Changing hearts and minds about the climate crisis comes one difficult conversation at a time. Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist of The Nature Conservancy, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss strategies for talking about climate change, and how to connect to skeptics by finding shared values. Her book is called “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.”

Put your finger on a map and you’ll find the information is… actually up to interpretation. New York Times editorial board member Greg Bensinger joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the gaps between what maps represent and real-life knowledge, and why this information can be used to push specific agendas. His opinion piece is called “The Maps That Steer Us Wrong.”

Life is marked by the beating of the heart, for humans as well as for the animal kingdom. Bill Schutt is a vertebrate zoologist and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, and he joins host Krys Boyd for a fascinating look at what scientists are learning about how the hearts of creatures big and small functional very differently than the human heart. His book is called “Pump: A Natural History of the Heart.”

The census is taken every 10 years, and its results last even longer. Hansi Lo Wang is a national correspondent for NPR reporting on the U.S. census, and he joins host Krys Boyd to explore what the latest numbers say about the country’s racial makeup – and how this snapshot of America drives everything from federal spending to representation in Congress.

What if the way to curb addiction isn’t by preaching abstinence, but instead tailoring interventions to meet drug users where they are? Maia Szalavitz joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a new approach created by drug users and public health experts ready to think outside the box. Her book is called “Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction.”

In an era of fake news, how does a journalist arrive at the truth and then get that message to an audience? Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies joins guest host John McCaa to discuss ethics in an ever-polarized media landscape, how social media has changed journalism, and what it means for society when individuals can choose only the news they want to hear.

Reggaeton can be heard all over Top 40 radio – and its rise to the top of the charts is a fascinating story of how music transcends borders. Katelina Eccleston is founder of Reggaeton Con La Gata and producer of the Spotify podcast “Loud,” and she joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of reggaeton’s humble origins, how it spread from Panama to Puerto Rico, Jamaica and now the U.S., and the message it sends to listeners about race and power.

Any preparations the world health community had in place to combat a global pandemic crumbled as the Covid variants spread. Dr. Scott Gottlieb is a former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration and currently is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what he calls a system-wide failure of government to control Covid-19, and what needs to happen to prepare for the next global health emergency. His book is “Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic.”

Today, a birthday party might be for a child, parent, friend, or even someone’s beloved pet. Andrea Laurent-Simpson is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Southern Methodist University, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our pets became our “fur babies” and what that tells us about the dynamics of what it is to be a modern family. Her book is called “Just Like Family: How Companion Animals Joined the Household.”

Medical breakthroughs do not come without significant pains — for the patient, as well as politically. Dr. Paul A. Offit is the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of vaccinology and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the risks medical researchers must take to develop the lifesaving therapies we rely on. His book is called “You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination, the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation.”