At one summer camp, canoeing and camaraderie take on new meaning as a gathering place for trans men. Journalist Sandy Ernest Allen joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what it was like to take on traditional activities with the comfort of knowing he was surrounded by his trans community, how the experience challenged his notions of manhood, and the surprising things he learned about himself during the process. His article for Esquire is “Into the Woods with 150 Trans Men.”

Race has long been a factor in how doctors approach diagnoses— removing it has proved a challenge. Katie Palmer, Health Tech Correspondent for Stat News, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the bias baked into medicine for decades, how it contributes to system disparities, and why the work to change it is so difficult. Her series “Embedded Bias” is written with co-author Usha Lee McFarling.

With new technologies, paleontologists are starting to learn more about how dinosaurs lived by connecting them to animals alive today. Amy M. Balanoff, assistant professor at the Center for Functional Anatomy & Evolution at Johns Hopkins, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the T. Rex and its brain – how paleontologists are piecing together what abilities they had, and why the modern housecat might offer some clues. Her Scientific American article, co-authored by Daniel T. Ksepka, is “What Was It Like to be a Dinosaur?”

Of all the human emotions to explore, wonder may be low on the list – but it’s essential to our survival as a species. Helen De Cruz, Danforth Chair in the humanities and a professor of philosophy at Saint Louis University, Missouri, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how wonder pushes us to explore the world around us, leads us to love more fully and helps us to get the most out of our brains. Her book is “Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think.”

We know that loneliness takes a toll on mental and physical health, but solutions for the problem are hard to come by. Matthew Shaer is contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, an Emerson Collective fellow at New America and a founder of the podcast studio Campside Media. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how our phones and computers might have made the problem worse – but aren’t the root cause of our social disconnection – and the ways researchers are trying to approach what is now an epidemic. His article is “Why Is the Loneliness Epidemic So Hard to Cure?”

As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, are we in danger of creating a world in which people turn to computers for companionship instead of living, breathing humans? Robert Mahari, JD-PhD Researcher at MIT Media Lab and Harvard Law School, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the doom and gloom of A.I. taking over has got it all wrong — that the real problem is we might actually like it too much to put it down. His article “We need to prepare for ‘addictive intelligence’” was published by the MIT Technology Review.

Shame might work as a deterrent, but it also affects self-esteem deeply and can backfire as a tool. Journalist Melissa Petro joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her own story as a sex worker-turned-elementary school teacher until she was outed by a newspaper, and how she had to grow to be shame resilient. Her book is “Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification.”

For three years, a thousand people receiving an extra $1,000 a month were tracked — and now we know how that income changed their lives. Chabeli Carrazana, economy and childcare reporter for the 19th News, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how guaranteed income meant people could move beyond paycheck-to-paycheck, contribute to the economy and help support other family members. Plus, we’ll consider what the presidential candidates have to say about economic policies. Her article is “The results of the biggest study on guaranteed income programs are finally in.”

Being labeled “gifted” in school can come with perks — but research is showing those don’t always carry over into adulthood. Constance Grady, senior correspondent for Vox, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the nature/nurture arguments around giftedness, how being tapped as gifted changes mental health outcomes well into adult years, and how a gifted education model affects future potential. Her article is “Does being a gifted kid make for a burned-out adulthood?”

With all the disagreement about how to interpret the Constitution, maybe we need to consider that the problem is the Constitution itself. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, joins host Krys Boyd to make the case that this document – written for a low population, rural society 200-years ago – has trouble incorporating modern life into its scope, and why it might need to be rethought. His book is “No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States.”