The CDC is barely hanging on

Open caskets used to be fairly standard, but we’re losing the artists who make that possible. John Semley joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history, culture and economics of morticians, why their particular trade is quickly going out of fashion, and how losing this restorative mortuary science is changing the way we grieve. His article “A Dying Art: The last of the morticians” was published in Harper’s Magazine.This episode originally aired August 8th, 2026. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

President Trump has said the Iran War will end after the mid-terms, but there is no sign either side is willing to come to the table. Ali Vaez, deputy program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, joins guest host Paige Phelps to discuss why both Iran and the U.S. have dug into a war that seems indefinite and unwinnable, how the conflict is changing our partnerships with Arab Gulf States and why both sides are emerging weaker eight months in. His essay “The New Forever War” was published in Foreign Affairs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 Thirty percent of the Centers for Disease Control staff has either resigned, retired or been laid off. Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for The New York Times, joins guest host Paige Phelps to discuss the once-revered CDC that is now a skeleton of its former self, what that means for both domestic and international public health responses, and what that means for the general public now that flu seasons is here. Her article is “'Zombified’ C.D.C., Hobbled by Cuts, Struggles to Fulfill Scientific Mission Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The search for life outside our planet can be seen as a yearning to find out what makes us human. Adam Kirsch is a poet, literary critic and senior editor at The Atlantic, and he joins guest host Paige Phelps to discuss the search for life in the cosmos —both UFOs and the scientific hunt for biological matter outside our universe — and what happens to our collective trust when we don’t find it. His book is “We Want to Believe: How Aliens Went Mainstream and Why It Matters.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark bill. So why has a conservative Supreme Court been so willing to knock it down? Kevin Morris, senior research fellow and voting policy scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what the Voting Rights Act did for representational democracy across the country, why it’s fallen out of favor and the ways the Supreme Court has neutered key sections to weaken the legislation. His book, written with Michael Miller, is “An American Problem: How the Country Built—and the Supreme Court Broke—the Voting Rights Act.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Companies looking to expand in the Chinese market face a looming problem: intellectual property theft. Wall Street Journal reporter Jon Emont joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the example of Driscoll’s berries, which sought to corner the Asian market with a new fruit there but found its plant cuttings stolen and greenhouse growing methods copied. His article is “Driscoll’s Gave China Its Blueberries—Then China Swiped the Secret to Growing Them.”   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In September, Anthropic blocked attempts to create a biological weapon with A.I., but biosecurity experts have been alarmed ever since. Carl Zimmer writes the Origins column and covers news about science as a freelance contributor to The New York Times. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why scientists are concerned about the potential for chatbots to make pathogens more deadly, the race to safeguard these systems from nefarious use, and why, for now, concerns may be overblown. His article is “A.I. Queries from Abroad Raise Fears of a Biological Weapons Race.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Whether you notice it or not, you speak with an accent. Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how accents from the Southern drawl to the California Valley Girl came to be, why accents are key to culture, and why, in our mass media world, some are fading away. Her book is “Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents.”This episode originally aired, May 11th, 2026. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In dating, finding “the one” might be easier if you stop assuming “the one” will be a perfect match. Paul Eastwick is professor of psychology at UC Davis, where he serves as the head of the Social-Personality Psychology program and the director of the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we need to look past imperfections when choosing a mate, why what we know about evolutionary biology has been exaggerated, and the pros and cons of dating apps. His book is “Bonded by Evolution: The New Science of Love and Connection.”This episode originally aired, April 20th 2026. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When DOGE slashed and burned the federal workforce, those who stood up to the carnage were called “Blockers.” Best-selling author Michael Lewis joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the people who called out illegality and were punished for it, the haphazard ways DOGE went about cutting jobs, and why he feels all of it was a distraction from a larger power grab by the White House. His book is “Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices