Russell Shorto is the author of "Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason."
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Steph Davis is a renowned rock climber who's considered one of the best in the world. But after the death of her husband, Mario Richard, nearly a decade ago, she discovered a new and potentially more dangerous career -- as a skydiver, BASE jumper and wingsuit flyer.
Steve Grand tells Jim Fleming about Norns – virtual pets that live and breed in desktop computers. He says the Norns give us a way to explore questions about what it means to be alive and what rights and responsibilities "living" creatures have.
Sarah Vowell is obsessed by presidential assassinations.
<p>Climate experts are shocked by the rate at which greenhouse gases are rising. New US government figures show CO2 levels have already topped experts' worst-case scenarios. But if driving hybrids and switching to fluorescent bulbs isn't enough -- what is? William Powers presents a vision of truly sustainable living in an off-the-grid, 12x12 cabin.</p>
We all love the feeling of getting lost in a good story and seeing the world through a character’s eyes. Recently, psychologists have been studying whether that experience actually changes readers. Novelist and cognitive psychologist Keith Oatley tells us about the latest research connecting fiction with empathy.
Rob Knight is one of the rising stars in the new science of the microbiome. He tells us what he and his colleagues are up to at his Boulder, Colorado lab.
Thebe Medupe is an astrophysicist who grew up under apartheid. He talks about the stories he grew up hearing from his village elders and the astronomical legends of the Dogun people in Mali.
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