Actor Ed Helms on history’s biggest screw ups

Ed Helms is known as a comedian, actor and writer—and also as an investigator of history’s biggest gaffes. The host of the podcast SNAFU joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the cats that were trained for the CIA, a plan to nuke the moon, and other bad ideas that never saw fruition (thankfully). His book is called “SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups.”This episode originally aired, May 2nd 2025. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Feminist author Roxane Gay has put together a compendium of notable feminist works, but even she says it’s not the last word. The contributing opinion writer for The New York Times joins host Krys Boyd to talk about editing a new collection that looks at hundreds of years of feminist writers and why the ideas around women’s rights are always evolving. She’s the editor of “The Portable Feminist Reader.”This episode originally aired April 11th, 2025. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coincidences may seem like random occurrences to many of us – but not to a mathematician. Sarah Hart is professor of geometry at Gresham College and professor emerita of mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we so often look for coincidences in our lives — and why that’s a mathematically futile endeavor — why the blind luck behind lottery wins might not be so blind after all, and why revealing this magic with numbers makes the phenomenon all the more interesting. Her article, “The surprising maths that explains why coincidences are so common,” was published in New Scientist.This episode originally aired January 15th, 2025. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Psychologists and philosophers have debated what makes a good life, traditionally focusing on the search for happiness and meaning. Recently, though, the quest for another sensation has entered the conversation: fulfillment. Shigehiro Oishi, Marshall Field IV Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his concept of “psychological richness,” where curiosity and spontaneity provide the stimulation we need, and how this outlook can carry us even through the hardest patches of our lives. His book is “Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life.”This episode, originally aired, February 4th, 2025. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 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.”   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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).” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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." Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices