Thinking Inside and Outside the Box

Thinking Inside the Box Guest: Adrienne Raphel, Lecturer, Princeton Writing Program, and author, "Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can’t Live Without Them" 4 down . . . 3 across? What’s the clue again? For several decades, crossword puzzles have filled the pages of the world’s most prominent newspapers—"The New York Times" among them. But where did these tricky word games come from, anyway? Why have they gained such popularity—especially in times of crisis? Adrienne Raphel joins us to talk about the history and influence of crossword puzzles. Two New Species of Peanut-Butter-Hating, Hopping Shrew Rats Guest: Eric Rickart, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, National History Museum, The University of Utah Two species of shrew rats were discovered in the Philippines: shrew rats that hop on their hind legs and eat with toothless mouths. How did they stay hidden for so long? Turns out they just aren’t fans of peanut-butter bait.