KQED's Forum

In groundbreaking experiments with mice, Boston University neuroscientist Steve Ramirez has succeeded in turning memories on and off, even implanting new ones. He says that someday we’ll be able to do the same in humans. But should we? We talk to Ramirez about the ethical dilemma and the personal experience that caused

On the bus and in the grocery store line, more and more people are keeping their AirPods in. While we work, while we walk, while we shower, even while we fall asleep — we listen. But what does constant listening do to our attention, our relationships, and the social fabric we all share? We talk about constant audio con

When writer Patricia Lockwood fell ill with Covid in March 2020, she says she felt insane for months, experiencing  “Brian fog” (not brain fog) and what she called “The Refrains,” where a single song lyric would play over and over in her mind. So she decided to make sense of it all by writing “a masterpiece about being

Giftflation is here. Prices for go-to gifts such as boxes of chocolates or the latest iPhone will be higher this year than last thanks to rising tariffs and inflation. And while consumers are anxious about the economy, they are still expected to break spending records by shelling out more than $1 trillion on holiday sh

With just weeks before enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire for 22 million Americans, Congress faces mounting pressure to act on healthcare funding. We’ll talk about the negotiations unfolding on Capitol Hill, what we’re hearing from the White House and how the issue could shape the 2026 midterm elections. Gue

The Trump administration has paused all asylum immigration decisions, affecting more than a million people, following a shooting of two National Guard members allegedly by an Afghan asylum recipient. It’s just the latest in a series of escalating immigration restrictions that, according to experts, now target both undo