Think from KERA

[2016-04-11 13:00:00] Comedian Zach Anner jokes that he botched his own birth, entering the world two months early and with cerebral palsy. This hour, we’ll talk with him about not letting a disease stand in the way of pursuing a full life, which he writes about in his memoir “If at Birth You Don’t Succeed: My Adventures with Disaster and Destiny” (Henry Holt and Co.).

[2016-04-07 12:00:00] Charlie Hamilton James has spent his life shooting photos and video of wildlife for the BBC, National Geographic and other major outlets. This hour, we’ll talk with him about documenting nature in the Peruvian rainforest, Yellowstone National Park, Tanzania’s Serengeti and elsewhere. James speaks tonight at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science as part of the National Geographic Live! series.

[2016-04-07 13:00:00] Anders Ericsson has spent the last 30 years studying virtuoso musicians, champion athletes and other exceptional performers to learn how they became great. This hour, we’ll talk with him about what it takes to make it from average to excellent, the topic of his new book, “Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

[2016-04-06 13:00:00] One of the most popular courses at Harvard is Michael Puett’s class on ancient Chinese philosophy. This hour, we’ll talk with Puett about how we can adapt 2,000-year-old wisdom to our lives today, the subject of his book “The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us about the Good Life” (Simon & Schuster).

[2016-04-06 12:00:00] The word most often associated with “midlife” is “crisis.” This hour, we’ll talk about why we should actually embrace midlife – and about how our middle years provide the perspective needed to refocus our lives – with Barbara Bradley Hagerty. She writes about the topic in “Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife” (Riverhead Books).

[2016-04-05 13:00:00] Pretentiousness is an offense that most of us will never cop to – yet we all know someone guilty of the crime. This hour, we’ll talk about a defense of pretension – and about how a mightier-than-thou attitude can help to advance creative endeavors – with Dan Fox. He’s the author of “Pretentiousness: Why It Matters” (Coffee House Press).

[2016-04-05 12:00:00] March was a particularly brutal month for terrorism, with more than 100 people dying between the attacks in Belgium and Pakistan alone. This hour, we’ll talk about the psychology of violent extremism with Claudia Wallis. She’s the managing editor of “Scientific American Mind,” which covers the topic in its May/June issue.

[2016-04-04 12:00:00] Once an opinion’s been tweeted, a pic’s been posted or a link’s been shared, it’s nearly impossible to erase those digital footprints. This hour, we’ll talk about the damage our online history can cause our future selves – and about efforts to recapture our privacy – with Meg Leta Jones, author of “Ctrl + Z: The Right to Be Forgotten” (NYU Press).

[2016-04-04 13:00:00] New technology is making it increasingly easier for a woman to carry a baby to term for another person. Some do it as a gift for a loved one; others do it to make money. This hour, we’ll talk about the interpersonal dynamics of surrogacy with UT-Arlington associate professor of sociology Heather Jacobson. She’s the author of “Labor of Love: Gestational Surrogacy and the Work of Making Babies” (Rutgers University Press).

[2016-03-31 12:00:00] Jane Goodall has spent the last 50 years researching the behavior of wild chimpanzees. This hour, we’ll talk with her about her life’s work studying the animals at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. Goodall speaks tonight at UT-Arlington’s College Park Center as part of the Maverick Speakers Series.