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  • Music That Speaks

    Music That Speaks
    2026/04/30
    If you’re looking for new music, you might turn to youtube, spotify, social media–basically, the internet. In Cuba, internet access is so limited that music is passed through a USB network called Sneakernet. Mike Levine explains how Sneakernet helps spread the rhythms–and politics–of reparto music. And: What does it sound like when trees sing? Or rocks? Or city waterworks? Sara Bouchard is a sound artist who often works with data from objects and nature to make music. Later in the show: As a young kid music brought meaning to Donald Sorah’s life–and it kept him in school. Now as a teacher, he brings the joy of music making to students who don’t think of themselves as musicians. He’s been named an Outstanding Faculty Member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Plus: There’s nothing quite like sharing your favorite songs with the people you love. But Kevin Caffrey says that kind of shared musical experience can also be a way to connect with strangers.
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    52 分
  • Eye in the Sky

    Eye in the Sky
    2026/04/23
    There’re over 10,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. And they do more than just power our phones and GPS, they’re giving us a whole new perspective on who we are. Dan Runfola sifts through countless satellite images to learn more about our human footprint and the evolution of society. And: Michael Shingledecker uses the James Webb Space Telescope to study ice layers that freeze in clouds of stardust. He says this cosmic ice is a key ingredient in the formation of the universe. Later in the show: At first glance, plankton might seem unimpressive. They’re tiny little brainless micro-organisms that drift with the tides and currents. But they play a huge role in the ocean carbon cycle. Scott Doney tracks plankton - from the Antarctic to the Caribbean - by using satellites to observe ocean color.
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    52 分
  • Love in the Time of Hubots

    Love in the Time of Hubots
    2026/04/17
    In the German novel “I’m Your Man” a couples therapist and her robot partner Tom explore the limits of post-human love. Holly Yanacek wrote the English translation of the novel about what happens when our perfect partner is a machine. And: An after-school philosophy club has elementary school children discussing deep ideas with undergrads. Anne van Leeuwen says readings of Frog and Toad and Shel Silverstein are giving rise to conversations about bravery and infinity. Later in the show: In The Historical Mind, Ryan Holston argues that our biggest political problems can be traced to a "thinning" of the human character, and that without self-restraint even the best Constitution becomes useless. Plus: State and local candidates are drowning in the national political divide. Jesse Richman says the polarization nationally is driving voters in state elections to make choices based on the letter next to a candidate’s name.
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    52 分
  • Child's Play

    Child's Play
    2026/04/10
    LEGO used to be just for kids. But with the help of the COVID-19 pandemic and plain old burnout, many adults have returned to LEGO. They’ve even got a cool acronym – AFOL. It stands for Adult Fans of Lego. Andi Smith says it’s a hands-on, screen-free way to shut your brain off and create. In Andi’s architecture classes, students use LEGO to build everything from model playgrounds to mausoleums. Not the kits – they freestyle! And: Have you ever played with an ouija board? Rhonda Brock and Chris McGee say that the whole game is really to prove that you aren’t scared. And the camera is really one of the players. Because anything spooky must be proven! Later in the show: Many adults are reluctant to talk to children about grief and death. But why? 2026 PEN/Voelcker Award Finalist Gbenga Adesina and two-time National Book Award finalist Amber McBride join each other in conversation about their respective books Death Does Not End at the Sea and The Leaving Room where young adult narrators carry the reader through experiences with death and loss.
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    52 分
  • Making Justice

    Making Justice
    2026/04/02
    What makes a court a court? Most people might answer something like this: there’s a judge with legal training who makes a judgment, and if you don’t follow their judgment, you get punished. David Law says, actually, none of that is required for a court. That’s how the American courts work, but all over the world there are courts that operate very differently. And: The Upper Mattaponi tribe in Virginia has started operating its own courts. Chief Frank Adams explores what tribal justice looks like. Later in the show: Building a court system is difficult under any circumstances. In communities that have suffered intense violent conflicts–like Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, or Kosovo after the war of the 1990s–creating a court system is both essential and particularly fraught. Christie Warren has worked all over the world as a facilitator helping post-conflict zones design legal and justice systems.
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    52 分
  • HBCUs Past, Present, and Future

    HBCUs Past, Present, and Future
    2026/03/27
    Historically Black Colleges and Universities are powerful American institutions. Cheryl Mango and Lisa Winn Bryan explore the culture, currency, and legacy of HBCUs. Later in the show: Canonical works like Huckleberry Finn or The Tempest are still read in English classes across the country–but whose voice is missing from these works? Margaret Cox explores how writers like Percival Everett and Elizabeth Nunez reclaim and reshape these stories from the margins.
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    52 分
  • Having a Ruff Day

    Having a Ruff Day
    2026/03/19
    Dogs have co-evolved with humans for thousands of years. They’re uniquely adapted to us. It’s why our dogs are more than pets, they’re family! Tanya Mitropoulos studies how dogs can pick up on our workplace stress. Also: If you’re online too much like me, you’ve probably heard of the phrase “Sunday scaries.” But for experts like Molly Sloan, it’s known as affective rumination - or the act of dwelling on work during non-work hours. She says it's one of the biggest drivers of low employee wellbeing. Later in the show: There’s lots of talk these days about the ever-increasing salaries for executives. But Felipe Cabezon says CEO’s aren’t just overpaid, they’re getting paid the same. He found that executive pay structures look similar across a wide range of industries - and it's hurting business.
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    52 分
  • Touring Wuthering Heights

    Touring Wuthering Heights
    2026/03/13
    In the world of literary tourism, the Brontë Parsonage Museum in the Yorkshire moors is a heavy hitter. Alison Booth says this small stone house in the town of Haworth served as the creative crucible for Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Also: A king’s rage and a murder that changed history. John Adrian dives into the medieval crime scene of Canterbury Cathedral and the centuries of pilgrimage it sparked. Now his Canterbury study semester is opening that world to students from Appalachia. Later in the show: From curating award-winning wine cellars in the Berkshires and Keswick, Virginia to building a new life in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, Richard Hewitt is the ultimate guide to the soul of Portugal. Join this master sommelier and author as he swaps the classroom for the countryside, leading us on an intimate journey through the sun-drenched vineyards and hidden cultural treasures he now calls home.
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    52 分