Thought

What's happening in this bored young woman's brain? Scientists aren't totally sure, but suspect that it is mostly beneficial

One woman’s plan to take your creativity back from your phone — by making you bored

Technology

In our last installment of How Our Devices Are Warping Our Brains, we looked at the relationship between device use and sleep. Now, we examine the relationship between phone dependence and creativity. Put your phone away and let your mind do whatever it feels like doing for a while. You could be surprised by the result.

Listeners Weigh In On What Influences Their Family Planning Decisions

Microsoft’s Bill Buxton on risk and innovation

Environment

Music Heard on Air for September 12, 2011

Music Heard on Air
The World

CAFE Regulations

The Changing Economics of Energy Efficiency

Host Steve Curwood talks with Ralph Cavanaugh of the Natural Resources Defense Council about the economic potential of energy efficiency, and the slow erosion of market impediments to investing in efficiency.

The World

The Nature of Death

Given our complex language and reasoning abilities, do human beings understand more about death and mortality than other animals…or do we just think we do? Upon witnessing the death of several small creatures, commentator Tom Montgomery-Fate reflects on what we may not know about the ending of life.

The World

Fuel Efficiency

The federal government is on the verge of raising fuel efficiency standards for the first time since 1975. Anna Solomon-Greenbaum reports on why lawmakers are finally ready to do something.

The World

Steven Johnson on ‘Where Good Ideas Come From’

Arts, Culture & Media

What if we tracked the history of the most significant ideas that humans have ever come up with to see if there’s a pattern to these moments of genius? Steven Johnson wrote a book called “Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation.”

The World

How the hidden brain controls our lives

Environment

Forum 11: Our decisions are largely controlled by unconscious biases in our brains, says science journalist Shankar Vedantam, author of the new book The Hidden Brain.