Episode Archives

Filter episodes by the year they originally aired.
To The Best Of Our Knowledge

From Soup to Nuts:

Part Three

Meat and Potatoes isn't just what's for dinner. Meat and Potatoes is a way of life. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, food that sticks to your ribs. We'll get into the science of the French fry and...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

The average American spends more time on Facebook than with their pets or exercising -- and that's not counting Twitter, Instagram, or Vine. We're more connected than ever these days, but at what cost?Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Today most of what we read is on a screen.  So here's the question: Is there something different -- something better -- about reading a physical book?  Or does it matter?  We explore slow reading, e-reading, bibliotherapy and a novel that unfolds within another novel.Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Barbara Moss needed a new face.  Her mouth was so deformed she could pop a baby’s fist between her teeth and out again without opening her jaw.  As a girl, she prayed for just a little bit of beauty.  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, one woman discovers her true face.  Also, why men...Read more

dark man in mask

“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”
-- Mark TwainRead more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

It’s up for debate whether or not the business of America is business.  But like it or not, corporate culture touches us all.  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the quirky online marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers from all over the world.  But is e-bay really the...Read more

a loner

If there's one sweeping societal change that we've failed to put our finger on, it may be this: more people than ever before in America are living alone.  And loving it.  And, far from being dysfunctional neurotics - people who live alone are happy, socially involved and solvent. In...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

How's your basic knowledge of religion? Can you name the Ten Commandments? The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism? What happens during Ramadan? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll hear an argument for why every American should know the basics of the world's religions. Also, Muslim hip...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Are you planning to see the world this summer? Or enjoy the frugal pleasure of a stay-cation? Remember, the best travel isn't about miles logged – it's about minds expanded. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, travel stories. Travel guru Rick Steves develops an unexpected passion for...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

It's the sesquicentennial of the Civil War -- it's been 150 years since that epic war began.   Americans will commemorate and remember it from different points of view. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, Remembering the Civil War.   We'll talk about soldiers' experiences on the...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Would you recognize a genius if you met one?  We’ll introduce you to four geniuses – or at least four people who just landed MacArthur “genius" awards: classical pianist Jeremy Denk, jazz musician Vijay Iyer, fiction writer Karen Russell and astrophysicist Sara Seager.  Also, practical tips on...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

If grocery shopping isn’t your thing, here’s a new way to put food on the table: try sticking your arm under a rock until a big ol’ catfish clamps onto to you.  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, noodling for catfish and other southern pastimes.  Also, Texas singer Steve Earle’s...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

A year and a half ago Gary Wolkstein’s doctor told him he had cancer of the spine, that it was terminal, and that he had just a few months left to live.  Today Gary’s in fine health.  Not, it wasn’t a miracle cure, it was a mistake.  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge,...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

What would you do if you found yourself in the presence of murderous evil? Would you sell out to survive, or would you resist and try to hang onto your values? For how long? Maybe you reject the whole concept of evil. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll meet some people who aren't...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Before there was Wikipedia… Before there was Facebook and Twitter… there was Ward Cunningham.  The computer programmer who invented the first wiki, back in 1995.  Cunningham also did something even more radical – he didn’t patent his invention.  He passed up billions of dollars of potential...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Born 200 years ago, Charles Darwin was a revolutionary figure, and yet polls show that more than half of all Americans still don't accept his theory of evolution. So, is Darwinian evolution compatible with faith in God? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, what Darwin himself thought...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Remember what it was like to be a kid, playing outside with friends for hours at a time? Sure, it may just seem like fun and games, but it may also have been invaluable training for life as an adult.Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

You’re part of the “Freedom Movement,” - a group of anti-globalization anarchists.  You’re blowing up security stations to fight “The Corporation.” Sounds like a scene out of Seattle during the World Trade Organization protests of a few years ago, doesn’t it?  But it’s not.  It’s...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

In the recent election, the Tea Party emerged as a major force in American politics.  It's a striking story, when a few years before, the "New York Times" was speculating about the demise of the Republican party.  So, why the game change, after Barack Obama won the White House on a surge of...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

“Good fences make good neighbors." Robert Frost writes in Mending Wall.  Is he right? Maybe homemade chocolate chip cookies or lending a lawnmower are more neighborly. I guess it depends on who your neighbors are.Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Have you ever wondered why Homer’s “Iliad” is still so popular?  Bestselling writer Thomas Cahill says it’s because it’s a real boy’s story.  On this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, our enduring fascination with the Ancient Greeks.  Also, an archaeologist who’s excavating the real Troy. ...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Is religion dangerous? Sam Harris blames the violent verses in the Koran and the Bible for inciting religious conflict around the world. Renowned religious historian Karen Armstrong says the core message of the major religions is the Golden Rule. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge,...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Batman, Superman, the Green Lantern we all had our superheroes as kids. Maybe we still do today? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, SUPERHEROES. We'll celebrate Wonder Woman's 70th birthday with a look at her controversial new costume. We'll also explore the actual physics of...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Shortly after her mother died of ovarian cancer, Jessica Queller had herself tested for the dreaded BRCA gene mutation. She tested positive, which meant she had an 87 percent chance of developing breast cancer, and a nearly 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer. So Queller did the unthinkable: at...Read more

Pages