He Wants to Be A Cyborg, Do You? (Originally aired February 4, 2019)

Guest: Kevin Warwick, Emeritus Professor of Cybernetics, Coventry University and University of Reading

Elon Musk –the guy behind Tesla and SpaceX -unveiled some details about his latest big idea this week. His company Neuralink is developing tiny threads that can be inserted deep in the brain and connect it to a computer. Testing on humans could start as early as next year. Sounds crazy, but people have been experimenting with merging the human body and computers for a while now. Engineer Kevin Warwick turned himself into a cyborg once. He and his students at Coventry University and the University of Reading in England did some pretty wild experiments implanting electrodes and magnets in themselves.

Before and After Loss (Originally aired December 11, 2018)

Guest: Lisa Shulman, Professor of Neurology, University of Maryland

We live in an age when we expect everything to be measurable. Even physical pain –which is notoriously personal and subjective –is now yielding its secrets to neurologists through brain scans. But what about emotional pain? Does trauma or grief leave a physical imprint on the brain that can be measured?

How to Have a Better Speaking Voice (Originally aired April 24, 2019)

Guest: Laura Verdun, Speech-language Pathologist, Co-founder of Voicetrainer LLC

When you hear someone speak and you think, “Wow, I really like that voice.” What makes it so special? Why do voices differ so dramatically and, if you want to have a more pleasing one, is it possible to learn?

The Chicago Defender and Ethel Payne, “First Lady of the Black Press” (Originally aired April 16, 2019)

Guest: James McGrath Morris, Author of “Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press”

The Chicago Defender published its last print edition this month. From here on out, the legendary black newspaper will be online only. For more than a century, The Defender has been a chronicle of black life in America, born of a time when other papers refused to publish news written by or about African Americans. The black press played acritical role in countering stereotypes and reporting the African American perspective of the Civil Rights Movement. Among The Defender’s biggest stars was Ethel Payne whose reporting during the turbulent 50s and 60s earned her a spot in the East Room of the White House, visible on camera as President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Ethel Payne broke race and gender barriers during her lengthy career as a journalist. A biography of her life came out in 2015, called “Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, First Lady of the Black Press” and it’s written by New York Times best-selling author James McGrath Morris.