Think from KERA

Social media networks have been a major driver of change in the Muslim word – facilitating everything from the Arab Spring to ISIS. Haroon K. Ullah, a former advisor to three secretaries of state, joins us to talk about the impact of online networks in the Middle East and elsewhere, which he writes about in “Digital World War: Islamists, Extremists, and the Fight for Cyber Supremacy” (Yale University Press).

One Bitcoin is currently worth about $15,000. How could something that relatively few people understand become so valuable? Jen Schwartz, an expert on what’s known as blockchain technology, joins us to explain how Bitcoin works and to talk about if it’s here to stay. She edited a special report on digital currency that appears in the January issue of Scientific American magazine.

With our cell phones, computer histories and security cameras, someone out there knows where we are and what we’re doing nearly every minute of the day. UT-Austin American studies professor Randolph Lewis joins guest host Lauren Silverman to talk about the human cost of constant tracking, which he writes about in “Under Surveillance: Being Watched in Modern America” (University of Texas Press).

At the height of its power, the sun never set on the British Empire. And that scope turned Britain into a clearinghouse for culture, connecting East and West through its many trade routes. Historian Lizzie Collingham joins guest host Lauren Silverman to talk about the effect these connections had on how food traditions spread across the globe, which she writes about in “The Taste of Empire: How Britain’s Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World” (Basic Books).

Jellyfish get a bad rap – they sting us when we’re at the beach, clog power plants and harm fisheries. Still, you’ve got to respect the fact that they’ve navigated our oceans for more than 500 million years. Juli Berwald joins guest host Lauren Silverman to talk about these fascinating creatures and her study of them across the world. Her new book is called “Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone” (Riverhead Books).

Late last year, a woman gave birth to a baby via a transplanted uterus – the first time that’s ever happened in the U.S. The boy was born at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, and guest host Lauren Silverman talks about how the procedure was pulled off with members of the team who performed it: Dr. Liza Johannesson, an ob-gyn and uterus transplant surgeon at Baylor; and Dr. Giuliano Testa, the leader of the hospital’s uterus transplant clinical trial.

Most of us would like to think we’re decent, good people. Psychological studies, however, reveal that we’re really a mixed bag. Wake Forest philosophy professor Christian Miller joins guest host Lauren Silverman to talk about how we can recognize our flaws and address them. He writes about the idea in “The Character Gap: How Good Are We?” (Oxford University Press).

One of the joys of “Saturday Night Live” is the live part – which allows the actors to improvise in the moment. Sam Wasson talks about the role improv has played in America’s comedic identity. His new book is called “Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

We’re currently living through one of the largest humanitarian emergencies in history as millions of refugees flee their countries in search of safety. David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, talks about the political will required to save them, which he writes about in “Rescue: Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time” (Simon & Schuster).

The Supreme Court’s 2015 legalization of same-sex marriage was a watershed moment for LGBTQ rights. Fenton Johnson talks about what’s next for the movement – and about how the marriage ruling may have actually slowed some of its momentum. His essay “The Future of Queer” appears in Harpers.