Think from KERA

One of the most frustrating experiences in the workplace is coming up with a bold idea and having it immediately subjected to the conventional groupthink of the office. Physicist and entrepreneur Safi Bahcall joins host Krys Boyd to talk about strategies for breaking through these obstacles to turn inspiration into reality. His new book is called“Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas that Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries” (St. Martin’s Press).

Since 1979, Texas Rangers fans have leapt from their seats upon hearing Eric Nadel’s signature, “That ball is history!” The radio stalwart joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his approach to calling the action over the course of  a 162-game season – and about how baseball lead him to a deep connection with Latin America.

For researchers, the human genome is akin to an archeologist discovering a hidden tomb. Harvard genetics professor David Reich joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how studying our ancestor’s DNA has opened the door to understanding how humans have evolved. His book “Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past” (Vintage) is just out in paperback.

William J. Burns’ 33 years as a diplomat included stints as ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary of state. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the continued importance of “soft power” in the wake of President Trump’s call for a 23 percent cut in State Department funding. Burns’ new book is called“The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal” (Random House).

Life in Central America presents an almost impossible choice: Stay and live under constant fear of violence or leave and put your family’s life in the hands of smugglers. Texas Tribune reporter Jay Root followed a father and his daughter as they navigated the path from Honduras to the U.S. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the physical and financial risks that these journeys require, which he writes about in a joint investigation with Time magazine.

Nearly half of households with people aged 55 and older have no retirement savings. UMass-Boston sociology professor Katherine S. Newman joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the likely return of old-age poverty – and about how the country can renew its social contract with seniors. Her new book is called “Downhill from Here: Retirement Insecurity in the Age of Inequality” (Metropolitan Books).

Every year, taxpayers subsidize everything from sports stadiums to movie productions. Pat Garofalo of the Center for American Progress joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the economic promise of these subsidies often fails to materialize, which he writes about in “The Billionaire Boondoggle: How Our Politicians Let Corporations and Bigwigs Steal Our Money and Jobs” (St. Martin’s Press).

If you’ve ever wondered why you think and feel a certain way about the world, the answers can likely be found in your social network. Matthew O. Jackson, William D. Eberle professor of economics at Stanford, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how these networks act as composites of ourselves – and how they often forecast the paths we’ll take. His new book is called“The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs, and Behaviors”(Pantheon).

Vibrant LGBT communities are not only found in reliably blue states. Daily Beast reporter Samantha Allen joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her cross-country trip meeting queer people thriving in conservative strongholds, which she writes about in“Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States”(Little, Brown, and Co.).

This month, doctors in London announced they had eradicated HIV from a patient’s body – only the second time that has been accomplished. New York Times reporter Matt Richtel joins host Krys Boyd to talk about our complicated immune system, which is capable of both healing the body and turning on it. His new book is called “An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System” (William Morrow).