In Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, Mary Roach chronicles both the history of body part replacement (including prosthetic noses that date back to the 1500s), as well as more recent medical breakthroughs.
When Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Trymaine Lee was 38, he suffered a sudden heart attack that nearly killed him. The incident made him reconsider the years he had spent reporting on the lives cut short by gun violence — and the stress it had put on his body.
Of all the folk songsters from the 1960s, Mitchell has proven to have the strongest influence on jazz singers. Joni's Jazz features her collaborations with stars like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.
Reality Winner served 5 years in prison for leaking a classified document while working as a contractor for the NSA. Now, she's looking back in a memoir titled I Am Not Your Enemy.
A new eight-part series by MUBI chronicles the ferocious rise of the Italian dictator. While the show is a bit too eager to make Mussolini entertaining, the story it tells couldn't be any more timely.
In 1984, the groundbreaking mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap lampooned heavy metal bands and rock documentaries — and introduced audiences to a new film genre. Now, in the sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the band returns for a reunion concert.
The issues facing journalism these days — from online clickbait to corporate interference — run throughout The Paper. But it's primarily a comedy, with characters and actors that will win you over.
Bluegrass singer-songwriter Billy Strings talks with Fresh Air producer Sam Briger. Though he never took formal lessons, Strings learned to play the guitar by hanging around with his dad and listening to him play Doc Watson. Strings' newest album is a collaboration with bluegrass guitarist Bryan Sutton called Live at the Legion.
Wyle spent 11 seasons on the drama ER. When it was time prep for the HBO series The Pitt, he went to medical boot camp to learn how health care had changed. Originally broadcast April 21, 2025.
In his new book, It Doesn't Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life, Gupta, a trained neurosurgeon, writes about pain — what causes it, and the various medications that can be used to treat it. He also reflects on ways to train the mind to minimize certain kinds of pain, using distraction and meditation.
New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg discusses how Kennedy's cuts to government staff and expert groups will impact everyday Americans. A vaccine skeptic, he fired the CDC director last week.
Sept. 1 marks what would have been Pepper's 100th birthday. Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation of the jazz saxophonist, who started on clarinet at age 9. Pepper died in 1982.
Dion, a former teen idol, was deeply influenced by blues and country music. He had his first hit, "I Wonder Why," in 1958, with the doo-wop group The Belmonts. Originally broadcast in 2000.
Toussaint was an important behind-the-scenes figure in New Orleans R&B during the '50s and '60s. He later became known for his own recordings. He died in 2015. Originally broadcast in 1988.
Wexler produced hits for Atlantic Records by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, and is credited with coining the term "rhythm and blues." He died in 2008. Originally broadcast in 1993.