Eating is a fundamental part of life. So, when things aren’t going well with our digestive system, it affects not only our health but also our routines, social lives and very identity.

And these days, more people seem to be struggling with chronic gastrointestinal problems, including irritable bowel syndrome and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

MPR News guest host Kyra Miles talks with her guests and listeners about diagnosing and living with gut problems.

When was the last time you read a book or magazine, or listened to an audiobook?

Overall, Americans are reading less. A study last year from the University of Florida and University College London found the portion of people who read daily for pleasure in the U.S. fell from 28 percent in 2004 to 16 percent in 2023.

And, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, fewer than half of all adults said they read a book of any kind in 2022 — even fewer said they read a novel.

MPR News guest host Kerri Miller talks about what’s behind the decline in reading, and why some people are saying that it points to a fundamental shift that has consequences for how we entertain ourselves, learn and think.

America’s college campuses are entering a period of major change. The pool of traditional college-age students is shrinking, and many young people are rethinking whether college is worth the cost.

MPR News guest host Kerri Miller and her guests talk about why colleges are expecting fewer students, how public and private institutions are preparing, and what’s influencing whether — and where — young people decide to pursue higher education.

Guests:

• Nathan Grawe is a professor of economics at Carleton College and is one of the country’s leading experts on the college enrollment cliff. He is also the author of “Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education," and “The Agile College,” which helped bring national attention to the coming decline of college-age students.
• Suzanne Rivera is the president of Macalester College in St. Paul. She has been the president since June of 2020.

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Wildfires have burned thousands of acres across northern Minnesota, sending smoke into communities around the state and prompting air quality alerts.

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  Live updates Get the latest information on wildfires in Minnesota
  
  

MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with meteorologists about the combination of heat, rainfall, humidity, wind and drought that can increase wildfire risk. They'll also discuss what this summer's weather patterns can tell us about the weeks ahead, how smoke travels hundreds of miles from fires and how a changing climate is influencing fire seasons in Minnesota.

Guests:

• Ben Cathey is the chief meteorologist for MPR News.
• Sven Sundgaard is a meteorologist for MPR News.
• Mandy Thalhuber is a meteorologist for MPR News.
• Jeff Masters is a meteorologist who writes about extreme weather for Yale Climate Connections, a news service that focuses on climate change. He is a former hurricane hunter and the co-founder of the commercial weather service, Weather Underground.

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Smoke from wildfires burning in northern Minnesota and Canada has drifted into other parts of Minnesota this week and triggered air quality alerts for much of the state.

MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks about how air quality is monitored and forecast and the health risks of breathing wildfire smoke.

Guests:

• Kathy Raleigh is an epidemiologist who works in the environmental health division of the Minnesota Department of Health.
• Matt Taraldsen is a meteorologist and supervisor of the team that issues air quality conditions, alerts and forecasts at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Resources discussed during the show:

Air quality forecasts: Air quality forecast | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Current air quality conditions

• AirNow.gov allows you to check current air quality conditions. You can also download the AirNow mobile app and sign up to receive air quality alerts and forecasts via email.
• Current air quality conditions | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (state.mn.us)
• Purple Air

Minnesota Outdoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools and Child Care

The MPCA's Air quality and health webpage has information about health and indoor and outdoor air quality and how to prevent air pollution.

The Minnesota Department of Health has an Air Quality, Climate and Health webpage.

The Minnesota Department of Health wildfire smoke webpage highlights ways you can protect your health against wildfire smoke.

How to make your own air cleaner: DIY Air Cleaner to Reduce Wildfire Smoke Indoors

How to protect pets

• 8 tips on keeping pets cool during the dangerous heat wave across Minnesota this week | MPR News
• Wildfire smoke and animals | American Veterinary Medical Association

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MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with a forest ecologist about what's behind the fires burning in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, why they're so difficult to contain and what we can do to reduce wildfire risk.

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  Listen Poor air quality: What causes it and how to protect your health
  
  

Guest:

• Lee Frelich is the director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Forest Ecology.

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Many Americans give up on studying another language after finishing a high school or college foreign language requirement.

But some adults are diving into learning a new language to connect with their heritage, communicate with neighbors or co-workers, as a door to travel and culture, or just to give themselves a mental challenge.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her guests about the joys and challenges of learning a new language as an adult.

Guests:

• Amanda Dalola is an associate professor of linguistics and director of the Language Center in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. She studies how people learn languages. She trained in Romance linguistics, speaks several Scandinavian languages and is currently learning Finnish, Norwegian and Korean.
• Julian Nye has been learning Spanish for the past three years through language apps, conversation groups and St. Paul Public Schools Community Education classes. He works in human resources for a Twin Cities nonprofit organization.

Summer is heating up and temperatures over the next few days are expected to climb into the 90s in many parts of Minnesota.

For many of us, that means finding ways to stay cool and maybe spending more time indoors. But public health experts say extreme heat is more than an inconvenience. It’s the deadliest weather hazard in the United States — and a growing concern in Minnesota.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about what can we do to protect ourselves, our families and our communities during stretches of extreme heat.

Guests:

• Ben Cathey is the chief meteorologist for MPR News. He leads MPR's weather coverage including Climate Cast and the Updraft weather blog and helps Minnesotans understand everything from daily forecasts to long-term climate trends and extreme weather.

• Kristin Raab is the director of the Climate & Health program at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Here’s a link to the Minnesota Department of Health’s resources for extreme heat.

Have you thought about what will happen to your home, your savings or your treasured family keepsakes after you die?

If you’re leaving it to your loved ones to just figure out, you might be leaving them costly and stressful problems.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks about why estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy, and what simple steps you can take now to reduce expenses and family conflict when you’re gone.

Kimchi. Kombucha. Yogurt. Sauerkraut. Fermented foods have been part of the human diet for thousands of years but researchers are still trying to understand their potential health benefits.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two researchers about the connection between fermented foods and our health.

Guests:

• Andres Gomez is an associate professor of animal science and food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota.
• Kylene Guse is a researcher and founder of the Living Food Initiative where she explores the connection between food, microbes, ecology and culture. She was also co-owner of the now-closed GYST Fermentation Bar in Minneapolis.