It’s slimy, sticky and gross, but scientists are working hard to better understand the many important roles mucus plays in our bodies. Grace Wade is a health reporter for New Scientist, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the new world of mucus research, how it’s both a chemical and physical barrier to disease, and how our understanding of a healthy gut might be due to this substance. Her article is “Discovering the marvels of mucus is inspiring amazing new medicines.”

Rising inequality is a concern for governments and everyday people – but it might be useful to put the current situation into historical perspective. Daniel Waldenstrom is professor of economics and program manager for the research program Taxes and Society at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics in Stockholm. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why understanding the metrics of measuring inequality is critical to understanding that not all people — or even countries — are being as hard hit as we might believe. Plus, we’ll talk about what might actually work to address poverty. His article in Foreign Affairs is “The Inequality Myth,” and his book published last year is “Richer and More Equal: A New History of Wealth in the West.”

President Trump is determined to shift manufacturing jobs back to American soil — but that’s a monumentally difficult task. Rachel Slade joins host Krys Boyd to discuss challenges small businesses face when they want to source American-made products, how regulation gets in the way, and why labor unions might help bring jobs back. Her book is “Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way).”

In the second Trump administration, competition among the U.S., China and Russia is starting to look more like collaboration. Stacie E. Goddard is Betty Freyhof Johnson ’44 Professor of Political Science and associate provost at Wellesley College. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how, despite big talk and tariffs, Trump is hoping to shift America’s foreign policy towards alliances. Her article “The Rise and Fall of Great-Power Competition” was published in Foreign Affairs."

With rings to track our sleep, bracelets to track our heart rate and other health gadgets, are we reaching the point of information overload? Adam Clark Estes, senior technology correspondent at Vox, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his experience wearing a multitude of health trackers – which had some benefits but also sent his anxiety levels sky high. His article is “I covered my body in health trackers for 6 months. It ruined my life.”

We’ve all been warned not to consult Dr. Google, but when you're pregnant online advice is all too available. Amanda Hess, critic at large for The New York Times, joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the hazards of birthing and raising children in a digital world with both helpful and harmful information at our fingertips, and how parents can cut through the online chatter. Her book is “Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age.”

Acing that Mensa test might not be the definite sign of genius you think it is. Helen Lewis is a staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the BBC podcast series “The New Gurus” and “Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat”. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the very idea of “genius” is a social construct, why the label excludes as much as it includes, and why it’s time to look at creativity in a new way. Her book is “The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea.

More than a million dollars in taxpayer money was spent observing shrimp on treadmills — and it might’ve been a great investment. Carly Anne York, associate professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss seemingly wacky scientific inquiries – into everything from worm blobs to elephant pee – and how they’ve yielded real breakthroughs that add to both knowledge and the economy. Her book is “The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science.”