Humankind On Public Radio

Humankind On Public Radio Each week, public radio's award-winning Humankind podcast presents stories of hope and humanity.

06/04/2026

Podcast Episode: Culture of Distraction
At a time when four in ten Americans read at below intermediate level or are illiterate, how is our society affected by the barrage of images and spectacle emanating from mass media? How do the impossible standards of beauty and materialism reflected in our celebrity-soaked culture impact how we see ourselves? How does journalism, when based on sensationalist imagery, affect the functioning of our democracy? What are the consequences of “reality TV” which sometimes seems to normalize such traits as self-aggrandizement, the capacity for manipulation, or the inability to feel remorse? These and other questions are considered by Chris Hedges, a long-time war correspondent for The New York Times and best-selling author of “Empire of Illusion”. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

05/28/2026

Podcast Episode: Aging in Community Pt 4
Nearly 5 million direct care workers assist America’s older adults. They perform their duties in private homes, residential care settings and nursing facilities. This workforce is projected to expand dramatically as the population of elders surges. Nine in ten are women, mostly people of color and immigrants. We’ll listen to the stories of some of these workers. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

05/22/2026

Podcast Episode: Ahead of His Time, The Story of Charles Sumner Pt2
We examine the remarkable story of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. He put his life on the line for his beliefs. Sumner was born a generation after the United States was founded. His unusual childhood in Boston laid the foundation for Sumner’s lifelong commitment to racial equality. It fired up his moral imagination — and willingness to take on tough fights he was told he could not win. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

05/21/2026

Podcast Episode: Ahead of His Time, The Story of Charles Sumner Pt 1
We examine the remarkable story of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. He put his life on the line for his beliefs. Sumner was born a generation after the United States was founded. His unusual childhood in Boston laid the foundation for Sumner’s lifelong commitment to racial equality. It fired up his moral imagination — and willingness to take on tough fights he was told he could not win. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

05/21/2026

Podcast Episode: Aging In Community Pt 3
Millions of adult children or other relatives are caring for older loved ones. They do this out of love, but the cumulative burden can be heavy. It often adds up to a lot of time, it can take a toll on the caregiver’s finances, and it almost always brings worry. More than one in five American adults is in the role of a caregiver for an elder — usually a parent or grandparent or spouse. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

05/13/2026

Podcast Episode: Mattie Stepanek's Heartsong
In this clip, we hear from Mattie's mother, Jeni. She is in a wheelchair as well, and she shares Mattie’s rare form of muscular dystrophy; in fact, she lost three other children to it, and we’ll hear about the challenges she faces–both physical and emotional–in taking care of Mattie and getting through the difficult days. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

05/12/2026

Podcast Episode: Mattie Stepanek's Heartsong
In this poignant profile taped prior to his death due to complications from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, child poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek showed wisdom beyond his years. Meet the best-selling eleven-year-old poet, hear his moving story, and learn about his powerful philosophy of “Heartsongs.” One of the remarkable things about Mattie is that he has maintained a positive attitude, despite the life-threatening challenges he has faced from his rare form of muscular dystrophy. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

05/07/2026

Podcast Episode: First Responders
From firefighters to police officers to the Red Cross and many others, First Responders play an essential role in protecting public safety and helping people cope with emergencies. In this episode, we consider the work of providers of disaster spiritual care. These folks look after both survivors of tragedies and the responders, who are sometimes reeling in the wake of calamity. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

04/24/2026

Podcast Episode: Mothers Out Front
While sometimes presented in terms of “kilowatt-hours” and “parts per million”, the challenge of climate change is profoundly personal and is projected to affect all of our lives. And the scenarios range from food shortages to public health crises to emergency management in the wake of natural disasters. Some greenhouse gases—once released into the atmosphere—remain there for centuries. That implies they’re now baked into our climate system for the foreseeable future. So regrettably, some of the disruption and harmful effects on people may be unstoppable. But scientists say there remains a window—although a rapidly narrowing one—in which the problem can be meaningfully curtailed. Here we profile an emerging citizens movement, Mothers Out Front, who strive to cut their own carbon footprint, as well that of the communities where they live. And their mode of organizing: throw house parties! Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

04/16/2026

Podcast Episode: The Placebo Effect
When new medications are being tested, researchers have long been aware of the “placebo effect”—that someone’s mental attitude and preconceptions can impact how that person reacts to the drug. Routinely, scientists attempt to distinguish the placebo effect from the effect of the drug’s active ingredients, to determine how well the medicine itself works. But what is the mystery of the placebo effect? Why do our thoughts and ideas affect our healing from physical ailments? In this episode, we examine some of the history—and promising applications—of this effect, which Dr. Jonas sometimes calls the “meaning effect”, because a healing response can be activated by how we perceive the meaning of a medical treatment (drug or otherwise). Jonas is former Director of the Medical Research Fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He also served as director of the Office of Alternative Medicine (since renamed the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Today he is president of the Samueli Institute, a health research center in Alexandria, Virginia. Listen now at humankindpodcast.org

Address

68 Leonard Street
Belmont, MA
02478

Telephone

+16174895130

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Humankind On Public Radio posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Humankind On Public Radio:

Shortcuts

Share

Category