Think from KERA

Latest Episodes:

Why you love your favorite song Aug 24, 2023

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There’s neuroscience behind why you love that Taylor Swift banger. Susan Rogers is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at Berklee College of Music, as well as a multiplatinum record producer. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our brains respond to certain music, our music personality types, and how music can shape identity. Her book, written with co-author Ogi Ogas, is “This is What it Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You.”

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It’s hard to trust others, but you should try anyway Aug 23, 2023

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When you feel like you can’t trust someone, the rest of the relationship pretty much breaks down from there. Peter Kim, professor of management and organization at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how trust is created and, maybe more importantly, how it can be restored. His book is “How Trust Works: The Science of How Relationships Are Built, Broken, and Repaired.”

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The Hidden Harms of CPR Aug 22, 2023

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On TV it looks so easy: CPR done right saves lives. But that’s not the whole story. Dr. Sunita Puri is program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, where she is an associate professor of clinical medicine. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the aftermath of CPR is rarely talked about – usually because it involves a life that has been saved but not fully restored. Her article in The New Yorker is “The Hidden Harms of CPR.”

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Listen up! Good hearing could fight off dementia Aug 21, 2023

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One way to help ward off dementia is to make sure your hearing is as good as possible. Frank R. Lin is director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery. He joins Krys Boyd to discuss why we shouldn’t brush off hearing loss as a symptom of old age and the connection between good hearing and cognitive health. His study “Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA” was published in The Lancet.

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For old-school conspiracy theorists, QAnon crossed a line Aug 18, 2023

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For conspiracy theorists dedicated to the moon landing, Bigfoot and UFOs, the development of QAnon, crisis actors and government false flags have introduced unwanted political and financial elements to their favorite pastime. Annie Kelly is a postdoctoral researcher working on conspiracy theories and a correspondent for the podcast “QAnon Anonymous.” She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how these old-school skeptics raised on late-night call-in radio fear modern day conspiracy theorists are giving their passion a bad name. Her recent New York Times essay is headlined “Even Conspiracy Theorists are Alarmed by What They’ve Seen.”

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Do animals talk to each other? Aug 17, 2023

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Animals make a cacophony of sounds – from bird chirps to dog barks to whale songs. Ever wonder what they’re saying to each other? Nicholas Mathevon is a professor specializing in bioacoustics, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how animals use sound to intimidate, mate, emote and more. His book is “The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate.”

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Marijuana and psychedelics: New thinking about old substances Aug 16, 2023

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As drug laws loosen up nationwide, users and those who care for them are evolving the way they think about some illicit substances. This hour, we’ll talk specifically about two categories with growing user bases: cannabis and psychedelics. We’ll start with a conversation with Washington Post reporter David Ovalle, who reported recently on people who develop dependencies and even addictions to marijuana – and how their conditions are often not taken all that seriously. And then we’ll speak with Wired contributor Chris Colin, who wrote about the growing community of facilitators who guide users through a psychedelic experience – and about how our societal views of psychedelics have evolved since these drugs were introduced.

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Bogus medical research is everywhere Aug 15, 2023

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Insights derived from clinical trials is what pushes medicine forward. And when a trial is conducted in error – or sometimes even fraudulently – the repercussions can reach far and wide. Richard Van Noorden is an editor for the journal Nature, and he joins Krys Boyd to talk about how bias, error and, yes, even fraud, infect clinical trials – and what can be done to clean them up. His recent article is headlined “Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed?”

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Attention is a skill you need to practice Aug 14, 2023

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The world offers a lot to stimulate our senses – so much, in fact, that it’s hard to pay attention these days on any one thing. Christian Madsbjerg joins us to talk about how we can recapture our ability to focus on things that matter and reestablish our connection to the people around us. His book is called “Look: How to Pay Attention in a Distracted World.”

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Elon Musk basically owns space Aug 11, 2023

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Elon Musk’s Space X has 4,500 satellites circling the globe, worrying military and political leaders. Cade Metz is a technology reporter for The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Starlink, the satellite internet company Musk runs that accounts for more than 50 percent of all active satellites, and the issues it’s raising for global security. His article is “Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars.”

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