Tai Asks Why

Tai’s recently been experiencing a new, unsettling feeling that he just can’t always shake. His parents suggest it’s anxiety, and according to his friends, he’s not alone. But why does it have to feel so awful? In this episode, Tai looks for ways to manage his anxiety and where he can turn to for help.

In this episode Tai talks to:

- Adiaha I.A. Spinks-Franklin, developmental behavioral pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics for Baylor College of Medicine

- Phoebe Chin, registered psychotherapist and art therapist

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

Tai loves paying for stuff with his mobile wallet. It's quick, convenient and his pockets have never been lighter! Technology has made it easier than ever to interact with money, which has Tai wondering: will physical cash eventually be a thing of the past? From cows to cryptocurrency, Tai traces the evolution of money to see if its history can offer clues to where it’s headed next.

In this episode Tai talks to:

- Stephen McKeon, associate professor of finance at the University of Oregon

- Gina Pieters, assistant instructional professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago

- Nikhil Raghuveera, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's GeoTech Center

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

To Tai, nothing beats cutting into a perfectly cooked steak or wolfing down a big, juicy cheeseburger. But lately he’s been paying more attention to the buzz around going meatless in the fight against climate change. “Plant-based” foods like beefless burgers and chickenless nuggets have made their way into grocery aisles and fast food chains. But are those actually better for the environment? What exactly is our appetite for meat doing to the planet? Tai investigates.

In this episode Tai talks to:

- Brent Kim, researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future

- Jody Puglisi, professor of structural biology at Stanford University

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

Ever wondered why nothing feels better than a deep belly laugh? Or why it’s impossible to not inhale a bag of chips in one sitting? You’re not alone — and you bet Tai’s got you covered. Season 4 of Tai Asks Why starts April 20, but you can hear episodes two weeks early on CBC Listen with a free account (web browser only). See ya soon!

So, there's a MAJOR event happening in space science. NASA is set to launch the enormous James Webb Space Telescope. Why is this such a big deal? Tai's here to tell you why. Here's a hint: the JWST is SO powerful, it should be able to capture the faint light of the universe in its infancy. Guiding Tai on this starlit path of discovery is Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney, a James Webb Space Telescope postdoctoral researcher with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Howard University.

What if there were a pill that could add decades to your life? Would you take it? For thousands of years, people have searched for elixirs that could delay death and extend human life. Could new advances in medicine finally make this a reality? From madcap medicine to cutting-edge science, the quest to unlock the fountain of youth is teeming with dreamers, skeptics and charlatans alike. More episodes are available at: hyperurl.co/unlocking

These are anxious times, and Tai just wants to know… what’s going to happen? He can’t look into a crystal ball, but there are actually people who spend their lives predicting the future. With their help, he looks towards the great unknown.

In this episode Tai speaks to:

- Rose Eveleth, the creator of Flash Forward Presents, a podcast network that demystifies the future, with shows like Flash Forward and Advice For And From The Future

- Tim Chartier, Professor of Mathematics at Davidson College. He often uses data analytics to predict outcomes in sports

- Satyan Devadoss, Fletcher Jones Chair of Applied Mathematics at the University of San Diego and author of Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries.

This is the last episode of Season 3, thanks so much for tuning in!

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

Not to be a downer, but the universe could end any minute. Or it could take a hundred million years. Give or take. So we don't know *when* it will happen, but we can be a bit more certain about *how* the universe will end. In this episode, Tai unpacks the science of the end times.

In this episode Tai talks to:

- Katie Mack, theoretical astrophysicist and the author of The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking),

- Christopher Kochanek, professor of astronomy at the Ohio State University. His current research focuses on "massive stars behaving badly."

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

For Tai, the internet has always been there, and it's hard to imagine life without it. It seems almost like it's everywhere, all at once, like magical little clouds filled with information above us. But he learns there's a very real, physical system that allows him to send memes to friends or submit his homework. And more importantly, not everyone has equal access to it.

In this episode Tai talks to:

- Nicole Starosielski, Associate Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University

- Janice Gates, Director of the Equitable Internet Initiative by the Detroit Community Technology Project.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759

Nothing on our planet could function without pooower! Even though energy is all around us, harnessing that energy and turning it into power is a massive challenge. Powering our day-to-day lives makes up almost half of fossil fuel emissions, which is causing climate change! Tai tries to find out if there's a better way to power the planet.

In this episode Tai talks to:

- Richard Randell, engineer and PhD candidate at Stanford's Mechanical Engineering program

- Daniel Ddiba, research associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute. He conducts research into how poop can be used as fuel for industries and other applications in African cities

- Jim Green, chief scientist at NASA, who tells Tai how NASA's planning on providing power for future colonies on Mars, 140 million kilometres away.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/tai-asks-why-transcripts-listen-1.6747759