Think from KERA

Most of the recent conversation about space exploration has centered on Mars. This hour, we’ll talk about why the Red Planet may not be the most viable option for a space colony – and we’ll talk about the place that is: Titan, a moon orbiting Saturn. We’ll be joined by planetary scientist Amanda Hendrix, co-author of “Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets” (Pantheon).

Gemstones, metals and natural resources are all found right beneath the ground we walk on. This hour, we’ll talk about how humans throughout time have turned to the Earth for the materials that power our civilization, the subject of the new NOVA series “Treasures of the Earth: Gems, Metals and Power,” which airs tonight on KERA-TV. We’ll be joined by producer Doug Hamilton.

This hour, we’ll talk about how Medicare will be funded going forward – and about how it relates to the Affordable Care Act – with health journalist Trudy Lieberman. Her story “Is Medicare on Its Last Legs” appears in the current issue of Harper’s magazine.

This hour, we’ll talk with the former chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary John Simpson about how new words are added, how meanings evolve and about the effect technology has on how we speak.

Intelligence has arguably overtaken sheer force as the key to military success. This hour, we’ll talk about how the CIA, FBI and military special forces share information and increasingly work together to fight terrorism. We’ll be joined by James Kitfield, senior fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and author of “Twilight Warriors: The Soldiers, Spies, & Special Agents Who Are Revolutionizing the American Way of War” (Basic Books).

Filipino Americans are classified by the U.S. Census as Asian. But because of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines, many Filipinos also feel part Latino. This hour, we’ll talk about how skin color, history and other factors contribute to cultural identity with sociologist Anthony Christian Ocampo, author of “The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race” (Stanford University Press).

Paul English accomplished every tech entrepreneur’s mission when he sold Kayak to Priceline for $2 billion. He was set for life, yet figuring out what to do next was a more complicated question than he expected. This hour, we’ll talk about what to do when your dreams come true with Tracy Kidder, who tells English’s story in “A Truck Full of Money: One Man’s Quest to Recover from Great Success” (Random House). Kidder will be in town tonight for an event benefiting the Dallas Public Library.

Much of the last 50 years of American foreign policy has centered on the nation’s relationship to the Arab world – from the 1973 oil embargo to 9/11 and the present day. This hour, we’ll talk about how Americans of Arab descent have viewed these events – and about their relationship with their fellow non-Arab Americans – with Alia Malek, author of “A Country Called Amreeka: U.S. History Re-Told Through Arab American Lives” (Free Press). She’s in town to receive the Hiett Prize from the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.

Republican State Rep. Jason Villalba was initially reluctant to support Donald Trump in the presidential race. This hour, we’ll talk with him about what changed his mind – and about what Trump’s victory says for the GOP going forward. And we’ll also talk with Democratic State. Sen. Royce West about how his party will move forward following its surprise defeat at the top of the ticket.

Donald Trump’s historic upset victory caught many by surprise. This hour, we’ll talk about why the polls showing a Clinton win got it wrong with UTD polling expert Harold Clarke. We’ll also talk about what we can expect for the next four years with with TCU political science professor James Riddlesperger and UNT assistant political science professor Andrea Silva.