Reflector

Book Keeper

Today on Reflector we are bringing you a very special episode from a new series that found its beginnings right here. It is called Book Keeper. Last year we released the episode Hallelujah, where Megan Phelps-Roper revisited the Bible to ask what still endures when belief is gone. That episode inspired us to continue telling these stories. In our first episode of this series Megan, more than 10 years after leaving the Westboro Baptist Church, returns to the Bible again. Even though she is no longer what most would consider a “believer,” she wants to explore what ancient wisdom still lives in these stories. And she begins with a tale of profound betrayal and reconciliation. RESOURCES: The Book of Genesis — Chapters 37 to 45 CREDITS: This episode of Book Keeper was produced by Matthew Boll, with editing by Andy Mills and Sarah Hepola. It is hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper. Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠⁠ Artwork by ⁠Jacob Boll⁠ WAKING UP OFFER: Thank you to our partner Waking Up. You can find their 14-day free trial ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ This is an affiliate link. We earn a commission on new subscriptions purchased through this link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Gambling Make Us Wiser?

⁠Visit the Longview website to learn more and support our reporting Prediction markets have exploded from a niche financial concept into a multibillion-dollar industry — one that's reshaping how we understand information, trust, and the future. But as these markets promise to make us wiser — cutting through noise, humbling the pollsters, giving us a cleaner read on what's actually going to happen — they're also raising a darker question: what happens to public trust when every event becomes a potential inside job? Reporter Ethan Mannello investigates the fascinating, unsettling world where the casino has swallowed everything else. THIS EPISODE FEATURES: PMT PMT YouTube CREDITS: This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Ethan Mannello. Produced by Simon Adler. Music for this episode was composed by Simon Adler Reflector artwork by Jacob Boll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To Snip or Not to Snip

Katie Herzog never planned to become a dog person and she definitely never planned to agonize over her goldendoodle's testicles. But when it came time to neuter Moose, she couldn't find a good answer to a simple question: why? What follows is a reported journey through canine bodily autonomy, the surprisingly short history of spay/neuter as gospel, and what the best available science actually says about cutting off your dog's balls. Read the essay at our Substack Visit our website to support the show THIS EPISODE FEATURES: Ben and Lynette Hart — U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine James Serpell — U Penn School of Veterinary Medicine Hal Herzog, Katie’s dad who happens to also be an emeritus professor and scholar of human-animal interactions LINKS: Hart et al., "Neutering of German Shepherd Dogs" / golden retriever study (PLOS-One, 2013) Hart et al., 35-breed analysis Hart et al., mixed-breed analysis AVMA statement on elective spaying and neutering Meghan Daum, "Big Dogs, Big City" Hal Herzog, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat Blue Cross of India CREDITS: This episode was written by Katie Herzog and produced by Andy Mills, Simon Adler, and Matthew Boll Music for this episode was composed by Simon Adler and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wetwear

What if the next great leap in computing wasn't made of silicon — but of living human brain cells? Reporter Greg Warner takes us inside the lab of Hon Weng Chong, an Australian computer engineer who has built a biological computer: a device that houses actual human neurons in a petri dish, teaches them to play Pong using reward and punishment, and is now being sold to medical researchers, crypto gamers, and roboticists with very big dreams. Along the way, Andy and Greg dig into what these cells might actually feel, why the path to artificial general intelligence might run through a robot's skin rather than its brain, and what it would mean to one day stick a chip of pre-programmed neurons back into a human head. It's weird, it's a little smelly, and it might be the future. THIS EPISODE FEATURES: Hon Weng Chong - CEO and founder of Cortical Labs Dr. Minas Liarokapis - CEO/CTO of Acumino Inc., Director of the New Dexterity Research Group LINKS: Cortical Labs Acumino Dishbrain Paper - In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CREDITS: This episode was reported and produced by Greg Warner, Andy Mills, Simon Adler, and Matthew Boll Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Strange Bedfellows Part III: Backlash

The final chapter of Reflector’s tour of LGBTQ activism examines some of the controversies currently roiling society—starting with a look at one of the most contentious subjects in American history: sex education. With interviews with some of the minds behind the National Sex Education Standards, reporter Ben Kawaller offers a rare look into the philosophical underpinnings of the new ideas about sex and gender that have taken root throughout American society, what they reveal about the tensions between “gay” and “queer,” and what they might spell for the future of the movement—and for America. THIS EPISODE FEATURES:Dr. Eva Goldfarb – Professor of Public Health at Montclair State University.Madelaine Adelman – Justice Studies professor at Arizona State University and former GLSEN board member.Alison Macklin – Policy and advocacy director at Sex Ed for Social Change (SIECUS).Jennifer Finney Boylan – Transgender author, former president of PEN America and former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times.Ben Appel – Journalist and author of Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.Dana Beyer – Early transgender advocate.Herndon Graddick – Former president of GLAAD.Lorri Jean – Former CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. LINKS:Too Hot to Handle: A Global History of Sex Ed by Jonathan Zimmerman The National Sex Education Standards Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K–12 Sex Education Curriculum CREDITS:This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Ben Kawaller, Simon Adler, Ethan Mannello, and Seth Temple Andrews. Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with assistance from ChatGPT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices