Shows
Wisdom and PracticeThe Seeds of Community with Anurima BhargavaWhat if family isn’t just who you’re born to, but who you choose to grow with?This week on Wisdom and Practice, we’re joined by community organizer and thought leaderAnurima Bhargava. In this episode, we explore how presence, faith, and mutual care can reshape the way we build and belong. She invites us to see each other not as weeds to be managed, but as seeds to be nurtured - reminding us that healing communities start with how we show up for one another.Together, Simran and Anurima unpack what it means to bui...2025-07-1725 min
There's More to ThatHow Superman Became a Character for the AgesThis summer’s big blockbuster, Superman, marks the latest installment of the Man of Steel — a character whose identity has evolved over the decades, connecting with the concerns and ideas of the day. Even the phrase he may be best known for — “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” — has changed to suit new vibes and new markets. Superman’s persona transcends any one classification. He is Kal-El, an alien sent to Earth by parents with hopes of a better life for their child. He is Clark Kent, a good ole boy from Kansas who moves to the big city and wo...2025-07-1027 minWisdom and PracticeThe Surprising Science Behind Compassion with Laurie SantosWhat if good and evil aren’t as clear-cut as we think?This week, Simran sits down with Laurie Santos, a Yale professor and the mind behind the Science of Wellbeing course, to unpack the messy, complicated nature of human behavior. Together, they talk about small but powerful tools like ritual objects and cognitive reappraisal that help us manage our emotions and reshape our habits, rooting us more firmly in what truly matters. They explore how these visible, everyday practices create space for our values to live and breathe, both individually and in community.I...2025-07-0333 min
There's More to ThatWhy You Should Love Durian, the World's Smelliest FruitThe durian, a spiky fruit that grows across Southeast Asia, has a polarizing reputation for its pungent odor and strong taste. There are the durian haters — people who experience waves of revulsion at the mere thought of consuming one.And then there are the superfans who sing its praises and travel the world to experience the rare and complex bliss it inspires on the palate. Those who relish this fruit say there’s a lot to love. It can be eaten raw (shortly after falling from the tree) or prepared as the hero of both sweet and savo...2025-06-2624 minWisdom and PracticeWhat’s So Funny About Service? With Chris DuffyWhere do we turn for hope when the world doesn’t make sense?This week, Simran welcomes comedian, storyteller, and How to Be a Better Human host Chris Duffy for a conversation that begins with laughter but opens into something far more tender.Simran and Chris explore how humor can be an offering, a bridge between pain and connection. They speak about the sacredness of listening, the beauty in imperfection, and the way small, everyday acts like making someone laugh or holding space in silence can become deeply spiritual practices.With grace and ho...2025-06-1932 min
Mental Health and Wellbeing by Nanak NaamMaking Room for the Divine Within with Satpal Singh | Wisdom and Practice | Simran Jeet SinghWhat does it mean to experience the divine from within?This week, Simran invites us into a rich conversation with Satpal Singh, founder of the nonprofit Nanak Naam, to explore a spirituality that focuses less on dogma and more on direct experience. Together, they reflect on a radical reimagining of God—not as an external figure, but as an inner current of oneness available to all.Through stories of spiritual awakening and emotional resilience, they discuss the impact of Western paradigms like capitalism on the soul, the challenges of staying grounded amidst chaos, and the da...2025-06-1932 min
There's More to ThatThe Prehistoric Cave That Trapped and Entombed Animals for MillenniaNatural Trap Cave is a pit in northern Wyoming into which countless animals have fallen and met their untimely demise since the Pleistocene. Paleontologists today find the cave a treasure trove — a stunning record of the species that have long roamed the area. The mammalian fossils left behind shed light on the climate, food sources and migration patterns of these species from earlier eras.Careful excavation work over the years that has involved sifting for bones, extracting ancient DNA, and looking for prehistoric pollen has revealed not just the plants and animals that once populated this part of...2025-06-1226 minWisdom and PracticeWhat Imperfection Can Teach Us with Amy GalloHow do we teach our children to be kind in a fractured world?Simran sits down with author and workplace expert Amy Gallo to explore how spiritual and emotional intelligence can begin at home and ripple outward.Reflecting on the lifelong impact of raising children with an inner compass rooted in faith, empathy, and self-awareness, Simran and Amy unpack how embracing imperfection can be a powerful gateway to conflict resolution and deeper connection.They explore the art of humanizing difficult interactions, cultivating resilience through compassion, and practicing empathy not just as a feeling...2025-06-0534 min
