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How Safe Are We From Cyber Attacks?
September 10th, 2026 Last week saw two significant cyberattacks in Mass. – one at Springfield Public Schools, the other at Everett City Hall. Edgar talks with Kevin Power with Boston College Law School about we exactly happened and how vulnerable we are to future incidents. To celebrate NFL season’s kick-off, we talk with MIT Sports Lab co-director Peko Hosoi & football coach Andy Byron about football / sports IQ, and how & whether it can be taught. Baker & influencer Mandy Silverman – aka Mandylicious – joins to explain and demonstrate the wonder of challah bread, ahead of Rosh Hashanah. We welcome back Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett from the podcast A Way With Words to explain the origins of some fall-related words & phrases. -
What Do I Need To Know This Back-To-School Season?
September 9, 2026 Craig LeMoult is in for Edgar.Kicking off back-to-school season, we'll talk with BTU President Erik Berg about recent K-12 headlines, including a cellphone ban bill languishing on Beacon Hill, ICE in classrooms, and Gov. Healey’s pursuit of an additional $100 million in school funding. Then, from K-12 to higher-ed, we’ll pivot to GBH’s Kirk Carapezza for a conversation about his reporting on colleges closing, AI in classrooms, and how universities are navigating federal immigration restrictions. After, GBH producer Rachel Armany answers some of Craig’s long-ignored curiosity questions. That includes whether putting black paint under your eyes really cuts glare, discrepancies between UK and US fluid ounce measurements, and why humans love the feel of soft things. We round out the show with author John O’Connor about his book The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster. We’ll also meet local Bigfoot chaser Jon Wilk, who’s leading an expedition to search for the cryptid this weekend. -
Will Your Grandkids Want A Turtle?
September 8, 2026 After a quick check-in on her coverage of the Lindsay Clancy trial, GBH’s Liz Neisloss talks about her recent reporting on ADUs in Massachusetts. She’ll be joined by Amy Dain, senior fellow with The Boston Foundation research center Boston Indicators. Then, it’s another round of “Four Things to Know" with Gal Tziperman Lotan from the GBH Daily Newsletter. After, following President Trump’s announcement last week of a deal to lower U.S. drug costs, MIT economist Jon Gruber breaks down why prescriptions remain so much more expensive than anywhere else in the world, and a few different paths to lowering costs.Lastly, Father and son duo Zak & Greg Mertz from New England Wildlife Centers join for a conversation about what local turtle populations are up to this fall. -
Are We Living Through A "Great Romance Slump"?
September 4th, 2026Jeremy Siegel guests-hosts live from the Boston Public Library. Here’s what’s on The Curiosity Desk: First up, it's our misfit news panel In Case You Missed It. We’ll talk about a Cambridge reverend suing the MBTA over his slow experience on the Red Line, the end of Chicken Shop Date, and whether Allston Christmas has jumped the shark. Guests are Boston Globe metro transportation reporter Diti Kohli and GBH’s Renuka Balakrishnan. Boston rapper & portrait artist Nick Shea is this week's bonus ICYMI guest, reacting to a 311 call made about his doodle on an abandoned mattress in Back Bay.Then, Jeremy talks about the state of modern dating – and if we’re truly living through a “great romance slump” – with Atlantic columnist Faith Hill. Afterwards, We check in with GBH Reporter Liz Neisloss about the Lindsay Clancy Trial. We round out our show with Elizabeth Barnes from the Massachusetts Division of Crop and Pest Services. She talks about damage wrought by the invasive spotted lanternfly, and why you should feel comfortable squishing 'em. -
Eyes Like a Hawk, Blind Like a Bat, and... Ears Like a Fish?
September 3, 2026On the day of the Ig Nobel prize ceremony (which recently moved from Boston to Zürich, Switzerland), Edgar talks with 2025 winner Dr. Julie Mennella & Ig Nobel organizer Richard Baguley. Mennella won for her research into whether babies can sense when their mothers have been eating garlic. In Singapore, two thirds of buildings are certified green – with goals to hit 80% in coming years. Edgar talks with MIT architect John Fernández about how they pulled it off and what it would take to replicate their model in the U.S. Author Amorina Kingdon joins to talk about her new book Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water.
