Alan Dale says laughing at slapstick is - at its heart - an expression of our sympathy with TV and film characters who get hurt. He says it's also relief that, for once, it's not us in pain.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Cognitive researcher Douglas Hofstadter explains how gendered words and phrases — like using "guys" to refer to mixed company — can oftentimes reinforce sexist attitudes.
In his last few years, Sacks revealed more details about his own life. One of the most remarkable revelations was his extensive use of LSD and other hallucinogens in the ‘60s. He tells Steve Paulson that psychedelics nearly killed him, but they also opened his mind to new ways of seeing the world.
It's flu season. While you stock up on vitamin C, zinc and herbal tea, you might also want to pick up a copy of historian Erika Janik’s brand new book, “Marketplace of the Marvelous -- The Strange Origins of Modern Medicine.”
Jeff Ferrell gave up life as a tenured professor and became a dumpster diver. His new book is "Empire of Scrounge."
Katherine Ellison says that pregnancy and motherhood change women's brains for the better, making them smarter, calmer and more competent.
Michael Dickinson tells Jim Fleming about the robotic fly he’s building. Dickinson thinks flies are amazingly sophisticated flying machines.
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