Think from KERA

Physical attraction is usually one of the first traits that draws couples together. And it’s no different in the animal kingdom. Yale ornithologist Richard Prum joins us to talk about how various creatures have changed their physical appearances in order to attract a mate – and about what animal courtship has taught us about human sexuality. His new book is called “The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World – and Us” (Doubleday).

America has survived five major crashes of the stock exchange – though each one left scars. Scott Nations joins us to detail the first in 1907, the most recent in 2010, as well as the ones in between. Plus, we’ll talk about what we learned from these disasters. His new book is called “A History of the United States in Five Crashes: Stock Market Meltdowns that Defined a Nation” (William Morrow).

The first time Kumail Nanjiani met the parents of his future wife, Emily Gordon, was in her hospital room as Emily lay motionless in a coma. She eventually recovered, and the pair have turned the experience into the critically acclaimed romantic comedy “The Big Sick.” The film opens in Dallas this weekend, and Nanjiani joins us to talk about finding humor in one of the darkest times of their lives.

Texas is home to more than 150 lakes. And these bodies of water serve a number of functions. Andrew Sansom, executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, joins us to talk about how our lakes are managed, the role they play in supplying water to the state, and why the majority of our large lakes are manmade.

Hundreds of thousands of podcasts are available for us to listen to. And deciding which ones are worth our time is hard work. As host of the WAMU radio show “The Big Listen,” Lauren Ober reviews new podcasts for a living. She joins us to talk about the ones we should be listening to this summer.

This week, the Senate will debate the details of its bill that would replace the Affordable Care Act. The legislation is opposed by all Democratic senators – and a handful of Republicans, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Vann Newkirk is covering the story for The Atlantic. He joins us to talk about what’s in the bill, how it differs from its counterpart passed by the House – and about the politics surrounding the discussion.

In his bestseller “When Breath Becomes Air,” Paul Kalanithi documented his transition from rising neuroscientist to deteriorating cancer patient. Along that path, he wrestled with many of life’s difficult questions. His, wife, Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, was by his side as he worked on the book until his death in 2015. She joins us to talk about that experience.

Young people diagnosed with autism have access to special programs and schools to help them through their early years. But what happens to these people as they age out of these support systems? We’ll talk about preparing people to thrive as autistic adults with Gary Moore, co-founder of the nonPareil Institute, Susan Wood, executive director of Hope Center for Autism, and Jack Winters, a young man with autism.

As the movie critic for the Washington Post, Ann Hornaday analyzes movies for a living. In the thick of summer blockbuster season, she joins us to talk about how we can better understand the sights and sounds of the big screen, the subject of her book “Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies” (Basic Books).

On Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will trace a line stretching from Oregon to South Carolina. A similar event happened in July of 1878, which helped astronomers of the day to better understand our solar system. David Baron joins us to tell the story of the scientists who chased the eclipse, which he writes about in “American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World” (Liveright Publishing).