Think from KERA

Latest Episodes:

The year civil rights caught fire May 13, 2025

Show notes

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 in Political Values and Ethics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and professor of history and founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how different political perspectives shaped a pivotal year in Civil Rights history and how violence woke the nation up to the urgent need for change. His book is “Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution.”

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Why we’ll never evolve to be perfect May 12, 2025

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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 the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why imperfection is baked into our genetic code, why other species can get rid of “junk” DNA better, and what this means for human evolution. His book is “The Evolution of Imperfection: The Science of Why We Aren’t and Can’t Be Perfect.

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Suck it up: You actually can manage your emotions May 09, 2025

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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 University of Michigan’s psychology department and its Ross School of Business and he is the director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the newest research into controlling our emotions so they don’t control us, how labeling feelings as “good” and “bad” helps build a feelings immune system, and why avoidance is sometimes a great tool. His book is “Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don’t Manage You.”

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Why young adults can’t stop spending May 08, 2025

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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. Journalist Claire Lampen joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Gen Z is taking on second jobs and side hustles to pay for meals out, elaborate vacations and other treats that might more prudently be skipped. Her article in The Cut is “Is Everybody Just Living Beyond Their Means?”

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The mistakes of Covid school shutdown May 07, 2025

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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 Krys Boyd to discuss what we can learn from school closures during the pandemic and to look at the reality that decisions were based on scientific guesswork. His book is “An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions.”

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The sexualization of girl power May 06, 2025

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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 host Krys Boyd to discuss what coming of age in the early aughts meant for young women in an atmosphere of highly sexualized body image, how porn manifested itself into pop culture, and what society had to say about powerful women. Her book is “Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves.”

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Grandparents need a break, too May 05, 2025

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Grandparents raising their grandchildren have taken on a “second shift” of parenting — and it’s exhausting them. Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how lack of childcare is reshaping what used to be the golden years of grandparenting, how it’s changing what retirement looks like, and why saying “no” to family is so difficult. Her article is “Grandparents Are Reaching Their Limit.”

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Actor Ed Helms on history’s biggest screw ups May 02, 2025

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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 to talk about the cats that were trained for the CIA, a plan to nuke the moon, and other bad ideas that never saw fruition (thankfully). His book is called “SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups.”

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Philanthropist chef Jose Andres gives hope through food May 01, 2025

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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 types of people he surrounds himself with to make the world a better place.

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The painful history of Indian boarding schools Apr 30, 2025

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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 joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the legacy these schools left behind, from generational trauma to tribes working even today to reclaim their languages and ceremonies, and why the U.S. took this route to assimilate Native populations in the first place. Her book is “Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools.”

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