Think from KERA

Sally Field is one of the most recognizable actors of her generation. She’s tackled countless roles from television’s Gidget to complex characters like Sybil and Mary Todd Lincoln on the big screen. The Academy Award winner joins us to reveal a character we’re less familiar with – herself. Sally Field’s new memoir is“In Pieces”(Grand Central).

Boom and bust cycles are nothing new in the oil business – something Texas oil producers know well. And new extraction techniques like fracking have promised huge future gains for the industry. Investigative journalist Bethany McLean joins us to discuss whether those anticipated returns are based on reality which she writes about in“Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It’s Changing the World”(Columbia Global Reports).

Smartphones have made communication faster and easier than ever for moms and dads trying to keep up with busy teens. And services like location tracking offer even more information to worried parents. But is there a downside to knowing where a child is and what they’re doing at all times? Psychologist Lisa Damour joins us to talk about how tracking your teen might confuse the question of who is really responsible for their safety. Her recent piece in the New York Times is called“Should You Track Your Teen’s Location?”

Everybody likes fossils. From shark’s teeth to small limestone shells, fossils are neat to hunt and collect. New Yorker staff writer Paige Williams joins us to talk about what happens when fossil hunters go big – Tyrannosaurus big – and run afoul of scientists and governments. Her new book is“The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth’s Ultimate Trophy”(Hachette Books).

South Asians comprise one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in America – building careers in fields like science, technology, business and more recently public service and pop culture. Journalist Yudhijit Bhattacharjee joins us to explore how this group of new Americans is thriving which he writes about in“How South Asian Americans Are Building a New American Dream”for National Geographic Magazine.

Everybody likes fossils. From shark’s teeth to small limestone shells, fossils are neat to hunt and collect. New Yorker staff writer Paige Williams joins us to talk about what happens when fossil hunters go big – Tyrannosaurus big – and run afoul of scientists and governments. Her new book is“The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth’s Ultimate Trophy”(Hachette Books).

Growing up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Sylvia Acevedo would play with a kaleidoscope in her back yard and dream big. She realized those dreams as one of the first Latina women to graduate with a master’s in engineering from Stanford University and to become a rocket scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Now the CEO of the Girl Scouts, Acevedo joins us to discuss her personal story and her dreams for girls across America. Acevedo’s new memoir for young readers is“Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist”(Clarion Books).

Through research spanning the last four decades, scientists have discovered that our DNA isn’t just inherited from ancestors. In fact about eight percent of the human genome comes from viruses. Science journalist David Quammen joins us to explore horizontal gene transfer and discuss whether it redefines our place in nature. His new book is“The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life”(Simon & Schuster).

Humans are unique – and not just in our own eyes. We’re the only species to both completely dominate the planet and simultaneously jeopardize our own ability to survive. Seth Fletcher, chief features editor for Scientific American Magazine, joins us to discuss the current special issue“Humans: Why we’re unlike any other species on the planet.”

DeRay McKesson was on the ground in Ferguson, Mo., as protestors raged following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. And yet, his outlook is optimistic when it comes to healing America’s racial divides. He joins us to make the case that there’s a path to healing, which he writes about in “On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope” (Viking).