1. "The Fact of the Matter"

Getting a firm hold on the truth is never as simple as nailing down the facts of a situation. This hour, we go after a series of seemingly simple facts -- facts that offer surprising insight, facts that inspire deeply different stories, and facts that, in the end, might not matter at all.

We start with the story of Errol Morris' obsessive search for a straightforward answer about a photograph. He travels the globe to get to the bottom of things, and ends up with an odd peek into a slice of time 150 years ago. Then, one of the strangest stories to come out of the Cold War hinges on evidence that turns out to be deeply entangled with a little-reported tragedy, and a history-shaping accusation. And we end with a story about friendship, and a moving case for how truly knowing someone often requires seeing beyond the details.




2. "Inheritance"

Once a kid is born, their genetic fate is pretty much sealed. Or is it? This hour, we put nature and nurture on a collision course and discover how outside forces can find a way inside us, shaping not just our hearts and minds, but the basic biological blueprint that we pass on to future generations.




3. "Bliss"

Moments of total, world-shaking bliss are not easy to come by. Maybe that's what makes them feel so life-altering when they strike. And so worth chasing. This hour: stories of striving, grasping, tripping, and falling for happiness, perfection, and ideals.




4. "Speed"

We live our lives at human speed, we experience and interact with the world on a human time scale. But this hour, we put ourselves through the paces, peek inside a microsecond, and master the fastest thing in the universe.




5. 'Are You Sure?"

This hour, we walk the tightrope between doubt and certainty, and wonder if there's a way to make yourself at home on that razor's edge between definitely...and not so sure.

We meet a geologist whose life is rocked by a crisis of faith, talk to a gambler who's made a name (and millions) by embracing what she can't know, and we relive a series of decisions and convictions that turn one woman's certainty into a deeply troubling question about just how certain is certain enough.




6. "23 Weeks 6 Days"

When Kelley Benham and her husband Tom French finally got pregnant, after many attempts and a good deal of technological help, everything was perfect. Until it wasn't. Their story raises questions that, until recently, no parent had to face… and that are still nearly impossible to answer.

This hour, we spend the entire episode on the story of Kelley and Tom, whose daughter was born at 23 weeks and 6 days, roughly halfway to full term. Their story contains an entire universe of questions about the lines between life and death, reflex and will, and the confusing tug of war between two basic moral touchstones: doing no harm...and doing everything in our power to help.

*Kelley has written about her experience in a brilliant series of articles in the Tampa Bay Times. (http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2012/reports/juniper/)




7. "Inner Voices"

From the silent words of a child forming her first thought, to the inner heckler that taunts you when the pressure's on, a look at how the voices in our heads shape us -- for better and for worse.




8. "Known Unknowns"

Some things are simply unknowable, from the pain another person feels to the reasons why they commit horrible acts. In this hour, we meet people who are trying to measure and make sense of things they can’t quite grasp -- from the quest to pin down a standard measurement for pain, to a pair of performers who, night after night, step on stage with absolutely no plan.