Madeleine Reynolds

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.The culture and traditions of Ancient Egypt have long captivated history students. But one part its history may have been swept under the rug.On today’s program, we’ll explore opium use in Ancient Egypt, and how the drug was used by people of all classes, including the pharaohs.

On this week’s 51%, we speak with Kat Koppett, co-director of The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, New York and founder of Koppett, a consultancy company that uses improv to help businesses improve their workplace culture and collaboration. Koppett says the tools used in improvisational theater can apply to many aspects of our lives, including business. Koppett recently released a new edition of her 2001 book, Training to Imagine, with updated guidance and exercises for the modern workplace. Our associate producer, Madeleine Reynolds, also speaks with actress and singer Lea Salonga about her tour, “Stage Screen & Everything in Between.”

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.This week we’ll celebrate the best of The Best of Our Knowledge in 2025.We’ll learn about a new color that humans normally can’t see, a project that created one of the most advanced maps of the brain, and research that uncovers truths to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.The Rapa Nui peoples of Easter Island have sculpted statues known as Moai for centuries.These statues are likely familiar to you – giant stone heads with prominent figurative facial features.We will learn all about how the Moai statues were transported by the Rapa Nui on the island to their places of display.

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education and research.The East African Savannah is known to be the cradle of humanity.Now, researchers are presenting a different history of homo sapiens, theorizing they evolved all across the continent including in rainforests as early as 150,000 years ago.[rerun]

Each weekday morning, The Roundtable's Joe Donahue is joined by various experts, journalists, educators, and commentators to discuss current events. On Roundtable Panel: The Week in Review, we feature your favorite panelists discussing news items from the previous week.

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.Imagine seeing something brighter than 10 trillion suns… seems impossible.Well, scientists have detected a black hole flare that achieved this rare unbelievable brightness.This sighting opens up the possibility of there being more flares of this magnitude.We will learn all about this supermassive black hole flare.

The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall will celebrate its reopening with Lea Salonga’s “Stage Screen & Everything in Between” on Tuesday December 2nd at 7:30.Salonga is known for her roles on stage and in film. Her Broadway credits include “Les Misérables,” “Flower Drum Song,” "Allegiance,” the revival of “Once On this Island,” “Here Lies Love,” “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” and, of course, “Miss Saigon” - for which she won a Tony Award in 1991.She performed the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in the Disney film “Aladdin” and the title character in “Mulan.” Her most recent album is a holiday record called “Sounding Joy.”

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.Can you imagine early humans over 2 million years ago using tools, maybe not, but guess what they did!Technology has been a major part in our evolution as humans and stone tools were some of the beginnings of what we recognize as modern technology.We will explore a discovery of stone tools found in Kenya’s Turkana Basin to learn more about early technology and humans.

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.There are about 600 venomous snake species worldwide and I hope you never run into one.A new study looks into how some venomous snakes attack their prey.Vipers, Elapids, and Colubrids all have different behaviors when striking and we will learn all about it.