Episode Archives

Filter episodes by the year they originally aired.
Elk woman

There are old folktales of people who can become animals. Animals who become people. And there’s a lesson for our own time in those shapeshifting stories.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 20, 2021

a witch in the skies

They’ve been hunted and silenced and burned at the stake, but witches are still practicing the craft. We take you from the 17th century to the online witch communities of today.Read more

Original Air Date:

October 30, 2021

Portrait of a woman taken in naray afghanistan

Teachers. Actors. Ancient rug weavers. Whisperers of forbidden poetry. The women of Afghanistan want you to know they are more than timid victims under a burqa.Read more

Original Air Date:

October 02, 2021

soldier in shadow

On the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, photographer James Nachtwey reflects on his life as a war photographer, and we consider the deep history of war itself.Read more

Original Air Date:

September 11, 2021

Pump-jack mining crude oil with the sunset

Floods, wildfires, winds and extreme temperatures. We talk with the people who are writing the story of climate change as we are living it.Read more

Original Air Date:

August 14, 2021

runners

What does it take to win Olympic gold? To become "the world's fastest human"? This hour, Olympic fame, the politics of sports, and the science of running.Read more

Original Air Date:

July 31, 2021

 The Brooks Range divides the continent north and south.

Science tells us mountains are giant piles of rock, formed millions of years ago. But that's not all they are — there was a time when mountains were gods.Read more

Original Air Date:

July 24, 2021

book on a table

One of the most fun things we get to do is bring the soundscape of a novel to life — cue the monsters, the storms, the footsteps of a creature emerging slowly from the ocean. This week, we listen to our favorite cinema of the ear.Read more

Original Air Date:

July 03, 2021

cemetary

Is there a better way to talk about death? And to grieve? The pandemic has brought us a period of global mourning — and a new reckoning with loss.Read more

Original Air Date:

June 19, 2021

Working and parenting, a balancing act

The pandemic has made clear that parents are walking a tightrope with no safety net. Is it time for a parenting revolution?Read more

Original Air Date:

May 22, 2021

Children's book art of mother goose, peter rabbit, jack climbing a beanstalk and a lion

Remember when reading still felt magical? We talk to authors about Wonderland, magic wands, unicorns and other children's stories that inspire.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 01, 2021

Woman gazing upon a lonely, infinite shore

In countries all over the world, rates of loneliness are skyrocketing. How did it become a condition of modern life?Read more

Original Air Date:

April 10, 2021

Woman in profile

Colonization in Africa was much more than a land grab. It was a project to replace — and even erase — local cultures. How can that be undone?Read more

Original Air Date:

March 20, 2021

many romances

Do the old dreams of true love and happiness ever after fit our new lives and new identities?Read more

Original Air Date:

February 13, 2021

Vaccines on the march

We’re in the midst of the largest vaccine rollout of our lives. A turning point, we hope. But it’s complicated — medically, logistically, philosophically.Read more

Original Air Date:

January 16, 2021

Plant as person

If plants are intelligent beings, how should we relate to them? Do they have a place in our moral universe? Should they have rights?Read more

Original Air Date:

December 19, 2020

Zoom holidays

What are you doing for the holidays this year? We know we need to keep it small, keep it safe. But maybe we can be creative, too.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 28, 2020

empty football stadium

What do you do when the headlines are freaking you out and the news is making you tense? A lot of people find sports takes their mind off things. It’s like this one worry-free, politics-free zone. Until it isn’t.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 07, 2020

Overstimulated and over everything.

The pandemic, the protests, the arguments on social media — everything is exhausting. But maybe it doesn’t have to be?Read more

Original Air Date:

October 24, 2020

inverted stars over the white house

Americans are getting ready to vote. But this election is different from other years. What's really on the ballot?Read more

Original Air Date:

October 17, 2020

A brain alive with energy

New experiences rewire the brain. So after all we’ve been through, are we different? We consider the "COVID brain" in both neuroscience and the arts.Read more

Original Air Date:

October 10, 2020

a pyramid among gold

We explore the ancient, obscure, occult science and art of alchemy — it turns out to be a lot more relevant to our lives than you’d believe.Read more

Original Air Date:

September 19, 2020

A bunch of stuff

We surround ourselves with possessions, but at what point do they start to possess us?Read more

Original Air Date:

September 05, 2020

greens

A new generation of Black farmers are working to reclaim land, hoping to grow justice along with vegetables and plants.Read more

Original Air Date:

August 22, 2020

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