There's More to ThatThe Stunning Search for the Remains of Fallen WWII AirmenIn the fall of 1944, Japanese fighters opened fire on a wave of U.S. planes near Palau, including a bomber carrying pilot Jay Ross Manown Jr., gunner Anthony Di Petta and navigator Wilbur Mitts. Their aircraft crashed into the sea, and the three men were “presumed dead.” They were assigned by the Navy, like so many others, to a purgatorial category—not likely to be alive, but not declared dead, either.Decades later, a group known as Project Recover worked relentlessly to track down the wreckage and then exhume the bones whose DNA could be tested. They ultima...2025-05-2937 minWisdom and PracticeMaking Room for the Divine Within with Satpal SinghWhat does it mean to experience the divine from within?This week, Simran invites us into a rich conversation with Satpal Singh, founder of the nonprofit Nanak Naam, to explore a spirituality that focuses less on dogma and more on direct experience. Together, they reflect on a radical reimagining of God—not as an external figure, but as an inner current of oneness available to all.Through stories of spiritual awakening and emotional resilience, they discuss the impact of Western paradigms like capitalism on the soul, the challenges of staying grounded amidst chaos, and the da...2025-05-2232 min
There's More to ThatThe Joys of Discovering the Roman Underground, From the Colosseum to What’s Beneath the Trevi FoundationTourism is surging in many places around the world—swarmed national parks, throngs of visitors amassing in churches and museums, and sidewalk cafes overburdened with diners. In this episode, we’d like to offer a less crowded way to be a tourist: consider going underground. This summer is a Jubilee Year in Rome, so the city will be more packed than ever. But below the traffic jams and bustle of pedestrians in the streets of Rome lie its subterranean sites, which include ancient aqueducts, pagan shrines and even apartment complexes built centuries ago. While tourists pound the pavem...2025-05-1521 minWisdom and PracticeRadical Hospitality with Rabbi Shira StutmanHow can radical welcoming transform the way we build spiritual community?This week, Simran sits down with Rabbi Shira Statman for a moving conversation about belonging, identity, and the evolving face of faith. Raised in a predominantly Christian town, Rabbi Shira shares how her early experiences shaped her understanding of what it means to hold space for difference—and why radical hospitality is central to her Jewish practice.Together, they explore the meaning behind prayers across spiritual traditions, the friction of political division within congregations, and the sacred responsibility of making room for those on th...2025-05-0827 min
There's More to ThatLooking Back on the L.A. Wildfires Through the Lens of Two PhotographersAfter multiple wildfires ripped through greater Los Angeles earlier this year, Californians were left to rebuild communities and grapple with the loss of life, nature and property. Thousands of homes were destroyed, and as many as 180,000 residents were under evacuation orders until the flames could be controlled. Unfortunately, this seems to be the new order in California; officials are already working to prepare for the next fire season.In this episode, host Ari Daniel speaks with photographer Ivan Kashinsky, who witnessed and documented the devastation of the Palisades Fire up close, even as he tried to rescue...2025-05-0129 minWisdom and PracticeViewing Death as Part of Life with Adrianna ProsserHow might facing our mortality help us cherish the beauty in each moment?This week, Simran sits down with death doula Adrianna Prosser for a heartfelt exploration of life’s most universal—and often avoided—truth: death. Adrianna opens up about her deeply personal journey into death care, shaped by the trauma of her brother’s suicide. These moments became the catalyst for her calling: to hold space for others at the end of life, and for those left behind in mourning.Now working as a death doula, Adrianna offers emotional and spiritual support to individu...2025-04-2433 min
There's More to ThatDive Into the Deeper Story of the American Revolution on How New England and Virginia United Against the BritishTwo hundred and fifty years ago this month, silversmith Paul Revere took to his horse on a midnight ride to warn American rebels that British troops were approaching. The famous ride and an ensuing battle at Lexington and Concord touched off the American Revolution.But there are other stories involving the role that enslaved Africans and Southern colonists played in launching and sustaining the rebellion that led to the founding of the United States of America. Host Ari Daniel speaks with Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated and Smithsonian writer Andrew Lawler about these lesser-known histories.2025-04-1729 minWisdom and PracticeThe Spiritual Wisdom of Slowing Down with Pico IyerWhat can silence teach us about presence, purpose, and connection? How might traveling inward be as transformative as journeying across the globe?This week, Simran journeys into stillness and simplicity with celebrated writer Pico Iyer. Together, they explore the quiet truths discovered through travel, solitude, and spiritual seeking.Pico reflects on his life between worlds—from the stillness of a Japanese suburb to the vibrant chaos of New York, and the contemplative silence of monasteries. He shares how his multicultural upbringing and diverse spiritual influences have shaped his understanding of identity, belonging, and meaning....2025-04-1030 min
