Think from KERA

The documentary “Tower” revisits the day Charles Whitman ascended UT-Austin’s iconic tower and unleashed a shooting spree that left 14 dead and more than 30 injured on the mall below. The film airs on PBS stations tomorrow night. Pete Blair, executive director of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University joins us to talk about how the authorities handle active shooter situations. And we’ll also talk with “Tower” director Keith Maitland and Claire Wilson, who was struck by one of Whitman’s bullets.

Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” is arguably the most important book of the 19th Century. University of Tulsa professor Randall Fuller joins us to talk about how the book’s argument for a common ancestry for all creatures was used as a potent argument against slavery. He writes about the idea in “The Book That Changed America: How Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation” (Viking). Study up for the conversation by reading Chris Vognar’s Dallas Morning News review of the book.

Compulsive behavior can take many forms – from double checking that the door’s locked to extreme, irrational habits that derail people’s lives. Science writer Sharon Begley joins us to talk about the relationship between these behaviors and anxiety, which she writes about in “Can’t. Just. Stop.: An Investigation of Compulsion” (Simon & Schuster).

Neil Gaiman is the rare author whose talents translate from short stories, to comic books, to screenplays and, of course, novels. He joins us to talk about dipping into ancient history for his newest book, “Norse Mythology,” which takes its inspiration from the cultural stories of ancient Scandinavia.

When David Stuart was 15 years old, he deciphered a piece of the Mayan code that unlocked the ancient culture’s system of hieroglyphics. That was just the beginning of his lifelong study of the Maya, a passion that lead him to the leadership of the Mesoamerica Center at the University of Texas at Austin. He joins us to talk about the people who once dominated parts of Mexico and Central America – the subject of the exhibit “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed” at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

Each year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists updates its Doomsday Clock – a measurement of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, climate change and other existential threats to humanity. And the news this year was not good. Kennette Benedict, former executive director and publisher of the Bulletin, joins us to talk about why last year we ticked forward another 30 seconds closer to the end of the world – and about if there’s anything we can do to turn back the clock.

Our democracy is designed for the three branches of government to keep each other in check. As the nearly three-week-old Trump Administration puts policies into place, many are wondering how President Trump and his team will steer the future of the United States. David Frum joins us to talk about what it would take for the executive branch to wrestle power from the U.S. Judiciary and Congress and fundamentally alter our democracy. His story “How to Build an Autocracy” appears in the March issue of The Atlantic.

The probability of any of us being affected by a tornado, earth quake or other natural disaster is relatively low. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare for them, though. Wharton school professor Robert Meyer joins us to talk about how we should plan for traumatic events – and why many of us choose to just hope for the best. His new book is called “The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters” (Wharton Digital Press).

Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn won the Nobel Prize for her research into telomeres, the structure that protects our chromosomes and, in turn, our genetic heritage. She joins us to talk about how telomeres contribute to how we age, the subject of her book “The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer” (Grand Central Publishing).

President Trump has wasted no time making good on campaign promises through the use of executive orders. It’s a strategy President Obama also employed in his first few weeks in office. Daniel Gitterman, chair of the University of North Carolina Department of Public Policy, joins us to talk about how presidents use executive orders. He writes about the topic in “Calling the Shots: The President, Executive Orders, and Public Policy” (Brookings Institution Press).