The Gist

Today on The Gist, we explore the uncanny valley of rogue taxidermy. Robert Marbury, author of Taxidermy Art, explains why an American BioArt trend is taking hold. Plus, Mike Tipping, of The Tipping Point and Portland Press Harold, discusses what the Maine gubernatorial elections say about the state's changing political landscape. He's the author of As Maine Went. For The Spiel, Rebel Vetting 101. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Kate Clark, Rivalry, from Taxidermy Art by Robert Marbury (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photo courtesy of the artist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, is it too soon for Ebola jokes? Slate's Josh Levin explains why the Jaguar mascot Jaxson De Ville's joke didn't land. Then, how the musical Bedbugs!!! earns its exclamation points. We'll speak with creators Paul Leschen and Fred Sauter about the show, and Brooke Borel chimes in about the bedbug science. Her forthcoming book Infested arrives next spring. For The Spiel, why political party matters in statewide races in Texas. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, something we're good at when it comes to fighting infectious disease. Mathematical modeler Nina Fefferman of Rutgers University explains how a mathematical model called R0 can predict the spread of Ebola. Then, in our regular segment Is This Bulls---, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker discusses why some priming research has gone too far. For the Spiel, a Pew Research study reveals a huge knowledge gap when it comes to the economy. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, the home of the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East is Qatar. Jeremy Shapiro from Brookings Institute explains if we should consider Qatar a friend or frenemy. Plus, Jeffrey Mervis from Science explains why house Republicans are sniffing around National Science Foundation funding decisions. To end the show, Mike's Spiel from the stage of Slate's Live SuperFest in San Francisco. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, Slate's Dahlia Lithwick previews the Supreme Court cases worth watching closely this term, even if they don't inspire Hobby Lobby–level outrage. Plus, Daisy Waugh explains how modern attitudes toward child-rearing are setting parents up to feel like failures. She's the author of The Kids Will Be Fine. For the Spiel, damn, dams, we wish you were built better. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, we prepare for a verdict in the Blackwater trial you might not have known is underway. From the hallway of a D.C. federal courthouse, Matt Apuzzo of the New York Times reminds us why it's taken us seven years to prosecute the State Department contractors involved in a shooting in Iraq. Plus, biographer Tanner Colby reviews Cosby: His Life and Times by Mark Whitaker, and discusses the glaring omission of the comedian's sexual assault allegations. For the Spiel, are the terrorists we're fighting smarter than us? Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the attorney general the lightening rod of the Cabinet? The Gist's attorneys general theme week continues with Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. Plus, candy blogger Cybele May explains what flavors are trending on candy aisles, and what candy can tell us about how America is changing. For the Spiel, Isaac Mizrahi–designed tissues. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, we talk about Andy Warhol's erotic films with McGill University professor Ara Osterweil, who explains how movies like Couch and Blow Job transformed American visual culture. Osterweil is the author of Flesh Cinema: The Corporeal Turn in American Avant-Garde Film. For the Spiel, the kid who kicked a cat and the luxury of outrage. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, we discuss the legacy of Attorney General Eric Holder with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Plus, Brett Anderson explains why Louisiana isn't shaped like a boot anymore. In a recent feature for Matter, he collaborated on the making of a new map. For The Spiel, 10 objections that defined history. Illustration by Matthew Woodson for Matter. Source: U.S. Geological Survey's National Land Cover Data (2011). Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, the science journalist's version of "who wore it better." We compare the Wall Street Journal's report with the N.Y. Times' report on the same research from the journal Nature. Ben Lillie from Story Collider explains who did the best job of representing the research. Then Slate's Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer "Please No Baby Daddy" from The Gist Episode 15. For the Spiel, we name our new Lobstar of the Antentwig. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices