KERA's Think

Cat-eye makeup might be an Instagram staple, but its original use was en vogue in ancient Egypt. Author Rae Nudson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the power of the powders and creams with which we adorn our skin, and how they’ve created the powerful beauty standards currently being challenged. Her book is “All Made Up: The Power and Pitfalls of Beauty Culture, from Cleopatra to Kim Kardashian.”

He was one of the wealthiest men in America – and his media empire granted him unprecedented influence. Stephen Ives joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of William Randolph Hearst – the subject of a new American Experience documentary – and the template he created for the media business. “Citizen Hearst” airs tonight on PBS stations.

When bears attack, there’s probably an animal conflict resolution specialist standing by to take on the case. Mary Roach joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about when humans and wildlife are in conflict – from errant elephants to rule-breaking moose and life-threatening trees. Her book is called “Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.”

Michael Greshko of National Geographic joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about asteroids, comets, dwarf planets and other space objects that researchers are studying to better understand how life as we know it started. His article is headlined “Mysteries of the Solar System.”

For decades, Bob Phillips has invited viewers to ride along with him across the backroads of the Lone Star State with his show “Texas Country Reporter.” He joins guest host John McCaa to talk about 50 seasons of the beloved Texas travel show and highlight some of the places and people that have made their mark on the state over the years.

Author and educator Liza Wiemer joins us to talk about her YA novel featuring students who must use Nazi propaganda in a debate, the courage it takes for two teenagers to confront anti-Semitism, and the real-life examples the author drew from.

The future of warfare isn’t fighter planes and guns – it’s cyberattacks and disinformation. Seth G. Jones is director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and he joins guest host John McCaa to talk about American adversaries who are changing the game when it comes to international conflict. His book is called “Three Dangerous Men: Russia, China, Iran and the Rise of Irregular Warfare.”

One of medicine’s great mysteries is: Why does the body’s immune system sometimes attack itself? Scientific American senior editor Josh Fischman joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases and the progress being made to fight them. “The Body Against Itself” appears in the September issue of Scientific American.

Alfredo Corchado is a correspondent for The Dallas Morning News who covers the border, and he joins us to talk about the situation in Del Rio, Texas – and the realities of immigration and life along the border amid ever-shifting policies.

Many of America’s essential workers have the jobs no one wants to acknowledge. Eyal Press joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about everyone from drone pilots to workers on slaughterhouse floors and how we’re all complicit in jobs we wouldn’t want to hold ourselves. His book is called “Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America.”

From the tree canopy to the depths of the ocean, there’s still plenty of fascinating life to explore right here on Earth. Krys Boyd speaks with two pioneering female scientists: one who describes life in the tops of trees as an eighth continent, and an oceanographer who studies bioluminescent marine animals that light up the ocean floor.

From the tree canopy to the depths of the ocean, there’s still plenty of fascinating life to explore right here on Earth. Krys Boyd speaks with two pioneering female scientists: one who describes life in the tops of trees as an eighth continent, and an oceanographer who studies bioluminescent marine animals that light up the ocean floor.

With the passage of Senate Bill 8 in Texas, private citizens are deputized to turn in neighbors suspected of aiding an abortion after six weeks. Michele Bratcher Goodwin is a chancellor’s professor at the University of California, Irvine and founding director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how weaponizing the citizenry takes a cue from the Fugitive Slave Acts, and how the practice might affect liberty today. Her article...

Pakistani mangoes are prized for their taste and texture, but you have to be very internet savvy to find one. Food writer Ahmed Ali Akbar joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the backchannels of importing fruit, the lengths people will go to, and the customs bureaucracy that keeps foods from reaching American shores. His article “Inside the Secretive, Semi-Illicit, High Stakes World of WhatsApp Mango Importing” was published by Eater.

The W.H.O. has added the Mu strain of the coronavirus as a new variant of concern. Dr. James Cutrell, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the virus is changing and spreading, and what it means for the future of the pandemic.

Mind control has been studied by everyone from psychologists to hypnotists. Joel E. Dimsdale, distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California, San Diego, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about mind control in the realms of religion, politics and society – from the Iron Curtain to social media today. His book is called “Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media.”

In the 20 years following 9/11, American soil has been safe from similar large-scale attacks by foreign nonstate actors. Does that mean we won the war on terror? Elliot Ackerman is a former U.S. Marine and intelligence officer, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what warfare looks like today, the increasing military-civilian divide, and what the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost America beyond dollars and lives lost. His article published in Foreign Affairs is headlined “Winning...

When it comes to reproductive health, the bulk of the responsibility is placed on women. Krystale E. Littlejohn, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why cis-gendered women are expected to prevent pregnancies, and how that reality underscores the gendered role of labor in America. Her book is called “Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics.”

When children with disabilities age out of systems meant to offer social, vocational and emotional support, parents are left searching for what’s next. Cammie McGovern joins host Krys Boyd to discuss “the disability cliff” – when education ends and the hard realities of limited jobs and housing set in – and about her own experience raising a son who has autism. Her book is called “Hard Landings: Looking Into the Future for a Child With Autism.”

In 1981, the first woman Supreme Court justice was nominated. Filmmaker Michelle Ferrari joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the life and career of Sandra Day O’Connor, a nominee of President Ronald Reagan who became a critical swing vote on historic issues of race, gender and reproductive rights. The documentary “Sandra Day O’Connor: The First” airs tonight on PBS’s American Experience.