Are invasive species present because they’re the only ones that can thrive in an area? Are they multiplying because of something bad we’re injecting into their environment? Are these aliens actually helping nature create a diverse and robust environment? And are those so-called native species of plants and animals really native? Our guests have some surprising answers to those questions.

After World War I there was a great conflict in Turkey and many Christians and others were killed. We’ll hear how the efforts of one brave relief worker and a Navy commander finally brought the victims to safety.

There has been a debate going on for decades over Social Security and it’s future. We talk to a researcher about why Social Security is important, isn’t going broke, and how it can be expanded with modest increases.

We talk to two Coast Guard specialists about what you need to know and have on hand in your boat to make this summer’s boating safe and fun.

We talk to a researcher and author about how the framing of climate change can skew the message and create attitudes that affect how we think of global warming and how we become motivated to do something about it.

When the last child leaves home for college, marriage or that first job, parents are often sad and at loose ends about how the rest of their lives will progress. We talk to a therapist and author who’s experienced her own children leaving home, about the emotions of “the empty nest” and what parents can do to reframe their lives when the children go out on their own.

We talk to an author and to a high school counselor about the myths surrounding acceptance to an “elite” college, why a small school can be a better fit, and how high school counselors can better serve diverse and often financially strapped students.

We talk to a man who has researched the unusual side of gardening and find out about some very interesting plants, and how they were cultivated and used in the past as hallucinogens, medicines and tourist attractions.

Does it ever seem like the more you try to get stuff done, the less you accomplish? We talk to two experts about some simple strategies you can use to make more of the time you have to get things done.

With the baby boomers transitioning into retirement in record numbers, and their parents living longer, we’re facing an eldercare challenge that’s bigger than we’ve ever seen before in this country.