It's Been a Minute Folgen

The Christian rapture didn't happen as predicted, but a lot of you still feel like we're living in end times. Why is that?Right now - from religion to climate change to doomsday prepping - there's a lot of talk about the end of the world. And, yeah, there was a lot of joking (and some believing) this week that the rapture would happen, but this all points to a broader feeling a lot of us have: that something has to change. But what?In this episode, Brittany is joined by culture writer Joshua Rivera and national writer for Religion News Service Bob Smietana. They answer those questions and get into why the rapture is so appealing to Christians and non-Christians alike. And how Christian beliefs about the end of days are seeping into all of our minds.(0:35) The story of how The Rapture went viral(3:57) What even is The Rapture?(6:32) Why The Rapture is so alluring to Americans(11:45) Why 4 in 10 Americans believe we are in the end times(13:32) How TikTok contributes to our anxiety about the apocalypse(15:19) How Evangelical beliefs fuels MAGA policies(17:15) Why all of us - regardless of faith - think the end is nearFollow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

If more and more young people are dying of colorectal cancer, why aren't we talking about it? Is it because we're too ashamed of our bodies?Rates of colorectal cancer are rising, especially for people under 50. But it's hard to raise awareness for a cancer that a lot of us find hard to talk about. In a recent essay for The Cut, writer Laurie Abraham described her experience of colon cancer, which included a lot of embarrassment. Talking about your bowel movements is...not fun. Can you relate?Today, Brittany is joined by Laurie and Dr. Kimmie Ng, Co-Director of the Colon and Rectal Cancer Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to get into the cultural shame around how we talk about colon cancer - and how that extends to a lack of funding and research.(0:00) Why colorectal cancer rates are rising in young people(3:18) The environmental causes that lead to colon cancer(7:08) How cultural shame about our bodies stops diagnoses(10:30) What can listeners do to raise awareness?(15:58) Racial disparities and ageism against young people(20:48) Some exciting news!Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After Grok's MechaHitler gaffe this summer, and President Trump's executive order to, "strip AI models of ‘ideological agendas," Brittany wondered, "how much influence does AI already have on our minds?" This is AI + U. Each Monday this month, Brittany explores how we’re already seeing the impacts of AI. Artificial Intelligence has become a constant in ways we can and can't see… and for the next few weeks we're zeroing in on how AI affects our daily lives.In this episode, The Argument's Kelsey Piper and NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn join Brittany to discuss what transparency looks like for artificial intelligence and what we actually want from this rapidly developing technology. Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy