Although food is essential for survival, eating the wrong types of food may be deleterious to our health. What is the role of hormones in our food supply and our health? On this episode, Dr. Neal Barnard discussed his book, Your Body in Balance.

International competition for technological resources often leads to intellectual espionage, even over a resource as seemingly mundane as corn. On this episode, Mara Hvistendahl discussed her book, The Scientist and the Spy.

There is a question of a periodic table analogue for elementary particles and the nature of dark energy and dark matter. On this episode, Thomas Buckholtz joins us to discuss these classic problems and unified approaches for explaining them.

Our emotional health is intimately related to the proper operations of evolutionarily ancient parts of our brain. How can our sex lives be a window into these critical aspects of our brains? On this episode, Dr. Nan Wise discussed her book, Why Good Sex Matters.

Friendship is an important part of maintaining a healthy mental life, but can it also improve our biological health? On this episode, Lydia Denworth discussed the new science of friendship.

The success of humans as a species is often attributed to the profound increase in brain size. However, does culture have a more important role? On this episode, Gaia Vince discussed her new book, Transcendence.

Aging may seem like an inevitable deterioration of our bodies, but is there a routine way to prevent it? Can exercise help? On this episode, Judy Foreman discussed her book, Exercise is Medicine.

The polar region continues to be a mysterious and unexplored region of the earth. One of the first to explore the area was an expedition led by Adolphus W. Greely. On this episode, Buddy Levy discussed the Greely Polar Expedition.

How can a scientific perspective on the world inform us about non-scientific issues? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson discussed his new book, Letters from an Astrophysicist.

Navigating the medical system can be daunting, but even more so for parents caring for the well-being of their children. On this episode, Dr. Jacqueline Jones discussed the issues of medical parenting.