Thinking Aloud

There's good news and bad news about the search for life in space.  The good: it's a real scientific possibility, not just sci-fi. There's even a chance we may discover it within a century. The bad: if it exists, it's very likely to be simple, single-cell organisms, not the cute and cuddly alien creatures we see in movies. Guest host Mark Burns talks to an astronomer who just written a book on the latest science in this field.

Marcus Smith discusses our unnecessary alarm over bio-terrorism with author and environmental management expert Melanie Armstrong.

Alfred Hitchcock and his murderous movies have become household names. The Hitchcock brand is synonymous with mystery, strangulation, shock, stabbing, and, ultimately, cinematic terror. But the most conspicuous feature of the Hitchcock brand was Hitchcock himself. His large body served as an unmistakable branding tool. In this episode of Thinking Aloud, host Marcus Smith speaks with Jan Olsson, author of “Hitchcock A la Carte,” with the conversation ranging from Hitchcock’s obese body and persona to his love for steak and ice cream and his knack for cooking up a good murder mystery.

Like any other art form, opera absorbs, reflects, and refracts all kinds of political, social, and civic tensions. Mitchell Cohen, author of “The Politics of Opera: A History from Monteverdi to Mozart” tours us through the layers of meaning tucked away in masterpieces from Orpheo to the Magic Flute.

Oxford scholar and C.S. Lewis expert Michael Ward joins us to talk about his theory that the Chronicles of Narnia are based off of the seven heavens, or planets, of medieval cosmology. 

Pickpockets and hustlers can be found anywhere in the world, but one place they’re particularly common is New York City. 

Apparently, if you can fake it there, you’ll fake it anywhere. Terry Williams and Trevor B Milton, authors of a new volume out titled “The Con Men: Hustling in New York City” join us in this episode to help us navigate the psychology and methods of the big apple’s tricksters, who in their own way might just be people trying to survive against the odds, and of course, against the law.

Daniel Bender discusses his book The Animal Game: Searching for Wildness at the American Zoo and examines the role zoos have played in shaping our relationship with faraway places and people.

Marcus Smith visits with historian Gary Cross about our obsession with holding onto things from the past in the age of capitalism.

Ralph Young joins the show to discuss the role that the act of dissent has played in shaping American history and its value in propelling social progress.