Talk of the Nation

The American Psychiatric Association defines a psychiatrist as a medical doctor who conducts psychotherapy and prescribes medications and other medical treatments. With recent developments in the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, the definition of the practice appears to be shifting.

Foreign policy takes center stage in 2012's final presidential debate. Whoever wins on November 6th faces difficult challenges on Libya, Syria, China and other issues. At the top of the list: What the U.S. should do about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Most scientists agree that the Moon was born when a planet-sized object smashed into the young Earth. But the details are foggy--two papers in Science this week present very different scenarios for that collision. Planetary scientist Erik Asphaug says he wonders if the riddle of the Moon's formation may ever be solved.

A professor spends his off-time tracking the little things in life that bother us. Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, tells us what poor parking, long waits in the doctor's office, and the controversial brussel sprout tell us about science.

A NASA spacecraft captured the clearest recording yet of what space sounds like inside Earth's radiation belts. Craig Kletzing, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa, explains what causes these eerie chirping noises, and what we can learn from them.

Matthew Inman, creator of the humor site "The Oatmeal," led an online drive that raised over $1 million for a new museum to honor the inventor Nikola Tesla. Inman discusses how to build a successful crowdfunding campaign, and why Tesla is the greatest geek who ever lived.

Science Or Folklore? — The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts winter weather months in advance. Is that even scientifically possible? Meteorologist Jason Samenow, of The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang, talks about the science and art of seasonal forecasting, and why even the pros at NOAA sometimes get it wrong.

In his new book Spillover writer David Quammen traces the evolution of Ebola, HIV and other diseases that moved from animals to humans. Quammen describes how scientists look for the reservoirs of the infectious agents, and what might be done to prevent the next pandemic.

In less than a month, the 2012 presidential election turned from an almost certain victory for President Obama to a neck-and-neck race. New York Times blogger and statistician Nate Silver and Princeton neuroscientist Sam Wang talk about making sense of the polls--and why not all votes are created equal.

The government recently announced a new plan to facilitate the development of solar energy projects on public land in six Western states. Lawrence Susskind, a professor of urban and environmental planning at MIT, explains what it means for the future of renewable energy.

Argo tells the story of the six American diplomats who narrowly escaped the U.S. embassy in Tehran as the Iran hostage crisis erupted in late 1979. Gary Sick, who served as the principal White House aide for Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis, reviews the film.

The Boy Scouts of America began keeping the so-called perversion files in 1910. This release covers 1965-1985. Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Jason Felch talks about what the files reveal, and child psychologist Polly Dunn offers tips to help parents prevent and recognize sexual abuse.

Hurricanes and tropical storms get names. Now, the Weather Channel plans to do the same for significant winter storms. So that next nor'easter may be dubbed Brutus, Nemo or Xerxes. Weather Channel meteorologist Bryan Norcross says the network hopes to raise public awareness of serious storms.

Lance Armstrong has resigned from his charity and lost millions of dollars in endorsements, days after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released its report alleging a widespread doping conspiracy inside his cycling team. In the court of public opinion, at least, the verdict seems to be in on Armstrong.

Listings for odd jobs used to run on community bulletin boards. Then, Craigslist took over. Now, start-ups like TaskRabbit and Postmates use technology to connect people looking for part-time jobs with employers who need help. Bloomberg BusinessWeek's Brad Stone describes his experience with them.