Episode Archives

Filter episodes by the year they originally aired.
Math, biology and the other follies of man trying to explain the universe.

When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — why do we so quickly seek order to explain the chaos?Read more

Original Air Date:

August 08, 2020

A parade of elephants in the Ngorongoro Crater

Millions of animals migrate every year to a destination they've never seen. How do they do it — and what can we learn from them?Read more

Original Air Date:

July 25, 2020

Jazz legends go all the way back to African music.

Jazz wasn't just born in America. There's an alternative history — a story of colonial empires, grassroots revolutions and the global migration of sound.Read more

Original Air Date:

July 04, 2020

Cell door

We take a hard look at how racism infects not only the police, but the entire criminal justice system.Read more

Original Air Date:

June 20, 2020

lady among viruses

How can we, individually and collectively, find meaning in the experience of the coronavirus pandemic?Read more

Original Air Date:

May 23, 2020

Live from Mark's (in-game) yard.

Not everyone has a big yard to stretch out in while sheltering in place. But maybe all you need is a virtual space to call your own.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 16, 2020

A nature path near Lake Wingra in Madison, Wisconsin.

Wherever you live — city or country, East coast, West coast, or in between — we share common, contemplative experiences on our walks outside.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 09, 2020

empty stage

In times of crisis, we need music. We look at how far people will go — even under quarantine, during a pandemic — to find ways to make music together.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 25, 2020

skin

Skin is the living tissue that simultaneously protects us from the world, and lets us feel it. In this episode, the politics, biology, and inner life of your skin.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 18, 2020

tree among warnings

Why do people turn to poetry during troubled times? We saw it after 9/11 and we're seeing it now. When the world seems broken, poetry is often the one kind of language that helps.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 04, 2020

Stethoscope

This week's show comes to you from our kitchens and homes. We’re thinking about the heroic doctors and nurses on the front lines of the pandemic.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 28, 2020

Traveling the world by book

From Africa to England, to a kamikaze cockpit, and to realms of fantasy. Books aren’t just books. They’re passports.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 14, 2020

Women awake in bed

Every night, millions of us turn out the lights hoping and praying for a good night’s sleep. And every night, millions of us lie awake in the dark.Read more

Original Air Date:

March 07, 2020

Are there new ways to treat depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder? We explore some unconventional treatments for mental illness, including exercise, psychedelics and even horror films.Read more

Original Air Date:

February 15, 2020

eyes

Exchanging glances with the natural world happens more often than you’d think. It can be so profound, there’s a name for it: eye-to-eye epiphany.Read more

Original Air Date:

February 08, 2020

War

What drives us toward armed conflict? And what does it take for peace activists to face down tyrants and military leaders?Read more

Original Air Date:

January 11, 2020

Clocks

Clocks and calendars chop time into increments. It’s efficient, and it helps us get to meetings on time. But what does time feel like when you stop counting it?Read more

Original Air Date:

January 04, 2020

a moose

What can we learn from the natural world — from animals, from the water — about surviving and even celebrating the cold?Read more

Original Air Date:

December 21, 2019

The bright Addis Ababa skyline

Africans are moving into cities in unprecedented numbers. Lagos, Nigeria, is on track to have 100 million people. So how and why do cities thrive?Read more

Original Air Date:

December 14, 2019

The game of life

The board games we play tell us so much more about ourselves than we think — our history, our politics and our inner psychology.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 30, 2019

Books up close

Is there a book you can’t forget? A book that left a mark on you? We celebrate books and reading with an eclectic cast of writers from around the country.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 16, 2019

underground cave

Scientists and explorers have found a whole new world under our feet. It's an exciting place, and it's changing what we know about the planet and ourselves.Read more

Original Air Date:

November 02, 2019

ghosts

What if experiencing dread — the horror of it all — is good for you?Read more

Original Air Date:

October 26, 2019

happy pleasure

What if the most unselfish thing you could do was to pursue pleasure and joy? We make the case for the transformative power of joy, pleasure and delight.Read more

Original Air Date:

October 12, 2019

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