Jamie Metzl on His New Book “Superconvergence” and the Future of Genetic Technology

Humanity’s ability to create artificial intelligence, to decode the human genome, and to engineer organisms are, individually, signature achievements.  But Jamie Metzl says where these three technologies intersect lies great hope and challenge for all of humanity.   Metzl is one of the world’s lea…

A Behind the Scenes Look at The Glamour of Hollywood with Daniel D’Addario

Every year, American popular culture focuses on recognizing the entertainment world’s hits and misses in Awards Season. Daniel D’Addario gives us a well-informed, if fictional, glimpse behind the smiles and glittering ceremonies to understand the personal and professional commitment of actresses at…

The Inside Scoop on This Year’s Academy Award Nominees with Pete Hammond

From the story of a young sex worker to one about an aging star, another about a transgender drug lord, and another about a troubled immigrant and brilliant architect, this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Picture tell stories that are both epic and intimate. Pete Hammond walks us through the…

Alice Marwick Explores the Impact of Social Networking on Political Discourse

There was a time in American public life when “the news” was a nightly ritual, a 30-minute glimpse into the wider-world, a way to stay informed.  But Dr. Alice E. Marwick says that world is long gone, washed away in recent years with failing traditional news outlets and the rise of social media inf…

An Immigration Story in the Midst of a Changing World with Padma Venkatraman

Children’s and young-adult authors often explore the pain and loneliness of growing up.  Padma Venkatraman does it in an elegantly told story that also explores immigration, environmental change, and the power of friends to make everything better.    Venkatraman is an award-winning author who was …

A Look at Trump’s Political Traction and What’s Ahead with Molly Ball

The results of the 2024 American election caught some Americans by surprise, but as campaigning turns to governing, Molly Ball helps us understand which campaign promises are likely to become administration policy and which may just fade away. Molly Ball is The Wall Street Journal’s senior politic…

Hahrie Han Explores The Work of Racial Justice in an American Evangelical Community

Race, politics, and religion are three of the most challenging issues to discuss in contemporary America. But Hahrie Han explains the experience of a dedicated group of citizens at a Cincinnati mega-church who went—as the saying goes—where angels might fear to tread. Han is the Inaugural Director …

Richard J. Evans Offers Lessons for Today from His Study of the Third Reich

The world will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II later this year.  Richard J. Evans helps us understand the murderous leaders of Nazi Germany, and the people at every level of German society who did their bidding. Evans is an historian of modern Germany and modern Europe and is …

Exploring the Questions of Space, Time and Our Universe and with Sean Carroll

So many of us are curious about the stuff of space and time and the forces that bind us all together.  Author and physicist Sean Caroll wants to encourage that curiosity, and believes physics can be accessible to everyone.   Carroll is the Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy, a joint appointm…

Examining The Deadly Impacts of Rising Temperatures on Everyday Life with Jeff Goodell

Climate change has been part of the public lexicon for decades, now.  But what once seemed like some dystopian, distant future is, according to Jeff Goodell, a reality—where higher temperatures are reshaping agriculture, animal migrations, the health of the oceans, and our futures.   Goodell is a …