We might think of it today as a wasteland of ice and penguins, but Antarctica once was covered in greenery. Paleobotanist Brian Atkinson explains how to look for ancient plant fossils in Antarctica — and how those fossils could forecast the fate of plants on our rapidly warming planet.

Could the social and economic pressures faced by essential workers during the current pandemic be similar to those faced by women in the porn industry? Akiko Takeyama, author and associate professor of women, gender and sexuality studies, says in both the pandemic and porn, economic and structural issues make it hard for workers to say no.

The pandemic has changed how we use libraries. So has the internet. So what? Libraries have been evolving for 4,000 years in how they store and create knowledge. And libraries aren’t just the place where you find information — they lead the drive for creating and sharing knowledge with people all over the world.

Thomas Frank, author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas” and more recently “The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism,” explains that populism — a term invented in Kansas — has been commandeered by political opportunists in the U.S. and Europe.

For Jane Barnette, Halloween is a thrilling time of year. In this episode, the associate professor of theatre talks about her research into the portrayal of witches on stage and screen, and she challenges widespread notions that gave rise to fictional witches such as the Wicked Witch of the West. In part, Barnette’s perspective is based on her own practice of witchcraft.

It’s not just the fear of violence or a belief in constitutional rights that provides Americans with reasons to own guns. Concerns about Armageddon and “supernatural evil” also enter into people’s decision-making. Margaret Kelley’s research is part of a larger book project about “normal people using normal guns,” specifically focusing on the average woman gun owner in Middle America. 

When you’re racing to a hospital emergency room, you’re not thinking about all of the steps it took to make that ER available in a moment of need. But for the past two decades, Frank Zilm has been doing just that. He chats with “When Experts Attack!” correspondent Rick Hellman and dispels the notion that our health systems are prepared for surge events like the current pandemic. To the contrary, Zilm claims hospitals should be rebuilt from scratch to avoid disaster upon disaster.

Of all the depictions of the military on screen — large or small — “Generation Kill” is the best portrayal of day-to-day life, according to Steve Leonard. The retired senior U.S. Army strategist knows a thing or two about the military and pop culture. He’s provided chapters to the books “Strategy Strikes Back: How ‘Star Wars’ Explains Modern Military Conflict” and “Winning Westeros: How ‘Game of Thrones’ Explains Modern Military Conflict.” In this episode, he explains what Hollywood so often gets wrong about military culture.

The United States Supreme Court deemed it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees for sexual orientation or transgender status. In this episode, Kyle Velte, associate professor of law, explains why the SCOTUS ruling is a “landmark case that will transform the American workplace.” She also recounts her own experiences at the Supreme Court and tells us how the highest court in the land conducts its business in the age of COVID-19.

Bragging, complaining, criticizing. Donald Trump’s rhetoric is a drastic departure from that of past U.S. presidents. Robert Rowland discusses Trump’s rhetorical departure and what it means for the 2020 election cycle. Rowland — a professor specializing in the rhetorical legacies of presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama — is author of “Analyzing Rhetoric: A Handbook for the Informed Citizen in a New Millennium.”