The Mysteries That Fly Over Flyover Country

Guest: B.J. Hollars, Associate Professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and author, “Midwestern Strange: Hunting Monsters, Martians, and the Weird in Flyover Country”

B.J. Hollars spent a year traveling through Midwest America, researching sightings of werewolves, giant lake turtles, and aliens. What he found out was that people who claim to see extraterrestrials and freakish monsters can teach us to maintain our own sense of curiousity and skepticism. Not always an easy balance. 

King Solomon's Mines? 

Guest: Erez Ben-Yosef, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, and head of the Timna Valley Excavation Project

The Edomites, some of the ancient inhabitants of southern Israel, were thought to be a nomadic people who left little evidence of their existence. But some recently discovered remnants of ancient copper production may shed light on where King Solomon sourced construction materials for his famous temple. 

Dinosaur Fossils Like You've Never Seen Them Before

Guest: Hans Sues, Senior Scientist and Curator of Fossil Vertebrates, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

In the "Deep Time" exhibit in the Smithsonian's new Fossil Hall, life is messy: dinosaur poop, fish who die of overeating, a lizard who decomposes before your eyes. And the piece de resistance: a t-rex taking a bite out of an unwitting triceratops. We get a behind-the-scenes radio tour of this new kind of exhibit.

LEGOs As Fine Art

Guest: Nathan Sawaya, LEGO artist

Nathan Sawaya is a LEGO brick artist who recreates everything from Stephen Colbert to the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's David (life-size too!). But, to become a master model builder, Nathan chose to leave behind a law career and overcome art critics that deemed his medium too childish. Today, his exhibitions smash attendance records and invite everyone to participate in creating art.

The Raspberry Pi Puts a Computer In Every Pocket 

Guest: Eben Upton, Creator of the Raspberry Pi

Since its creation in 2012, the Raspberry Pi has become an iconic part of the computer and programming network. This small, credit-card-sized computer has been used in everything from drones to homemade insulin pumps and has created a thriving community of passionate users.