusses her new book, The Art of Libation in Classical Athens in a Yale University Press podcast interview.
Published 03/22/18
Drawing serves as a vital thread connecting artist Pablo Picasso's entire body of work. Christopher Lloyd – former Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures in the British Royal Collection – talks to George Miller about Picasso's drawings, tracing the artist's lifelong achievement as a draughtsman.
Published 03/08/18
What events have shaped Iran as we know it today? What lies at the foundation of Iran's culture and society? Where does it see itself on the global stage? Abbas Amanat discusses modern Iran's past and present.
Published 03/01/18
How have we used size to judge people over time? What is the history of size in popular culture? Lynne Vallone discusses how bodies both big and small influence our perception.
Published 02/15/18
What does a leftist foreign policy look like? Is it on the right track now or is it time for a change? We have Michael Walzer on to discuss.
Published 02/08/18
Where do our senses come from and how do they work? What happens when they go wrong? We've got the answers to these questions and more with Rob DeSalle from the American Museum of Natural History.
Published 02/01/18
Patrick Deneen, author of Why Liberalism Failed, discusses how the success of liberalism has led to its downfall.
Published 01/25/18
An interview with Dale Gyure about architect Minoru Yamasaki, whose projects include the original World Trade Center.
Published 01/17/18
Cybersecurity expert and former Google privacy analyst Susan Landau on the increasing risks of not securing our data and devices and the threat from outside entities such as Russia and North Korea.
Published 12/14/17
The story of Lake Superior's conservation recovery and what it can teach us in the face of climate change.
Published 11/10/17
Trita Parsi explains the Iran Deal: its strengths, weaknesses, and the ramifications of ending it.
Published 10/19/17
A look at the history of fishing from ancient civilizations to modern times and the problems caused by overfishing.
Published 10/12/17
Big ticket items like kidneys, livers, and hearts aren't the only things that can be extracted from you after death. A look inside the cadaver trade and its shadowy history.
Published 10/05/17
Early civilizations came about with the domestication of fire, plants, animals, and humans. James C. Scott gives us the history of these early states and the problems they faced.
Published 09/28/17
The road to social media stardom is difficult and rarely pays well. Brooke Erin Duffy shares stories of success and offers advice and a warning for those looking to make it big.
Published 09/21/17
Interview with Monica Penick about her new book Tastemaker: Elizabeth Gordon, House Beautiful, and the Postwar American Home.
Published 08/10/17
Anne-Marie Slaughter discusses foreign policy and the roles governments and individuals can play in an increasingly networked world.
Published 08/03/17
The summer of 1858 was hot and stinky in London and filled with stories and scandals.
Published 07/20/17
The Nazi obsession with the occult and supernatural are well-known in pop culture. Eric Kurlander gives us the real story beyond what we've seen in Hollywood and comics.
Published 07/13/17
Scientists have finally measured gravitational waves from the collision of black holes. Marcia Bartusiak explains why this matters and talks about some of the universe's most mysterious objects.
Published 06/22/17