Self-driving cars are coming for American roadways, and cities better get prepared. David Zipper is a senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, where he examines the interplay between transportation policy and technology. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of autonomous vehicles, why we might not need those colossal parking lots and ways cities can recoup some of the costs these driverless cars incur. His article for Vox is “A self-driving car traffic jam is coming for U.S. cities.”

Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and conservationist who deepened our understanding of chimpanzees, died this week at the age of 91. In 2016, she spoke with host Krys Boyd about her life’s work, her secret to achieving a global reach, and her “Damascus moment” that changed her career trajectory forever. 

 One solution to a dearth of housing units is to build them more efficiently. Henry Grabar is a staff writer at Slate, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss new, pre-fabricated housing options. That includes not only mobile homes, but also single-family units and even apartment buildings. Plus, we’ll hear how builders are hoping to streamline construction to have homes up in not months, but days. His article is “The Solution to America’s Housing Crisis Might Be Built in a Factory.” 

If A.I. can write a song with just you in mind, will you still be able to share that musical experience with others? Joshua Rothman, a staff writer for The New Yorker, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what happens to culture when we rely on A.I. to generate visual art or music, what it means for engaging in difficult subjects, and what machine-generated art means for our very human desires. His article is “A.I. Is Coming for Culture.” 

Gen X kids were left to their own devices as latchkey kids. Now they’re raising Gen Z, and it’s definitely not as freewheeling. David French is an opinion columnist at The New York Times, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the over-parenting of Gen X – including constant monitoring and check-ins with teachers – and the anxiety showing up in Gens Z and Alpha. His essay in The Times is “How Did the Latchkey Kids of Gen X Become the Helicopter Parents of Gen Z?” 

The phrase “Black girl magic” has deep roots in enslaved women’s lives. Lindsey Stewart is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the medicine that stemmed from African traditions that was often more trusted than white doctors’ advice, how this magic was passed down through generations, and how it endures today. Her book is “The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic.”

When her abusive husband kidnapped her child for nine days, Karen Palmer knew it was time to run. The writer and Pushcart Prize-winner joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the early teenage trauma that drove her into a dangerous relationship with her ex-husband, why she fled into “D.I.Y witness protection” and changed her identity, and how she finally found the courage to write about her experiences. Her book is “She’s Under Here: A Memoir.” 

After decades of use, hormonal birth control is suddenly under the microscope. Emma Goldberg, business features writer for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why birth control has become a political issue, why a growing number of women are pushing back on taking it, and how social media influencers are driving the conversation. Her article is “‘Who Am I Without Birth Control?’”

It’s hard out there for singles trying to date, especially now that A.I. has entered the chat. Patricia Marx, staff writer for The New Yorker, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her experiment into “dating” A.I. models that promised companionship, whether they could actually make the perfect partner, and if we need flesh and blood to make our hearts sing. Her article is “Playing the Field with My A.I. Boyfriends.” 

It’s common knowledge, say, that every driver stops for a stop sign – and we shouldn’t take that shared understanding for granted. Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rules of society we all know and follow and the ways our world would fall apart if people disregarded this social contract. His book is “When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life.”