Shows / Think from KERA
Think from KERA
Think is a daily, topic-driven interview and call-in program hosted by Krys Boyd covering a wide variety of topics ranging from history, politics, current events, science, technology and emerging trends to food and wine, travel, adventure, and entertainment.
Episodes
- Think from KERA
Are you raising a bully?
Parents are taught the warning signs for when a child is being bullied, but how do you recognize when it’s your child doing the bullying? Elizabeth Englander…
- Think from KERA
Where violent extremists gather online
Attempts to moderate online hate might actually be creating more harmful content. Tamar Mitts is a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia…
- Think from KERA
The cartels are dealing eels now
Eel smuggling is one of the most lucrative wildlife crimes — so what makes these slimy creatures so coveted? Ellen Ruppel Shell, professor emeritus of science…
- Think from KERA
The first humans got the best sleep
Getting eight hours of quality shuteye every night is quite literally a dream, and not everyone can achieve it. Merijn van de Laar is a sleep scientist and…
- Think from KERA
Is fitness the ultimate flex?
The rise of athleisure wear is a signal: fitness has become a luxury industry. Cat Zhang, culture writer at the Cut, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the…
- Think from KERA
Is there a cure for medical racism?
Only 2-percent of Black women are physicians, which leaves millions without doctors that look like them. Uché Blackstock MD is the founder and CEO of Advancing…
- Think from KERA
The secrets of super healthy old people
Our genes don’t really determine how well we’ll age in later life — and that’s good news. Dr. Eric Topol is executive vice president and a professor of…
- Think from KERA
It’s OK for mothers to feel hate
Society expects a mother to be nurturing and attentive at all times. So what happens when mom just isn’t feeling particularly maternal? Margo Lowy…
- Think from KERA
Was pop culture better when you were a kid?
Content creation has exploded this decade, but how much of it is actually good? Spencer Kornhaber, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to…
- Think from KERA
How A.I. is getting in the way of real learning
College students sometimes get in trouble for using A.I. to complete assignments, but is there a way to use it as a teaching tool? Clay Shirky, vice provost…
- Think from KERA
How it’s possible to starve to death in a U.S. jail
Mentally ill inmates are at risk of neglect, dehydration – even starvation. New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the…
- Think from KERA
From fathers to dads: The evolution of fatherhood
The dad who coaches the team and brings home the bacon is a modern invention. Augustine Sedgewick joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how fatherhood has evolved…
- Think from KERA
Astronaut Cady Coleman on making space for everyone
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…
- Think from KERA
Why you fight about the dishwasher
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…
- Think from KERA
What we’re not giving our boys
We hear a lot about the male “epidemic of loneliness” these days—maybe it’s from behaviors learned in childhood. Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private…
- Think from KERA
The history of happiness research
Finding happiness is no longer an abstract pursuit—there’s serious science behind it, but it’s research that hasn’t always been held in the highest esteem…
- Think from KERA
Why tech moguls think they’re saving humanity
Why are we following the lead of tech billionaires when it comes to guiding public policy? Science journalist Adam Becker joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the…
- Think from KERA
Are we focusing on the wrong risky things?
We think we’ll win the lotto even though the odds are low— and that sums up just how wrong we are when we think about risk. Allie Volpe is a senior reporter at…
- Think from KERA
Meet the new American pope
Last Thursday, the first American Pope was introduced to the world as Pope Leo XIV. Christopher White, Vatican correspondent at the National Catholic Reporter…
- Think from KERA
Why pilots are afraid to seek help
We want our airline pilots to fly only when they’re healthy, which can lead to masking symptoms of mental illness. Helen Ouyang is an emergency physician and…
- Think from KERA
The surprising new science of A.D.H.D.
A.D.H.D is a fairly common diagnosis, but some researchers are wondering if we should start taking a more nuanced approach to treatment. Paul Tough is a…
- Think from KERA
The year civil rights caught fire
Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, James Baldwin —1963 brought great minds together to work on the common goal of Civil Rights. Peniel Joseph is Barbara Jordan Chair…
- Think from KERA
Why we’ll never evolve to be perfect
Humans have an extraordinarily high genetic mutation rate — which just means we’ll never be perfect. Laurence D. Hurst is professor of evolutionary genetics in…
- Think from KERA
Suck it up: You actually can manage your emotions
We’ve all had moments of blind rage, but the science says we can be wide-eyed and alert even in our most emotional moments. Ethan Kross is a professor in the…
- Think from KERA
Why young adults can’t stop spending
The high cost of living combined with a modest bank account has young people asking if they should save or splurge? And many of them are choosing to splurge…
- Think from KERA
The mistakes of Covid school shutdown
It was first thought schools would close for only a few weeks during Covid, but that stretched into a year. Was it too long? Journalist David Zweig joins host…
- Think from KERA
The sexualization of girl power
The early 2000s preached “girl power” to the masses — but that often looked like sex and plastic surgery. Sophie Gilbert, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins…
- Think from KERA
Grandparents need a break, too
Grandparents raising their grandchildren have taken on a “second shift” of parenting — and it’s exhausting them. Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic…
- Think from KERA
Actor Ed Helms on history’s biggest screw ups
Ed Helms is known as a comedian, actor and writer—and also as an investigator of history’s biggest gaffes. The host of the podcast SNAFU joins host Krys Boyd…
- Think from KERA
Philanthropist chef Jose Andres gives hope through food
José Andrés joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the hope and nourishment food brings to those in desperate need, how he built his humanitarian mission, and the…
- Think from KERA
The painful history of Indian boarding schools
By the 1920s, 76% of the Native American population was forced to attend boarding schools. Mary Annette Pember is national correspondent for ICT News, and she…
- Think from KERA
Will allies still share intelligence with America?
