NPR Programs: Talk of the Nation
NPR Programs: Talk Of The Nation
Journalist Neal Conan leads a productive exchange of ideas and opinions on the issues that dominate the news landscape. From politics and public service to education, religion, music and healthcare, Talk of the Nation offers call-in listeners the opportunity to join enlightening discussions with ...
Chicago Prosecutors Investigate Innocence Project
Journalism and law students working for the Innocence Project investigate the cases of prisoners who may be falsely imprisoned. Students at Northwestern believe they have found proof of a convicted murderer's innocence. Cook Country prosecutors want to ...
Neuroscientists And Magicians Mingle At Conference
Thousands of neuroscientists gathered in Chicago this week at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Science News writer Laura Sanders reports on the highlights, including a symposium where magicians and neuroscientists discussed their ...
Scientists Solve Mystery Of Ear-Splitting Sounds
Reporting in Nature, researchers write that a rare type of neuron in the inner ear may process painfully loud sounds, such as the blast of a jackhammer. Study author Paul Fuchs discusses how his team solved a mystery that had stumped auditory scientists ...
Searching For The Right Hand-Scrubbing Message
Researchers tried various slogans to encourage travelers to lather up after using rest stop toilets, from the disgusting — "Soap it off or eat it later" — to the educational — "Water doesn't kill germs, soap does." Hygiene expert Val ...
Seeing Through The Eyes Of An Armadillo
Sam Easterson has refined the art of the critter cam. He is the curator of the Museum of Animal Perspectives — an online repository of "remotely sensed wildlife imagery." All the footage comes from cameras implanted in the landscape or strapped to ...
Natural Selection Works On Humans, Too
Mining data from the Framingham Heart Study, scientists say they've been able to tease out the effects of natural selection on humans. Evolutionary biologist Stephen Stearns explains how evolutionary forces may produce shorter, rounder, more fertile ...
Seeing The Softer Side Of Nature
In his new book, The Age of Empathy, Frans de Waal says nature has been wrongly depicted to justify a "survival of the fittest" attitude in humans. Drawing on examples from his primate observations, de Waal says it's time for humans to rethink how we ...
Did Algae Contribute To Mass Extinctions?
Forget asteroids — a new theory says algae were the key to the dinosaurs' extinction millions of years ago. Ecotoxicologist John Rodgers details the evidence for the theory and explains why some algae can be harmful in large quantities, even to ...
The Virtue Of Hitting 'Delete,' Permanently
Digital technology has provided a steady aid for people in their quest to remember virtually everything. But author Viktor Mayer-Schonberger argues that now is the time to reintroduce our ability to forget. He talks about his book, Delete, and why ...
Write Your Own Headline For 'Balloon Boy' Story
Headlines about the recent balloon hoax dominated television and print over the past week. The Columbia Journalism Review's Megan Garber talks about some of the headlines she imagined various outlets would use to cover the balloon hoax story.» ...
Dad Takes Son To Hooters, Stokes Controversy
Blogger Bob Elston decided to take his 11-year-old son to lunch at Hooters. He talks about the responses he received after blogging about the experience, and how far parents should go to educate their children about sexuality.» E-Mail ...
Evaluating Self-Help Organizations' Claims
Three people who attended a sweat lodge ceremony in Ariz. have died. Self-help guru James Arthur Ray, who ran the ceremony, is under investigation. Dr. James Gordon, founder and director for the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, explains how some retreats ...
Should The White House Take On Fox News?
Some Fox News Channel commentators take a harsh line on the Obama administration. White House communications director Anita Dunn has said Fox is not a legitimate news organization. David Carr of the New York Times explains the dispute. And NPR's Ken ...
Life As Identical Twins: 'One And The Same'
Author Abigail Pogrebin says her relationship with her identical twin sister has made the biggest impact on her identity. For her book, One and the Same, Pogrebin shares her story, and those of twins from all over the world.» E-Mail ...
Helen Thomas Tells The President To 'Listen Up'
White House reporter and columnist Helen Thomas has covered every president since John F. Kennedy. Thomas talks about her 60-year career in journalism, and offers presidents advice in her new book, Listen Up, Mr. President.» E-Mail ...
Terence Blanchard Considers Life's 'Choices'
The New Orleans trumpeter's newest CD, Choices, delves into choices we make as individuals and as a society. He returned to his hometown to record the project, and continues to ask questions about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.» E-Mail ...
'Balloon Boy' Just One Of Many Media Hoaxes
The Heene family's balloon hoax is just a recent example of how the news media can be tricked into believing something that isn't real. From runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his trip to Argentina, nominate your ...
Changing Opinion On Drone Strikes In Pakistan
In "Revenge of the Drones," The New America Foundation's Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann tallied reports on how many civilians have been killed in Pakistan due to CIA drone strikes. Bergen talks about the report, civilian casualties and the efficacy ...
Letters: Signing Up And Living In 'Whitopia'
Talk of the Nation listeners wrote to the show to tell the stories behind their decisions to sign up for military service. Also, Talk listeners debated the good and bad things about living in "Whitopias," or predominantly white communities.» E-Mail ...