Can a Spy Help You in Your Relationships?

Guest: Jason Hanson, author, "Agent of Influence: How to Use Spy Skills to Persuade Anyone, Sell Anything, and Build a Successful Business"

Spies have to make their assets "fall in love" with them. Learn from a spy how this skill can help you negotiate relationships and business opportunities. 

America’s Founding Grandfathers

Guest: Matthew Jenkinson, author, "Charles I's Killers in America: The Lives and Afterlives of Edward Whalley and William Goffe"

Edward Whalley and William Goffe were the founding grandfathers of the United States of America. After signing King Charles I’s death warrant, and helping to lay the groundwork for a republican government, they escaped to America, avoided capture for decades, and inspired folk tales that inspired a nation.

Animal Memory

Guest: Jonathon Crystal, Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, and Editor-in-Chief, "Learning & Behavior"

Scientists have discovered the ability in non-human animals to mentally replay past events from memory. This could open doors to treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

Genes that Come Alive After You Die

Guest: Alexander Pozhitkov, bioinformatics scientist, City of Hope cancer center, Los Angeles

Maybe you've heard that specific cells continue to live after you die but research from the University of Washington shows that some parts of your messenger RNA actually become more active after death. These ‘undead genes’ may be the key to future innovations in forensics, organ transplants, and cellular research.