The Tiny Brain Cells That Connect Body and Brain

Guest: Donna Jackson Nakazawa, author, "The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine"

For years, scientists have explained mental disorders and illnesses as chemical imbalances in the brain. In "The Angel and the Assassin," Donna Jackson Nakazawa follows recent scientific research on microglia cells, tiny brain cells whose connecting role between our body and our mind reveal a new understanding of mental disorders that challenges our perceptions and provides hope for more effective treatments.

 

Bringing Back Helpful Gut Worms

Guest: William Parker, Associate Professor, Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine

Things that we think of as harmful to our bodies may actually be crucial to our health. Not all bacteria is harmful, some actually help us. This might also be the case for some parasites such as intestinal worms. 

 

The 1919 World Series and the Betrayal That Forged Modern Baseball

Guest: Charles Fountain, Professor, Journalism, Northeastern University, and author, "The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball"

Rumors, betrayal, and intrigue characterized the 1919 World Series, known as the Black Sox Scandal, when several White Sox players threw the championship. These players went into the tournament hoping to make it big, only to be banned from the game for life. 

 

Roosevelt's "Cold War" on Baseball

Guest: Ryan Swanson, Associate Professor, History, University of New Mexico, and author, "The Strenuous Life: Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete"

Teddy Roosevelt had no fondness for the American pastime.