Wonder Cabinet

psychedelic science is back — and the early results are extraordinary. A single dose of psilocybin can help people with addictions, PTSD and end-of-life anxiety. We’ll examine this revolution in medicine, and explore the connections between psychedelics a Mother’s Little Helper: LSD?; How Psychedelic Drugs Will Revolutionize Psychiatry; Lessons from a Psychedelic Guide; On A Mountain Top, With Ayahuasca And Frog Poison; Psychedelics and God.

Sometimes it's better to forget than to remember. Maybe it's an embarrassing photo on Facebook. Or perhaps a collective memory that's been used by certain ethnic groups to stir up hatred of their enemies. We explore the science, history and philosophy of memory. Plus, filmmaker Whit Stillman on his film adaptation of a forgotten Jane Austen novel. How Embarrassing!; Meg Leta Jones on the Right to be Forgotten; War, Peace and Historical Memory; The Woman Who Never Forgets; The Science of Remembering; Simon Critchley on Memory Palaces; Whit Stillman on Jane Austen.

It’s Oscar season and Hollywood is once again celebrating the best films of the year. It would seem we're a nation that's obsessed with movies, spending billions of dollars to watch them every year, and celebrating them with a variety of awards ceremonies. But what separates a classic from a box office disaster? This hour, we turn to a few of the people who know film best -- the critics, actors and directors who've devoted their lives to the si A.O. Scott on the Art of Criticism; Manohla Dargis Recommends 'Boyhood'; Roger Ebert on Film Criticism; Crying at the Movies; How Alfred Hitchcock Created Suspense Through Music; An Inside Look at Hollywood's Death-Defying Stuntwomen.

There’s arguably no greater mystery than who we fall for. Why do some romances fizzle out, while others flourish, and grow into lifelong companionship?  What can science reveal about lust, romance, and compassion? In a live show recorded onstage from the Majestic Theater in Madison, To the Best of Our Knowledge, in partnership with the Center for Humans and Nature, explored the science of love. What people or things bring love into your life? We're building an evolving look at love, and we need your help. If the live show inspired you in any way, send us a note at [email protected]. The Wild World of Animal Sex; The Joy of ‘Catching Flies’; Finding Love With 36 Simple Questions (web extra); The New Science of Sexual Fluidity; Comedian Esteban Touma on Love, Marriage and Squirrels; What’s Love Got To Do With Evolution?; A Single Throat and Four Appendages Attempting to Multiply like Cells .

Forty years ago Richard Dawkins wrote the landmark book “The Selfish Gene,” where he argued that the gene is what drives evolution. But what if he got it all wrong?

The Gun The Cody Firearms Museum; The Gun Myth; the Legend of Sarah Winchester; LIberals! Go Out and Buy a Gun!; Negroes and the Gun; Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives.

In this show, we explore the fictional universes that continue to enchant us.  How to Build Fantastical Fictional Universes; The Secret History of Twin Peaks; A Haunting Story of Lincoln, Love and Loss.

Chaotic headlines out of Washington, ice melting in Antarctica, world temps rising and global conflict on the rise… it could be worse.  It could be Ragnarok.  

We’re exploring love by the  numbers, this week.  36 questions, 40 first dates, and 43 equations – it’s all part of the new mathematical science of love. Love in 36 Questions; To Fall In Love, Do This; Screw Everyone; Calculus of Love -- Why Good Marriages Are Made of Math; Dangerous Idea: Why it's Good to be Alone; Edmund White on the Politics of Promiscuity.