KERA's Think

[2012-11-01 13:00:00] How does it feel to be the master and arbiter of “Complete World Knowledge”? We’ll find out this hour with actor and writer John Hodgman, whose final book of made-up trivia, “facts”, and “wisdom” is out now. It’s called “That is All” (Riverhead Trade, 2012).

[2012-11-01 12:00:00] The U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing the future of affirmative action at American universities, but why was the policy created in the first place and what has affirmative action actually become? We’ll explore the issue this hour with Richard Sander, Professor of Law at the UCLA Law School and co-author of the new book “Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It’s Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won’t Admit It” (Basic Books, 2012).

[2012-10-31 13:00:00] How do the sounds we hear affect our lives and why do we automatically focus on some sounds – like spoken words or music – and ignore others? We’ll talk this hour with Seth Horowitz, neuroscientist and assistant research professor at Brown University. He digs deep into the topic in his book “The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind” (Bloomsbury USA, 2012).

[2012-10-31 12:00:00] What led to the Libyan revolution, the ultimate collapse of the Gaddafi regime, and the events of September 11, 2012 which resulted in the death of four Americans including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens? We’ll talk this hour with Middle East Scholar and former diplomat Ethan Chorin who has just published “Exit the Colonel: The Hidden History of the Libyan Revolution” (PublicAffairs, 2012).

[2012-10-30 13:00:00] How are modern parents dealing with changing cultural ideas about gender as they raise their kids? We’ll talk this hour with Emily W. Kane, Professor of Sociology and member of the Program in Women and Gender Studies at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, Her new book is “The Gender Trap: Parents and the Pitfalls of Raising Boys and Girls” (NYU Press, 2012).

[2012-10-29 13:00:00] Is there another planet somewhere out there that could support human life and what will happen if or when we find it? We’ll examine the possibilities and the science this hour with veteran journalist Michael D. Lemonick, author of the new book “Mirror Earth: The Search for Our Planet’s Twin” (Walker & Company, 2012).

[2012-10-29 12:00:00] What was the healthcare system like during the first years of the American story? We’ll find out this hour with historian Elaine G. Breslaw, author of the new book “Lotions, Potions, Pills, and Magic: Health Care in Early America” (NYU Press, 2012).

[2012-10-25 13:00:00] How does a great museum come to be and how is an incredible collection of art established, maintained, and cared for? We’ll spend this hour with Andrew Walker, director of The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth and Dorothy Kosinksi, director of The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. They’ll present the talk “A Tale of Two Collections” at the Amon Carter Museum this evening.

[2012-10-25 12:00:00] So you think you know the Presidents? You might be surprised at what you learn this hour with historian and writer Kenneth C. Davis, author of many books in the “Don’t Know Much About” series. His latest effort – just in time for Election Day – is “Don’t Know Much About the American Presidents” (Hyperion, 2012).

[2012-10-24 13:00:00] What’s so great about verbs and how did they enter the English language in the first place? We’ll find out this hour with Constance Hale, author of the new book “Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: Let Verbs Power Your Writing” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2012).

[2012-10-24 12:00:00] Where will the next human pandemic originate? According to our guest this hour, science writer David Quammen, it will likely start with an animal-human interaction. Quammen will join us to discuss the risks we face and his new book “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2012).

[2012-10-23 13:00:00] How do differences in our brains determine differences in our physical development and sexual orientation? We’ll talk this hour with neuroscientist Simon LeVay, who first studied these differences over twenty years ago. LeVay’s new book on the subject is “Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation” (Oxford University Press, Paperback, 2012).

[2012-10-23 12:00:00] Have the presidential debates influenced your opinion of the candidates or galvanized your support for either Governor Romney or President Obama? With Election Day just two weeks away, we’ll discuss the final efforts of each campaign and where the race stands this hour with William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News and Bob Ray Sanders of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

[2012-10-22 13:00:00] What will the future bring to everyday life? We’ll explore advances in the day-to-day technology we all use this hour – from micro robots to plastics made of sugar – with David Pogue, New York Times technology reporter and host of the PBS series “Nova Science Now.” Pogue will appear with Krys Boyd, Host of Think, tonight at Southern Methodist University’s Hughes-Trigg Student Center.

[2012-10-22 12:00:00] How do current voter ID laws compare to earlier, 20th Century efforts designed to deny the right to vote to certain populations? We’ll talk this hour with Tova Andrea Wang, Senior Democracy Fellow at Demos, Fellow at The Century Foundation, and author of the new book “The Politics of Voter Suppression: Defending and Expanding Americans’ Right to Vote” (Cornell University Press, 2012).