There's More to ThatA Field of Dreams Built in an Unlikely Place: A Japanese American Internment CampBaseball was a way of life in the camps that incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II. The United States government stripped the Americans who lived in these camps of their liberties, but for those communities, having played the game for generations, baseball brought them closer to each other and, paradoxically, to their country. At Manzanar, one such site at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California, dozens of baseball and softball teams played regularly.Decades after the camps closed, and after Japanese Americans had returned to their homes on the West Coast, Manzanar was established...2025-04-0338 minWisdom and PracticeThe Revolutionary Act of Kindness with Naomi Shihab NyeHow do words shape the way we understand ourselves and each other? Can poetry and kindness be powerful tools for healing and connection in a fragmented world?This week, Simran explores the profound impact of poetry and kindness with acclaimed poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Together, they unpack her evolving understanding of identity—not as a rigid box, but as something fluid and ever-changing. Naomi shares how poetry became her lifelong practice of reflection and connection, offering solace in times of uncertainty and a bridge between people and cultures. They address the importance of kindness, the nec...2025-03-2726 min
There's More to ThatThe Swarm of People Intent on Saving Our BeesNative bees in the United States are dying due to pesticides, disease and habitat loss. These insects play a critical role in nature and on farms, yet we know very little about native bees in part because they’re a challenge to study.That’s where a legion of bee enthusiasts and amateur experts, called “beeple,” come in. Armed with nets and jars, they fan out across the country to find, document and study native bees, both common and rare. Host Ari Daniel interviews Smithsonian writer Susan Freinkel and self-proclaimed bee enthusiast Michael Veit about the future of bees...2025-03-2024 minWisdom and PracticeAncient Rituals, Modern Impact with Rabbi Sharon BrousWe often think that purpose comes from big moments or grand gestures. But what if it’s the small, quiet connections that truly shape the way we see the world?In this week’s episode, Simran speaks with Rabbi Sharon Brous, a spiritual leader whose journey to faith is deeply intertwined with her passion for social justice. Rabbi Brous shares how her path shifted from aspiring civil rights attorney to becoming a rabbi, and how a spiritual awakening in college led her to discover the powerful intersection of faith and justice.She takes us through anci...2025-03-1327 min
There's More to ThatA Mystery Surrounding the Grave of JFK Is SolvedBefore he was a civil rights activist, James Felder was a member of the elite U.S. Honor Guard who helped bury John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery after his assassination in 1963. In a move that was unrehearsed, after laying the casket to rest, the members of the Honor Guard placed their military hats upon the gravesite in what James Felder called “a final salute to President Kennedy.”Years later, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis commissioned a bronze wreath to be made in honor of her husband that incorporated the caps. Once completed, this sculpture disappeared quite suddenly. Half...2025-03-0639 minWisdom and PracticeHolding Onto Hope with Nicholas KristofIt can be easy to assume that purpose comes from grand gestures or major life events. But what about the moments of quiet connection that shape how we see the world?In this week’s episode, Simran speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. From reflecting on remarkable experiences in the midst of global conflicts, to a childhood memory of spiritual connection in the wilderness, we explore the life-changing encounters that fuel his reporting and writing.Nicholas takes us back to the stories that have stayed with him—the real peop...2025-02-2731 min
There's More to ThatThe Truth About the Sex Lives of DinosaursDinosaurs are often thought of as aggressors—giant beasts that dominated our planet for millions of years. But these prehistoric animals almost certainly had a softer side. In the last decade, researchers have gained tantalizing insights into the sex lives and mating habits of these ancient reptiles.In this episode, Smithsonian contributing writer Riley Black describes new evidence that reveals how and when dinosaurs mated—including ancient behavior recorded in rock, a new theory around dinosaur horns and spikes, and a prehistoric cloaca.Read Riley's coverage of dinosaurs here and here.To subscribe to “...2025-02-2029 minWisdom and PracticeFinding Meaning in the Mess with Kelly CorriganIt can feel natural to seek wisdom in the big moments of life. But what about looking for wisdom in the smaller moments, the everyday encounters that shape us?In this week’s episode, Simran speaks with bestselling memoirist, Kelly Corrigan. She opens up about the transformative experiences that shaped her life, from a spiritual experience in her youth to the quiet interactions that often hold the deepest meaning. Kelly then takes us back to her childhood memories, reflecting on the power of connection and how the simple act of being present has made all the...2025-02-1329 min
There's More to ThatWhy Auroras Are Suddenly Everywhere All at OnceFor millennia, auroras have both enchanted and haunted human beings. Ancient lore is filled with myths attempting to explain what caused the celestial phenomenon. More recent historic documentation of auroras may even help us predict damaging solar storms in the future.As we head into a year expected to bring the best northern lights in two decades, we consider the science behind auroras and why they are suddenly so plentiful—even in places that hardly qualify as northern.In this episode, Jo Marchant, author of The Human Cosmos, and Smithsonian science editor Carlyn Kranking revel in...2025-02-0629 minWisdom and PracticeMeaning, Addiction, and Spirituality with Nadia Bolz-WeberGrowing up in a strict religious environment can leave deep imprints on us. Addiction can too. So what happens when we dare to step beyond these and discover spirituality on our own terms? In this week’s episode, Simran Jeet Singh sits down with Nadia Bolz-Weber, ordained Lutheran pastor, best-selling author, and founder of the House for All Sinners and Saints, to explore the journey of transformation and radical honesty.Together, Simran and Nadia reflect on the path from rigid belief systems to a faith that is deeply personal and inclusive. Nadia shares her story of...2025-01-3026 min
