Ransomware Attacks Are Growing (0:33)

Guest: Bill Siegel, CEO, Coveware

Ransomware attacks are getting more serious and more expensive around the world, according to data from the cybersecurity firm Coveware. These are attacks where hackers infiltrate a personal or company network, lock down files on those computers and then demand a ransom to unlock the files. The average ransom paid in situations like this is now more than $80,000, which is double what it was just six months ago, according to Coveware. Why are hackers getting so bold?

How “Efficient” Hospital Systems Sometimes Put Doctors in an Ethical Bind (21:09)

Guest: Keith A. Corl, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brown University 

As hospitals try to walk the line between making money and making patients happy, they’re implementing policies that, on the surface seem helpful. Like, how many emergency rooms now send a doctor or nurse out into the waiting room to do a quick assessment of a patient and order any tests or blood work right then, so the next doctor who will treat the patient has a head start when it’s the patient’s turn to head back to the exam room. That’s one example of a system that emergency room physician Keith Corl says puts doctors in a bind where they’re not able to do what’s best for their patients.

High Schoolers Turn to Instagram to Combat Anti-Semitism (38:37)

Guest: Abby Adams and Sammy Gabbai, Co-Creators of “Why I Wear My Star”

Acts of anti-Semitism – ranging from vandalism to violent attacks and shootings – have risen in America recently. So why would young Jewish people around the country be eager to don a Star of David and talk openly about why they wear it?

Menstrual Hygiene Remains a Major Health Concern in Africa. The Cup Is Helping. (50:10)

Guest: Penelope Phillips-Howard, Public Health Epidemiologist, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; Khadija Osman, Founder of Live Right Ghana; Kofi Nyanteng, Monitoring and Evaluating Specialist, CouldYou? Cup in Ghana; Darmin Mutenda, Menstrual Cup Educator, CouldYou? Cup in Mozambique

Women spend, on average 65 days a year dealing with menstrual blood flow. That the equivalent of two months each year for the majority of her adolescence and adult life. Now, I know menstruation isn’t something you’re supposed to talk about in polite company. But it literally affects half the population on the planet. And the stigma and silence surrounding it only makes it harder for women and girls to manage their periods in a safe, effective way. In Africa, for example, the UN estimates one in ten girls miss school during menstruation.

Remembering NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson (1:21:32)

Guest: Bill Barry, NASA Chief Historian

NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson died this week at the age of 101. As an African American woman, she broke both color and gender barriers at NASA. Her calculations helped put the first Americans in space and her career featured in the book and movie "Hidden Figures."