Like most middle-class American parents, Hanna Rosin pays a lot of attention to her children. But it hasn’t always been that way. Just a generation ago, kids enjoyed immense freedom from adult supervision. Rosin says that today's kids are under perpetual surveillance. In a new article in The Atlantic magazine, she investigates why Americans are so protective of their children, and she'll join us Monday to talk about how our obsession with child safety has whitewashed childhood of its independence, risk and joys of discovery.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium and host of the TV show Cosmos, is as fascinated with the depth and mysteries of outer space as he is with its proximity. "We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us," he has said. Tyson will be in Salt Lake next week, so Friday we're reairing our conversation with him about his personal relationship with the cosmos and his crusade to get humanity back into space.

There's a lot of hand wringing over what the digital age may be doing to us and society as a whole. And though you may not think LOLCats and auto-tuned politicians are high art, Thursday's guests contend the internet is a vibrant platform for human expression. Lynn McNeill and Trevor Blank are folklorists and they say people have been telling stupid jokes and complaining about government long before the web. They join Doug to talk about digital culture and what we can learn about ourselves from it.

According to journalist Brad Stone, Santa Claus and Amazon.com share a few things in common: they both know what you want for Christmas and they have armies of menial laborers working in remote warehouses to fulfill your desires. In his book "The Everything Store," Stone chronicles the rise of Amazon from a small-fry bookseller to the pinnacle of Internet retail. The story’s also about Jeff Bezos, the company’s innovative and demanding founder. Stone joins us Wednesday to profile an online juggernaut that has changed the way we shop and read. (Rebroadcast)

According to physical therapist Kelly Starrett, there’s a resurgent interest in taking care of our bodies. Countless people are doing squats at CrossFit gyms, standing at their desks and spending hours on elliptical trainers. Which is great, but Starrett observes that nearly all of us conduct our daily physical business with poor technique and bad biomechanics. He’s crusading to right those wrongs, and Starrett joins us Tuesday to explain how to move your body correctly to avoid injury and maximize your physical potential.

In the summer of 2009, Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd were hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan when they unknowingly crossed into Iran and were arrested. Accused of espionage, they were thrown into Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison, subjected to harsh interrogation and put in solitary confinement. Sarah was released after 14 months; Shane and Josh remained in prison another 10 months. In a new book, “the hikers” tell their side of the story and recount how they survived their ordeal. They’ll join us Monday to talk about it.

Friday on RadioWest we’re joined by a panel of guests to discuss Utah’s 2014 legislative session. As in years past, the issues of air quality, alcohol control and the state’s education system got a lot of attention on the Hill. But the 60th Legislature saw its fair share of unique proceedings. The Speaker of the House and the governor exchanged volleys. A former attorney general was impugned by a damning report. Legislators significantly altered state elections. And it looks like Utah might have a new state tree. 

Josh Hanagarne stands 6 feet 7 inches tall and can bend horseshoes with his bare hands. He has Tourette’s syndrome and is given to noisy verbal tics. It may seem unlikely, but Hanagarne is also a librarian at Salt Lake City’s Main Library. The job fuels his inner bookworm. It also compels him to consistently maintain silence and self-control. Hanagarne has written a memoir about his struggles with the physical and mental challenges of Tourette’s, and he joins us Thursday to talk about it. (Rebroadcast)

What would you give to see a breathing woolly mammoth? Or a flight of passenger pigeons? For all the damage humans have done to the planet, science may be offering a way to bring animals back from extinction. Some researchers and environmentalists are exploring how to combine the DNA of lost species with their living relatives. But would this be resurrection or dangerous reinvention? Wednesday, we're talking about the ethics and implications of "de-extinction" with essayist Nathaniel Rich and science writer Brian Switek.

Tuesday, we’re joined by Jodi Kantor and Laurie Goodstein, reporters at the New York Times whose recent articles about the role of women in the LDS Church appeared in the paper. Kantor and Goodstein spent months interviewing women around the world about their Mormon experience. We’ll talk to them about what they learned about the evolving role of women in the faith. We’ll also ask how the church is adapting as women wield increasing economic sway and more responsibility in the workplace, and we hope to hear from you.