There's More to ThatHow to Use Renaissance Paintings to Improve the Farming of TomorrowItalian researcher Isabella Dalla Ragione has a most unusual job. An “arboreal archaeologist,” Dalla Ragione scours Renaissance paintings and medieval archives, discovering endangered fruits that might be revived. Her life’s work offers a possible solution to the problem of monocrops. Year after year, agricultural giants cultivate the same varieties of the same fruits and vegetables, while many other varieties have fallen to the wayside. Monocrops contribute to climate change and are highly susceptible to its consequences, jeopardizing our food supply.In this episode, Isabella and Smithsonian contributing writer Mark Schapiro discuss the importance and challen...2025-01-2325 minWisdom and PracticeChoosing Love with Krista TippettLeaning into love and compassion doesn’t always feel natural, especially when the people we’re dealing with are fueled by hate. But what happens when we resist our urges to hate, and instead, see humanity in one another? And how might we begin to do that? In this week’s episode, Krista Tippett, Peabody award-winning journalist and the host of the podcast On Being, explores how we can practice love in times of divisions and hatred. Together, Simran and Krista speak openly with one another about the challenges that come with sustaining relationships, as well...2025-01-1626 minWisdom and PracticeBONUS: "A Guiding Light" from Know What You SeeToday, we have a special episode for you! If you’ve been enjoying this show, Wisdom and Practice, here's another podcast we think you’ll like.On “Know What You See”, host Brian Lowery delves into the ways our fundamental need to connect with others profoundly shapes our experience of life. Brian is a professor of social psychology at Stanford University, and on his podcast, he explores the surprising, perplexing and sometimes transcendent lives we create together. In this conversation, Brian is joined by Simran to explore the intersection of faith, purpose, and daily...2025-01-0229 minWisdom and PracticeThe Science of Spirituality with David DeStenoWhat happens when spiritual wisdom meets scientific inquiry? In this episode of Wisdom and Practice, host Simran Jeet Singh engages in a thought-provoking conversation with David DeSteno—renowned psychologist, Northeastern University professor, and host of the How God Works podcast.From his Catholic roots to his journey as a scientist and agnostic, David shares how his exploration of human behavior revealed unexpected truths about the power of ancient spiritual practices. Their conversation unpacks how traditions like gratitude, meditation, and rituals can elevate compassion, build community, and fortify resilience—offering practical tools for navigating the complexities of modern life...2024-12-1930 min
There's More to That[Rebroadcast] Meet The 6888: The WWII Battalion of Black Women That Inspired the New Netflix Film[First released in 2023.] The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only unit comprised entirely of Black women to have been deployed overseas during World War II, and it had served a critical function: clearing the backlog of mail that marked the only line of communication between American soldiers in Europe and their loved ones back home.In this episode, we speak with retired Army Colonel Edna Cummings, who made it her business to get the 6888 their belated recognition, and with Smithsonian magazine senior writer Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, who wrote about Col. Cummings' quest for the March 2023...2024-12-1938 minWisdom and PracticeThe Wisdom of Habits with Charles DuhiggHave you ever thought that discipline was a burden? Well, you’re not the only one. So many people have felt the same way. And yet, for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Charles Duhigg, discipline may be a path to freedom for many.Simran and Charles unpack the science of habit formation—why cues, routines, and rewards are the secret to sustainable change— like laying out gym clothes or finding moments of presence—can transform our lives. And in turn explore how spiritual practices, whether in daily prayer or simply savoring a moment with loved ones, can grou...2024-12-0530 minWisdom and PracticeMinistering in Uprisings, Defending Our ChildrenCollege, for many of us, is a time of intense growth, self discovery and exploration. That was certainly the case for Starsky Wilson, an activist, philanthropist, and public theologian. Though in Starsky’s case, that journey was one of deep introspection about one question that began to gnaw at him: what was his purpose? From his early years growing up in Dallas attending a Baptist Church to discovering greater meaning at Xavier University to leading and ministering during the uprisings in Ferguson, Starsky shares how his experiences have shaped his commitment to brin...2024-11-2123 minWisdom and PracticeBlack Liberation, Buddhist Liberation: Rima Vesely-FladOur experiences in faith communities can be as diverse and layered as the facets of our identities. For Rima Vesely-Flad, a visiting fellow at Princeton University, her winding journey to the Theravada Buddhist tradition has also been a path to finding a community where she feels seen and challenged to live with radical compassion. Rima is the author of Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation. In this conversation, Rima and Simran speak honestly about what it’s like navigating