Arizona is no longer covering transplant operations under its Medicaid program because it’s too expensive. Mark Stephens, executive with the National Patient Advocate Foundation tells us what he thinks of that decision.  Then, is there an autism vaccine connection? In The Panic Virus, journalist  Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is?

Steven Potter, professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, concludes that we are quickly reaching the point where our ability to manipulate genes “could well mean the end of the human race as we know it, but perhaps the beginning of something better” in Designer Genes.

Was Sen. Harry Reid on target for saying during the 2008 campaign that Barack Obama may have had an advantage as a black presidential candidate because of his light skin? Washington Post science writer and author Shankar Vedantam’s book, The Hidden Brain suggests that Reid may have been on target.

Mary Roach‘s books are about the human body in strange circumstances and in her latest, Packing for Mars, she explores outer space and puts the magic back into the great beyond.

Melanie Phillips is an award-winning columnist for London’s Daily Mail and author of the book The World Turned Upside Down. In it, she explains how she believes the Western world has fallen into a soft totalitarianism by distorting truths and allowing rationality and science to dominate over spirituality and faith.

All people who love animals can agree with author, Wesley J. Smith that human beings owe animals respect, kindness, and humane care. But he argues in A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy, that our obligation to humanity matters more, and that granting rights to animals would inevitably diminish human dignity.

What do we really know about why we sleep and why we seem to be getting less of it? Do sleeping pills work?  Patricia Morrisroe, writer and author tells us how she cured her insomnia in Wide Awake which is sure to keep you up because you can’t put it down.

One of the world’s richest men, Warren Buffet decided not to pass the bulk of his fortune to his kids, but are they really deprived? Peter Buffet, Emmy Award-winning musician says that Life is What You Make It. Then, investigative journalist Kitty Kelley has penned another unauthorized tell all biography, this time she has the goods on Oprah. We end the hour with John Mecklin, editor-in-chief at Miller-McCune magazine with some science hilarity.

Dr. Lewis M. Cohen goes behind the scenes in the end of life debate and examines how advances in modern medicine have enabled us to prolong life, but have forced us to address how we treat patients who are dying and suffering in No Good Deed. He will be joined by lawyer and professor emeritus, Stephen Arons who has collaborated with him on research investigation.

What is scientific fraud and how is it investigated? Physics professor and author, David Goodstein examines real life cases where allegations of scientific fraud were made in On Fact and Fraud. In some, the parties are found innocent and in others they are guilty. Then, just like something right out of the movies. Dr. Ruth Simkin tells her stranger than fiction story of being wrongfully institutionalized in a mental hospital in The Jagged Years of Ruthie J.