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The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research. On this episode, we’ll learn what’s keeping more student nurses from graduating in New York.A newly identified species of tarantula is setting a record among large, furry spiders.And humans are not the only ones with an affinity for beautiful crystals.

(Airs 04/02/26 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Yancey Roy, Albany Bureau Chief for Newsday, about why the New York state budget is late again, negotiations over taxing the rich, sweetening state pensions, changing the climate law, and much more.

Toxic algal blooms have been a growing problem in recent years associated with warming waters and nutrient-rich agricultural runoff in lakes, rivers, and oceans. These outbreaks can damage ecosystems, degrade water quality, and release toxins that threaten both wildlife and people. But a recent discovery suggests that nature may have found a way to fight back.

The Supreme Court has struck down a ban on conversion therapy in Colorado, deciding the law violated the First Amendment protecting free speech. On this week’s 51%, we chat with Albany Law School’s Vin Bonventre about why the Supreme Court ruled the way it did, and what this means for similar bans in other states, including New York. WAMC’s Elias Guerra also speaks with a woman working to start the first Black trans-owned bookstore in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Since the 1950s, Madagascar has lost over 27,000 square miles of forest – more than half of its natural forest cover. The decimation of the forests has been the result of small-scale agriculture, illegal logging for fuelwood and charcoal extraction, and from uncontrolled fires.

(Airs 04/16/26 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Dan Clark, reporter and author of Capitol Confidential for The Times Union, about what’s holding up the state budget, changing the 2019 state climate law, who’s challenging Tom DiNapoli in the race for Comptroller, and much more.

The sources of U.S. electricity production have changed dramatically over the past 15 years and continue to change as the political winds blow in different directions.

On this week’s 51%, we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month and speak with the head of the Texas Advocacy Project, an organization offering legal support and safety planning for survivors of dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and human trafficking. CEO Heather Bellino says it is critical for survivors to know their rights and have access to support that still allows them to take the lead on how they want to move forward. WAMC’s Josh Landes also details a bill in Massachusetts aimed at closing loopholes around age of consent that currently shield teachers from facing legal consequences for sexual misconduct with students in their care.

On this week’s 51%, WAMC’s Sarah LaDuke learns about everyone’s favorite comfort show, Parks and Recreation, with pop-culture writer and historian Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. “Parks and Rec” ran on NBC from 2009-2015, capitalizing on the success of The Office and a sense of political optimism following the election of then-President Barack Obama. It brought us Little Sebastian and Galentine’s Day — but it was also always on the verge of cancellation. Keishin Armstrong’s new book, Parks and Rec: The Underdog TV Show that Lit’rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America, dives into the program’s history and what it means to viewers today.

Plastic pollution continues to wreak havoc on the planet. It can be found everywhere on Earth, from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest parts of the ocean. According to the National Resources Defense Council, nearly ten billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, with more than half created in just the past 25 years.