fait...2024-11-0726 minWisdom and PracticeHow to Use Mindfulness to Break Bias with Anu GuptaBiases shape how we see the world, how we interact with others, and even how we see ourselves. But what if we could reimagine those patterns and break free from them? Today’s guest, Anu Gupta, has made it his mission to do just that.Anu is a thought leader, mindfulness expert, and the author of the groundbreaking book Breaking Bias. Simran, in hearing about Anu’s rich tapestry of spiritual exploration, Simran uncovers the early influences that shaped his worldview.Through practices like mindfulness and Kriya Yoga, Anu expl...2024-10-2432 minWisdom and PracticeTurning to Faith with Rainn WilsonDespite having grown within The Baháʼí Faith, Rainn Wilson didn’t feel particularly connected to God or really any sense of spirituality. But during the height of his career, while he was starring in the hit TV series “The Office”, in which he played Dwight Shrute– the strong willed, over-confident and ever-nerdy assistant regional manager to Michael Scott at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company– Rainn Wilson found himself unhappy and dissatisfied.This wasn’t the first time Rainn was looking for answers. He’d seen disconnects before, including in his upbringing within the Baha’i faith. ...2024-10-1025 minWisdom and PracticeFrom Hollywood to Harvard: Hussein Rashid on Islam, Pop Culture, and JusticeGrowing up as a Muslim in America comes with its own challenges. For Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School, Hussein Rashid, that struggle lies at the center of his work on modern day pop culture and its representations of Islam.In this raw and candid conversation, Simran and Hussein discuss different forms of Islamic practice and growing up code-switching, with multicultural identities in a religiously diverse society.And most importantly, we’ll hear how recognizing the beauty in our spi...2024-09-2628 minWisdom and PracticeHow Rabbi Rick Jacobs Navigates Faith in a Modern WorldDid you have a profound spiritual experience in your youth? Rabbi Rick Jacobs' spiritual connection came during his summer camps in Northern California. Forging a bond with the natural world shaped his approach to blending traditional religious practices with universal spirituality, and they also inspired an appreciation for spiritual experiences outside conventional settings of worship. Now serving as the President of the Union for Reform Judaism, he emphasizes the importance of curiosity, asking questions, and caring for people of all backgrounds in the universal quest for holiness.2024-09-1224 minWisdom and PracticeFinding Magic in the Everyday with Katherine MayDoes life ever feel too predictable? Boring? Anodyne? Do you ever crave for a sense of adventure, to turn mundane tasks into opportunities for excitement and new experiences?That’s how author of “Enchantment” and host of “How We Live Now”, Katherine May, actively engages in embracing the beauty and wonder of the mundane. She perceives the world with adventure, the richness of diverse experiences and the importance of embracing rather than taming the natural world.In this episode, host Simran Jeet Singh speaks with her about the loss of sense of...2024-08-2927 minWisdom and PracticeHow Miroslav Volf’s Doubt Led to His DevotionIn this first episode, host Simran Jeet Singh reflects on a life-changing conversation with his father that sparked a mid-life reflection on his journey of faith, doubt, and the quest for meaning. He explores the concept of doubt and faith with Miroslav Volf, the Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.Through the lens of Christianity and his personal journey, Miroslav discusses the importance of intentionality and vision, how faith and doubt can coexist and enrich one another, and the role that practices play in helping us live according to our beliefs and ideas.2024-08-1529 min
There's More to ThatAs Hurricanes Get Stronger, Can a $34 Billion Plan Save Texas?After Hurricane Ike destroyed thousands of homes and inflicted an estimated $30 billion in damages in 2008, engineers hatched an ambitious plan to protect southeast Texas and its coastal refineries and shipping routes from violent storms. The $34 billion collaboration spearheaded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a harbinger of the type of massive public works projects that could be required to protect coastal cities like New York and Miami as sea levels rise and hurricanes become less predictable and more severe due to climate change.Smithsonian magazine contributor and Texas native Xander Peters reflects on his...2024-08-0832 min
There's More to ThatHow to Sweat Like an OlympianHave you ever felt embarrassed by the need to carry a towel, or even a fresh shirt, with you during the most sweltering months of the year? You shouldn’t. Sweating is one of the most remarkable ways our bodies protect themselves when the mercury heads north.With summer temperatures spiking around the world as the sweat-filled Olympic Games begin in Paris, we’re joined by Sarah Everts, a Smithsonian contributor and the author a marvelous book called The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration. She explains why the body’s thermostat is so ingenious, and ho...2024-07-2530 min
There's More to ThatThe Wild Story of What Happened to Pablo Escobar’s Hungry, Hungry HipposFour decades ago, Pablo Escobar brought to his Medellín hideaway four hippopotamuses, the centerpieces of a menagerie that included llamas, cheetahs, lions, tigers, ostriches and other exotic fauna. After Colombian police shot Escobar dead in December 1993, veterinarians removed the animals—except the hippos, which were deemed too dangerous to approach. The hippos fled to the nearby Magdalena River and multiplied. Today, the descendants of Escobar’s hippos are believed to number nearly 200. Their uncontrolled growth threatens the region’s fragile waterways. Smithsonian contributor Joshua Hammer joins us to recount this strange history and explain why Colombian conserva...2024-07-1129 min
