The Curiosity Desk

GBH News

Edgar B. Herwick III hosts GBH’s newest show, The Curiosity Desk, where he answers your questions and examines everyday mysteries hiding in plain sight. Tune in daily for conversations, insights and profundities about the world we live in.  Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.

  1. What is the Election Fraud Doom Loop?

    6月25日

    What is the Election Fraud Doom Loop?

    June 25, 2026  First up,  it’s the latest edition of “The Glitch Report," with Joan Donovan from the Critical Internet Studies Institute. She'll discuss what she calls the "Election Fraud Doom Loop", political conspiracy theories, and general distrust of government officials.  Ahead of the event Disability ReFramed: Celebrating Our Childhood on TV, we look back at disability-related programming of GBH past with Senior Accessibility Specialist Claire Houston & media historian Michelle Kelley. Lastly, Edgar catches up with Hakeem Oluseyi, host of the NOVA podcast “Particles of Thought."

    51 分鐘
  2. Who Wants The Bourne Bridge?

    6月24日

    Who Wants The Bourne Bridge?

    June 24, 2026  First up, how much of the lore around the historic liberty tree is real, and how much is myth carried out over centuries? That’s the focus of new reporting from GBH’s Hannah Loss. She joins alongside Arnold Arboretum director Ned Friedman, who was called to analyze a ​preserved sample of the tree’s roots. Then, with the Bourne & Sagamore bridges being offered up for “adoption," we learn why & how someone even would go about buying a bridge, with Tufts professor and engineer Brian Brenner. Lastly, We welcome back librarian-by-day, Abigail Adams interpreter by night Sarah Walsh who’s back in town for an America250 event.

    54 分鐘
  3. Is The World Cup A Religious Experience?

    6月23日

    Is The World Cup A Religious Experience?

    June 23, 2026 It’s a Curiosity Desk faith leader news panel. We’ll talk World Cup, A.I. and trillionaires with B.U. Muslim Chaplain Naureen Mallick, Rev. Jessica Chicka, and Rabbi Charlie Schwartz from Lehrhaus.  Then we've got another round of Four Things to Know, with Gal Tziperman-Lotan from the GBH Daily newsletter and Curiosity Desk Producer Rachel Armany.  Lastly, Edgar meets Kristen Luise, senior animal care specialist with the New England Aquarium, as they prepare to release a new batch of endangered sea turtles off the coast of Cape Cod.

    54 分鐘
  4. What Makes World Cup-Quality Soccer Turf?

    6月22日

    What Makes World Cup-Quality Soccer Turf?

    First up, Edgar meets Jennifer Felt from the Conservation Law Foundation + ​scientist Taylor Heyl at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, for a conversation about what’s to come of the Seamounts Marine National Monument following Trump administration de-regulations.  Then, in celebration of Pride, Joan Ilacqua from Queer History Boston takes us into some under-explored moments of LGBTQ history in Boston. Lastly -- what goes into engineering the perfect World Cup soccer pitch? We’ll hear from Trey Rogers, professor of Turfgrass Management at Michigan State, who played a central role in designing the turf used in this years’ games.

    52 分鐘

  5. 6月19日

    What Does A 174 Year-Old Speech Mean In 2026?

    First up, it’s ICYMI, our Friday menagerie of misfit news. Joining this week, we’ve got GBH’s Renuka Balakrishnan and Boston Globe higher-ed business reporter Diti Kohli. We’ll get their reactions to some lighter World Cup headlines (think: Merlin the duck & Scotts’ love for Irn-Bru.) We’ll also talk about the D.C. reflecting pool algae bloom, and if it’s indeed time for Waffle House to expand north to New England. Then, Soul Fire Farm is an afro-indigenous community based in Grafton, New York, that teaches farming and sustainability while also addressing issues of racism and food inequity. Edgar talks with GBH News Rooted host Paris Alston about her recent trip to the farm & the proper way to enjoy a tomato.  Lastly, this Mass Humanities has organized 76 public readings of Frederick Douglass’ 1852 address “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”. Edgar meets Mass Humanities’ Latoya Bosworth for a conversation about the speech’s continued relevance around America’s 250th + Juneteenth.

    52 分鐘
  6. Do You Like, Hate When People Say Like?

    6月18日

    Do You Like, Hate When People Say Like?

    It’s another edition of “The Glitch Report” with Joan Donovan from the Critical Internet Studies Institute. She’ll talk about some implications of A.I. deepfake videos becoming indiscernible from the real thing, and the fun-house reality of right-wing podcaster Candace Owens – who’s been promoting a bizarre conspiracy theory about the death of Charlie Kirk.  Then, Neuroscientists Bob Datta and David Brann explain their groundbreaking research mapping out how our brains register smell.  Lastly, Edgar checks in with Martha Barnette & Grant Barrett from the public radio show A Way With Words to answer some listener-submitted etymological curiosity questions. We’ll get into the origin of “dust bunnies,” and why New Englanders call drinking fountains “bubblers."

    52 分鐘
  7. Why Are Bananas So Cheap?

    6月17日

    Why Are Bananas So Cheap?

    First up, Edgar talks with Abagael Giles from Vermont Public about her recent piece on scientists working to save the American Elm. Then, As the cost of groceries rises, why do bananas remain so cheap? We get a primer in food supply chains, ​grocery store business models and ​fruit engineering from Sean Cash, economist at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition & Policy.  Lastly, it’s the June edition of “Ask The Remodeler,” with Mark Philben from Charlie Allen Renovations.

    52 分鐘
  8. Can You Teach A.I. Compassion?

    6月16日

    Can You Teach A.I. Compassion?

    First up, it’s the latest edition of our A.I. News panel, this week with Harvard humanist chaplain Greg Epstein, former Executive Director of the National AI Advisory Committee Kathy Pham, and AI Ethics Lab founder Cansu Cansa.   Then, we get caught up on Four Things To Know, with Gal Tziperman-Lotan from the GBH Daily Newsletter.  Lastly, URI Greenhouse Manager Benjamin Robbins joins with the latest news around their soon-to-bloom corpse flower.

    52 分鐘
顯示全部 (102)

簡介

Edgar B. Herwick III hosts GBH’s newest show, The Curiosity Desk, where he answers your questions and examines everyday mysteries hiding in plain sight. Tune in daily for conversations, insights and profundities about the world we live in.  Have something you’re curious about? Leave us a voicemail anytime at 877-301-8970, or submit questions via the form on our landing page at GBHNews.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.

資訊

  • 創作者
    GBH News
  • 活躍年代
    2026年
  • 集數
    102
  • 年齡分級
    兒少適宜
  • 版權
    ©2026 WGBH Educational Foundation
  • 節目網站
    The Curiosity Desk

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