How about those Vikings? Not the football team. We’re talking about the ancient voyagers and raiders from the North. MPR News host Angela Davis talked with a Minnesota historian and an archeologist in the U.K. about Vikings in popular imagination and new research that challenges old ideas about who they were and where they went. 

When COVID-19 forced stay-at-home orders and the beginning of remote work in early 2020, pundits and journalists predicted that the pandemic could dramatically change city life. They worried about an exodus to the suburbs and exurbs, the end of public transit and downtowns becoming obsolete. 

City life has certainly not ended, as some had feared. But the pandemic is changing the way our cities look and operate. Remote work has changed commute patterns and raised questions about how we use downtown spaces. Cities around the world have expanded pedestrian spaces and outdoor dining. 

MPR News host Angela Davis explores how the pandemic has redesigned our cities and whether those changes are here to stay. 

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For people in recovery, the pandemic presented some familiar and some new problems. And while the opioid epidemic continues to grow, access and affordability of rehab and counseling continues to be a challenge for many people. Host Angela Davis speaks with experts on entering or staying in recovery during the ongoing pandemic. 

The birth rate in the United States declined for the sixth straight year in 2020, and according to the Pew Research Center, more people say they don’t plan on having children. 

People are making that choice for a variety of reasons. Some are concerned about having children because of instability caused by climate change, political division and the COVID-19 pandemic. Others are concerned about the cost of child care, health care and education. And others are content being child-free and have no desire to have kids. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a sociology professor and an author about why more people are choosing not to have children. 

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We’re paying about 90 cents more per gallon of gas compared to a year ago. Inflation hit 7 percent last year overall, affecting everything from food to furniture. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with personal finance experts about how to save money when consumer goods cost more. 

Are you one of those people that freeze up when you need to calculate a 15 percent tip on the restaurant tab? Do you hope a friend will volunteer to figure it out?  You might have a bit of math anxiety. 

A lot of adults and kids think they’re bad at math and say they don’t like it. But learning to be comfortable with numbers and patterns is vital to holding many jobs, being a smart consumer and being a good citizen.  

Math educators are thinking these days about how to help students get excited, not anxious, about math. The state of Minnesota is revising its math standards for the first time since 2007 — right in the middle of a math slump caused by the pandemic’s disruption to classroom instruction. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talked with two math educators about how parents and teachers can kindle success in math.  

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The prolonged stress, uncertainty and grief of the pandemic is making people angry — and some of them are taking it out in public. A poll conducted by Monmouth University found that 41 percent of adults said the upheaval caused by the pandemic has made them angry. And that has caused people to have outbursts in grocery stores, on airplanes and other public places. 

Anger is a normal and natural emotion, according to mental health experts, and it’s a response to the frustration, grief and fear that the pandemic has caused. But when anger is uncontrolled, it can lead to physical health problems, relationship issues and can be harmful to others. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the increase in pandemic bad behavior with a New York Times journalist. And she talks about the causes of our anger and how to better manage it with a psychologist and an advice columnist.

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Have you found love in the pandemic? Decided it was time to break things off with someone? Has the pandemic brought you and your partner closer together… or has it made your relationship more rocky? 

The American Family Survey found in 2020 that 37 percent of married people reported that the pandemic has increased stress in their marriage. But on the flipside, that same survey found that 56 percent of those surveyed said the pandemic made them appreciate their partner more. 

So how can we strengthen our romantic relationships during times of prolonged stress and trauma? And how do we navigate dating and starting new relationships? 

MPR News guest host Twila Dang talks with a relationships and dating writer and a marriage and family therapist about navigating love during the pandemic. 

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As the cost of shelter goes up, some people are turning to alternative ways to afford the roof over their head. MPR News guest host Twila Dang talks with experts involved with land trusts and housing cooperatives and takes listener calls about creative ideas for alternatives to rising rents and mortgages. 

Robocalls. Identity theft. Fake websites.

Scams take many forms in the digital era. And they cost Americans serious money. In 2021, Americans lost about $30 billion to scam calls. And in 2020, they lost $56 billion to identity fraud. 

According to the AARP, scammers often target older adults, and they use creative methods that reflect what is currently popular, including Zoom, COVID vaccine cards and online shopping. 

MPR News guest host Chris Farrell talks about scams, how they affect older adults and how to avoid them with two experts. 

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