There's More to That‘The Crime of the Century,’ a Century LaterThe past hundred years have seen more than one high-profile prosecution branded as the “crime of the century.” The shocking 1924 crime that was among the first to carry the title turned out to be a harbinger of how public mania around criminal cases could influence the legal system, and how psychiatry would be used and abused by prosecutors and defense attorneys alike as the 20th century wore on and gave way to the 21st.Smithsonian editor Meilan Solly introduces us to teens Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb and their botched, but still deadly, effort to perpetrate “the perfec...2024-06-2735 min
There's More to ThatAmerica’s Best New Restaurant Celebrates the Flavors of West AfricaAfrican cuisine has always been well represented in the United States, particularly in dishes characterized as “Southern” in origin, like gumbo or hoppin’ john. But even before chef Serigne Mbaye’s New Orleans eatery Dakar NOLA was named the Best New Restaurant of 2024 at the James Beard Awards this week, the contributions of the African diaspora to the American diet had at last begun to enjoy a long-overdue reappraisal via reality television, Netflix docuseries and, most important, a number of widely praised dining establishments: If you want to book a table at Tatiana in Manhattan, Dept of Culture in Brooklyn...2024-06-1327 min
There's More to ThatHow Americans Got Hooked on Counting Calories More Than A Century AgoIn 1918, Lulu Hunt Peters—one of the first women in America to earn a medical doctorate—published the best seller Diet and Health With Key to the Calories, making a name for herself as an apostle for weight reduction in an era when malnutrition was a far greater public health threat than obesity. She pioneered the idea of measuring food intake via the calorie, which at the time was an obscure unit of measurement familiar only to chemists. A century later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 42 percent of American adults are clinically obese and t...2024-05-3036 min
There's More to ThatENCORE: Those Orcas (Still) Aren't Doing What You ThinkLast summer, news reports of orcas deliberately tearing the propellers off of yachts in the Strait of Gibraltar thrilled observers who were eager to cast these intelligent and social pack hunters as class warriors striking a blow for the “common mammals” against the one percent. That turned out to be wishful thinking, according to guest Lori Marino, a biopsychologist who studies whale and dolphin intelligence. She told us that these six-ton whales were just having fun—if they wanted to harm the occupants of those boats, we’d know it. Even so, these encounters are becoming a predictab...2024-05-2028 min
There's More to ThatHow Artificial Intelligence Is Making 2,000-Year-Old Scrolls Readable AgainWhen Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., it covered the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under tons of ash. Millennia later, in the mid-18th century, archeologists began to unearth the city, including its famed libraries, but the scrolls they found were too fragile to be unrolled and read; their contents were thought to be lost forever.
Only now, thanks to the advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning, scholars of the ancient world have partnered with computer programmers to unlock the contents of these priceless documents. In this episode of “There’s More to That,” scienc...2024-05-0235 min
There's More to ThatRoads ScholarsAs highways encroach ever further into animal habitats, drivers and wildlife are in greater danger than ever. And off the beaten path, decaying old forest roads are inflicting damage as well. “Roads are this incredibly disruptive force all over the planet that are truly changing wild animals’ lives and our own lives in almost unfathomable, unaccountable ways,” says science journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of the 2023 book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.
Ben wrote about this problem for the March 2024 issue of Smithsonian. For Earth Day, we’ll talk to Ben about what’s b...2024-04-1825 min
There's More to ThatWhy We Love EclipsesEclipses have been a subject of fascination throughout human history, and the fact that we now have a clearer understanding of what they actually are—at least in the celestial mechanics sense—than we did in centuries past has not made them any less exciting. With the North American total solar eclipse just days away as we’re releasing this episode, and the next one visible from the contiguous United States not due until 2044, we’ll learn about the eclipses from astronomy obsessive (and Smithsonian science correspondent) Dan Falk and hear from Indigenous astronomer Samantha Doxtator about how the Haudenosa...2024-04-0228 min
There's More to ThatThe Man Behind "Manhunt"Before it was even published in 2006, historian James Swanson’s book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer attracted the notice of Hollywood. After several prior attempts to adapt the nonfiction thriller for the screen, the first two episodes of the seven-part Apple TV+ miniseries Manhunt finally premiered on March 15, with the subsequent five arriving weekly. Meet Swanson — a self-described Lincoln obsessive — and hear about what moved him to write the book, what his role in its long-gestating adaptation was, and how he came to be so obsessed with our most-admired president in the first place.
