Bay Curious - What’s Special About San Francisco’s Sourdough?

We've got food on the mind this week, so are bringing back one of our all-time favorite episodes! Dig into the science behind San Francisco sourdough, and get to know the bacteria that shares our name: Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis.

Additional Reading:


Reported by Julia Scott. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey and Vinnee Tong.

Short Wave - The Special Connection Between Smell and Memory

Why can a smell trigger such a powerful memory? Biological anthropologist Kara Hoover explains what's going on in the brain when we smell, how smell interacts with taste, and why our sense of smell is heightened in the winter. (Encore episode.)

Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

AND consider supporting Short Wave, by supporting your local NPR station here.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Curious City - A Most Unusual School Year: Part II

In Part II of our special series on education during COVID-19, reporters Susie An and Kate McGee share stories of two high school juniors going through the college application process during remote learning and several college freshmen experiencing a strange first semester. Some of those college students are studying remotely from the homes where they grew up while others packed up and headed off to campus, only to face a quarantine.

Then, we hear from Curious City question askers and experts about what they’re thankful for this year.

Curious City - A Most Unusual School Year: Part II

In Part II of our special series on education during COVID-19, reporters Susie An and Kate McGee share stories of two high school juniors going through the college application process during remote learning and several college freshmen experiencing a strange first semester. Some of those college students are studying remotely from the homes where they grew up while others packed up and headed off to campus, only to face a quarantine.

Then, we hear from Curious City question askers and experts about what they’re thankful for this year.

The Gist - A Start-Up Letdown

On the Gist, today on Remembrances of Things Trump, we look back on Trump’s 2017 visit to the annual Boy Scout Jamboree. 

In the interview, Mike talks with Reeves Weideman, contributing editor at New York magazine and author of Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork. Weideman explains the internal drama inside Neumann’s fast-scaling, overly hyped WeWork, an office space leasing company billed as an in-person social network, as well as the lessons entrepreneurs can learn from disruptors attempting to grow quickly and remain profitable. 

In the spiel, the lobstar of the antentwig.

Email us at thegist@slate.com

Podcast production by Margaret Kelley and Lori Galarreta.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Consider This from NPR - A Feast For A Few: Rethinking The Traditional Thanksgiving Meal

Thanksgiving is going to look different for many Americans this year. As the coronavirus pandemic rages, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning against traveling to see friends or family, or even gathering with people who do not live with you.

But that isn't a reason to forego a delicious, sit-down meal.

Three chefs share their scaled-down Thanksgiving recipes. These dishes — Anita Lo's turkey roulade, Aarón Sánchez's brussels sprouts with roasted jalapeño vinaigrette and Sohla El-Waylly's apple (hand) pies — are meant to serve up to four people.

Find all three recipes here.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Holiday Anxiety And Depression Made Worse By The Pandemic

Feelings of isolation can lead to depression, substance abuse, and worse for millions during a normal holiday season. Add in the anxiety and social distancing of a global pandemic, and you have the recipe for more mental health crises.

Reset talks to two experts about how to recognize and beat some of those feelings in the age of COVID-19.

For more Reset interviews, please subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating. That helps other listeners find us.

For more about the program, you can head over to the WBEZ website or follow us on Twitter at @WBEZreset.