The Signal leak from the Department of Defense is just another reason American allies are worried about sharing sensitive intelligence with our country. David…
- Think from KERA
The rebellious past of the public library
The friendly, neighborhood library actually came about by centuries of rebellious acts. Director Dawn Logsdon joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the public…
- Think from KERA
The reporter who sparked the #MeToo movement
Harvey Weinstein is once again in a Manhattan courtroom defending himself against sex crimes charges – allegations that came to light after deep investigative…
- Think from KERA
What the U.S. military learned from Ukraine
The Russia-Ukraine war has dragged on for more than three years, but the depths of the U.S.-Ukrainian coordination in the war effort are only now coming to…
- Think from KERA
Don’t expect science to explain everything
It’s not every day a serious academic espouses belief in the unexplained — maybe more should? Jeffrey Kripal holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and…
- Think from KERA
Project 2025 is happening
It was a 900-page policy paper that President Trump disavowed during the campaign, but now Project 2025 is changing life in America. David Graham, staff writer…
- Think from KERA
Do we still care about due process?
The Trump administration is deporting alleged violent gang members to a prison in El Salvador — often with little evidence. New Yorker staff writer Jonathan…
- Think from KERA
Archive: How Pope Francis changed the Church
Pope Francis has been recently hospitalized with respiratory problems, and now Catholics worldwide watch for news from the Vatican. Christopher White is the…
- Think from KERA
What glaciers do for all of us
Though they are located at the ends of the Earth, glaciers really do affect your daily life. As part of a conversation on the mysteries and importance of…
- Think from KERA
How your brain makes up its mind
A decision as simple as deciding what to wear in the morning can be stressful — what will people think? But our brains are wired this way for a reason. Emily…
- Think from KERA
Dictators sometimes take power quietly
Authoritarian regimes sometimes take power all at once – but other times they chip away at societal norms bit by bit. Aziz Huq teaches law at the University of…
- Think from KERA
Do you need to be worried about aviation safety?
Deep DOGE cuts to the FAA have hit the agency hard. Is the public still safe to fly? Isaac Stanley-Becker, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd…
- Think from KERA
The inequality you may be overlooking
D.E.I. may be on the way out, but there are still tools out there for those who want to address structural inequality. Nilanjana Dasgupta is provost professor…
- Think from KERA
Roxane Gay on 500 years of feminism
Feminist author Roxane Gay has put together a compendium of notable feminist works, but even she says it’s not the last word. The contributing opinion writer…
- Think from KERA
Wanna win with money? Try game theory
It might not exactly look like a game, but the economy has winners and losers and there are ways to beat the system. Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at…
- Think from KERA
How the science of dying can help us live longer
Scientists are using the secrets of biology to unlock living well past current human life spans. Venki Ramakrishnan shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry…
- Think from KERA
What A.I knows about you
Is it possible that conversations with A.I. can be as effective as talking to a friend or therapist? Author Vauhini Vara joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her…
- Think from KERA
Covid changed us
At the beginning of the pandemic, messages of togetherness were everywhere. That quickly changed. David Wallace-Wells joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Covid…
- Think from KERA
The child abusers you wouldn’t expect
Medical child abuse, formerly known as Munchausen by Proxy, is not as rare as we’ve been led to believe. Detective Mike Weber has 40 years of law enforcement…
- Think from KERA
How to re-engage your teen
It can be bewildering to see a child go from loving to learn to dropping out of academic engagement. Jenny Anderson is a co-author of “The Disengaged Teen…
- Think from KERA
Meet the nuns of Texas’s death row
Sisters of Mary Morning Star is a group of Catholic nuns who work with women on Texas’ death row. New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright joins guest host…
- Think from KERA
Where do the Democrats go from here?
In the 2024 election, Democrats lost the presidency and control of the Senate. What now? Katie Glueck covers American politics with an emphasis on the…
- Think from KERA
The story of Black literacy in the South
If knowledge is power, withholding an education is also a way of denying power. University of South Carolina School of Law professor Derek W. Black joins guest…
- Think from KERA
The scientists who believe in near death experiences
Researchers are diligently gathering data about near-death experiences to better understand the thin line between life and death. Science journalist Rachel…
- Think from KERA
Are teens afraid of dating?
“Do you like me? Check yes or no.” Say goodbye to the childhood love note — teens aren’t dating anymore. Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host…
- Think from KERA
Are school grades failing students?
As far as student motivation goes, letter grades get a big fat “F.” Author Daniel Pink joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of letter and number…
- Think from KERA
The power of shame in human rights
For human rights organizations dealing with oppressive governments, sometimes humiliating them on the world stage actually gets things done. Kenneth Roth…
- Think from KERA
The liberal case for limiting immigration
Denmark is known as a progressive bastion in a right-moving Europe – and its leadership is making the case that restricting immigration is the path to…
- Think from KERA
Is your brand the same as your identity?
Rebekah Taussig has chronicled her life in a wheelchair – a rewarding experienced that has also proved limiting. Taussig is the author of “Sitting Pretty: The…