Smithson...2024-03-2132 min
There's More to ThatBefore Beyoncé and Taylor Swift Ran the World, There Was Joan BaezTaylor Swift and Beyoncé have achieved a degree of power in the music industry that singer/songwriters of earlier eras like Joan Baez—as the folk icon tells us—never even contemplated. Six decades ago, Baez was part of a folk revival that regarded music not merely as entertainment but as a vessel for political engagement and social change. In the documentary Joan Baez: I Am a Noise, the now-83-year-old musician and activist reflects on her career and legacy.
Smithsonian senior editor Jennie Rothenberg Gritz interviewed Baez about the film and about the shifting intersection of art a...2024-03-0732 min
There's More to ThatHow to Separate Fact From Myth in the Extraordinary Story of Sojourner TruthThe facts of Sojourner Truth’s life are inspiring: Born into slavery in the late 1790s, she became an influential abolitionist and Pentecostal preacher, transfixing audiences from the mid 1840s through the late 1870s with her candid and powerful voice, not to mention her singing. Tall and strong, Truth was physically formidable, too. No one was using the term “intersectionality” in the 19th century, but Truth embodied this idea, declaring that her Blackness and her womanhood were equally essential facets of her identity.
But many people, both in Truth’s lifetime and in the approximately 140 years since her deat...2024-02-2238 min
There's More to ThatHow We See Oppenheimer (redux)Christopher Nolan's epic new film "Oppenheimer" is no mere biopic… nor is it the first attempt to capture the father of the atomic bomb in fiction. We look at prior dramatizations of this very complicated man—including one wherein J. Robert Oppenheimer played himself!—and examine why they worked or didn't.
In this episode:
Physicist-turned-photographer Minesh Bacrania shares his experience photographing inside the top-secret labs at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where J. Robert Oppenheimer and other scientists created the first nuclear weapon. Next, with Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer exceeding commercial expectations, Smithsonian magazine writer Andy Kif...2024-01-2318 min
There's More to ThatThe Books We LovedYou can describe what a journalist does in any number of ways. One definition that’s as accurate as any is that a journalist is someone who liked having homework back when they were in school so much that they decided to keep doing homework for a career.
That certainly describes the team here at Smithsonian magazine. We’re all big readers. So we thought that before our brief winter hiatus—a time when many of us are trying to think of gift ideas to please the empathetic, curious people in our lives—we’d poll the staff of S...2023-12-2133 min
There's More to ThatWhen Your Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Is a Civil War HeroPhotographer Drew Gardner has a passion for history. His long-term project, “The Descendants,” wherein he recreates famous portraits of historical figures featuring their direct offspring, is his most visible expression of this interest. But like a lot of people who study history, Gardner has in recent years begun to contemplate more deeply the question of whose stories have been judged worthy of preservation, and whose have been allowed to fade into obscurity. That was how he decided to shift his specific focus to locating and photographing Black American descendants of Civil War veterans.
You can take a look a...2023-12-1427 min
There's More to ThatWhy Wildfires Are Burning Hotter and LongerThe 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, begins this week in Dubai. A new topic on the agenda this year is how wildfires are emerging as a serious health risk not just to those in their immediate vicinity, but even to people thousands of miles away. Last summer, smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted not only as far south as the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, but even across the Atlantic Ocean.
We speak with John Vaillant, whose book Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World recounts a 2016 wildfire in Fort McMurray, Canada that...2023-11-3033 min
There's More to ThatHow NASA Captured Asteroid Dust to Find the Origins of LifeCapturing a piece of an asteroid and bringing it to Earth is even more difficult than it is time-consuming. After four years in space, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx craft made a brief landing on the asteroid Bennu to collect samples of the ancient rock. Six months later, part of the spacecraft began its journey home to Earth, and earlier this fall, that sample collection canister landed, via parachute, in Utah. Scientists will be studying those samples of Bennu for decades in the hope of unlocking the mystery of how life on Earth began — but they’ve already learned enough to get th...2023-11-1631 min
There's More to ThatHealing the Wounds of the Vietnam WarEvery Veterans Day, Jeremy Redmon thinks about his father, Donald Lee Redmon — an Air Force veteran who survived more than 300 combat missions over Southeast Asia, but who took his own life when Jeremy was 14. This year, Redmon traveled back to Hanoi with a group of former prisoners of war, many of whom had flown the same missions as his dad. Jeremy asked these veterans questions he was never able to ask his own father, about how they’d healed from the war and lived rewarding lives thereafter.
In this episode, guest host Jennie Rothenberg Gritz speaks with Redm...2023-11-0234 min
There's More to ThatHow the Osage Changed Martin Scorsese’s Mind About "Killers of the Flower Moon"A true-life saga involving organized crime, racial prejudice, and evolving American identity, David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the F.B.I. seemed at first glance like a perfect fit for Martin Scorsese, the beloved filmmaker whose dozens of critically adored movies include Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, and The Departed.
