Please Explain (The Leonard Lopate Show)

Credit, and its misuse, are major causes of our current economic crisis. On Please Explain, find out about the pros and cons of credit, how it's evolved in recent years, and what role it can now play in an economic recovery. Jeffrey Blyskal is a Senior Editor with Consumer Reports.

‘Tis the season for holiday cookies, cakes, and pies. Find about the chemistry of baking, and why techniques and ingredients really do matter when creating the tastiest baked treats. Chef Katherine Alford is editor and Test Kitchen Director for the Food Network; Dorie Greenspan is a food writer, expert baker, and author of several cookbooks including Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Some diets and supplements claim to work by speeding up metabolism. Find out how metabolism works, why it’s essential to life, and whether food, exercise, and supplements really can accelerate it...or slow it down. Dr. Rosalind Coleman is Professor of Nutrition and Pediatrics at UNC-Chapel Hill; Marion Nestle is Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU.

After water, tea is the most widely-consumed drink in the world. Please Explain is all about tea! Find out why it’s so popular, and how it’s shaped world history. Michael Harney is a tea expert as well as a buyer and blender for Harney & Sons of Connecticut; Jane Pettigrew is a tea historian and writer.

The Sun makes up about 99% of the total mass of the Solar System. Find out what the sun is made of, how hot it is, and why humans couldn’t survive without it. Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase is an astronomer with Chicago’s Adler Planetarium and a senior research associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Chicago; Chris Lintott is an astrophysicist with Oxford University and the co-host of the BBC’s astronomy program, "The Sky at Night."

Since the 1980s, the percentage of people diagnosed with autism has risen dramatically, and no one is exactly sure why. Find out how autism affects the brain, and what the latest theories are on how to treat it. Dr. Robert T. Schultz is Director of the Center for Autism Research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Kathy Pratt is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of America.

Now that the election is over – what happens to all the staff, leftover funds, and political machinery? Find out how campaigns are dismantled and transitioned after Election Day. Paul C. Light is Professor at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service; Martha Joynt Kumar is Professor at Towson University and

Please Explain is all about what keeps voters undecided until the very last minute. And if you’re one of those undecided voters…we’d love to hear from you. Tell us why you haven’t made up your mind, and what it will take for you to do so by Nov. 4.

Dr. Joshua Gold is Assistant Professor at the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Samuel Wang is Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Neuroscience at Princeton University, and author of Welcome to Your Brain. We're also joined by Carroll Doherty from the PEW Research Center for the People and the Press.

Jealousy is one of the most basic human experiences; it's even been observed in infants as young as five months old. Find out what jealousy is, what causes it, and why the green-eyed monster can be both destructive and productive. Dr. Maria Legerstee is Professor of Psychology at York University; Dr. Gordon Clanton is Sociology Professor at San Diego State University.

Weigh in: Tell us about your most intense experience with jealousy, and how it affected your life.

Botox is the most common cosmetic procedure in the U.S.. In addition to erasing wrinkles, it’s also sometimes used to treat migraines and excessive salivation, among other conditions. Find out what Botox is, and what the risks and benefits are. Dr. Paul Greene is Associate Professor of Neurology at Columbia University; Ewen Callaway is Biomedicine reporter for New Scientist magazine.