But when Jim Gray, a former chief of the Osage Nation, and other Osage leaders invited the filmmaker to Oklahoma to hear their concerns about his new project, Scorsese came. Scorsese listened. And then he rewrote and re...2023-10-1935 min
There's More to ThatA Brief History of Book Banning in AmericaBook-banning might seem like a relic of less enlightened times, but the practice is back in a big way. The American Library Association reports that 2022 saw more attempts to have books removed from public libraries than in any prior year this century — indeed, it documented more than twice as many attempted bans in 2022 than in 2021. In schools, attempts to keep certain books out of the hands of students have been even more aggressive and draconian. What’s new about these efforts is the subject that binds the most-challenged titles: Most of them address themes of LGBT+ identity or gender expr...2023-10-0526 min
There's More to ThatAnimals Aren't Humans. Why Can't We Stop Talking About Them As Though They Are?It’s not the most urgent news story that’s gripped the world since 2020, but it might be the weirdest: The last three years have seen more 400 “encounters”— many reports have used the word “attacks”—between orca whales and boats in the Strait of Gibraltar. Because the orcas are particularly fond of tearing the propellers off of yachts, the temptation to characterize these six-ton, pack-hunting, demonstrably intelligent mammals as class warriors fighting back against the 1 percent is strong, and the memes have been fun. But trying to understand animal behavior in human terms is a mistake.
In this episode, we...2023-09-2128 min
There's More to ThatMeet the WWII Battalion of Black Women That Inspired an Army Base’s New NameThe 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only unit comprised entirely of Black women to have been deployed overseas during World War II, and it had served a critical function: clearing the backlog of mail that marked the only line of communication between American soldiers in Europe and their loved ones back home.
In this episode, we speak with retired Army Colonel Edna Cummings, who made it her business to get the 6888 their belated recognition, and with Smithsonian magazine senior writer Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, who wrote about Col. Cummings' quest for the March 2023 issue of Smithsonian....2023-09-0737 min
There's More to ThatBeyond the Titanic: The Real Science of Deep Sea ExplorationAfter five people perished on a controversial submersible dive to the wreckage of the Titanic in June, we got to thinking about what genuine undersea exploration looks like. In this episode, we speak with Tony Perrottet, who profiled the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush for Smithsonian magazine in 2019, about our ancient fascination with exploring hostile environments. Then we’re joined by Susan Casey, who has written four best-selling books about the ocean and its creatures, the newest of which is The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean. Susan tells us why understanding the ocean is key to hu...2023-08-2434 min
There's More to ThatWhat Happens When the Colorado River Dries Up?What happens when one of the nation's largest rivers dries up? Photojournalist Pete McBride tells us about the consequences of a prolonged drought in the Colorado River, which provides drinking water and electricity to millions of Americans, and shares his experience walking the river from end to end. What can we learn from the landscape revealed by the historically low water levels, and will they become the new normal?
Read “The Breathtaking Glen Canyon Reveals Its Secrets,” photographs & text by Pete McBride, Smithsonian, October 2022. Learn more about Pete and his work at his site.
There’s More...2023-08-1023 min
There's More to ThatHow We See Oppenheimer. Plus: Smithsonian’s Inside Look at the Top-Secret Los Alamos SiteChristopher Nolan's epic new film "Oppenheimer" is no mere biopic… nor is it the first attempt to capture the father of the atomic bomb in fiction. We look at prior dramatizations of this very complicated man—including one wherein J. Robert Oppenheimer played himself!—and examine why they worked or didn't.
In the episode:
Physicist-turned-photographer Minesh Bacrania shares his experience photographing inside the top-secret labs at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where J. Robert Oppenheimer and other scientists created the first nuclear weapon. Next, with Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer exceeding commercial expectations, Smithsonian magazine writer Andy Kif...2023-07-2717 min
There's More to ThatHe's (Not) Just Ken: The True History of Barbie’s BeauHe is (K)enough… or is he? With filmmaker Greta Gerwig's Barbie breaking box-office records—and devoting much of its story to Ken's existential crisis—we wondered if there's any more to Barbie's perennial plus-one. Journalist and lifelong Barbie fan Emily Tamkin talks us through Ken’s development, or lack thereof, over the decades.
Read Emily’s “A Cultural History of Barbie,” and Chris’s brief Ken history “Not Your Average Beau,” here or in the June 2023 issue of Smithsonian. Emily is the author of The Influence of Soros: Politics, Power, and the Struggle for an Open Society and Bad Jews...2023-07-2725 min
Object Of SoundThis Year In Music (feat. Kelela, Sam Sanders, & Santigold)Welcome to our first ever year end special, ‘This Year In Music with Hanif Abdurraqib.’ December is the perfect time to look back on all the incredible music that has been released over the past year: the songs that moved us to dance, and the songs that helped us endure. In this hour-long deep dive, we'll review the musical highlights of 2022 and make predictions about the future of music in 2023 together with special guests Kelela, Sam Sanders, and Santigold.Credits:This show is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, Kathleen Ottinger, Rhiannon Corb...2022-12-0950 min