Terry Gross

Journalist Steven Erlanger is the Berlin Bureau Chief for the New York Times. Hell talk about European reaction to the Bush administration, its planned invasion of Iraq, and its position on the middle east, and its response to September 11th. And about how the European union is changing the lives of Europeans.

Brazilian physicist Marcelo Gleiser is the author of the new book, The Prophet and the Astronomer: A Scientific Journey to the End of Time (WW Norton). In it he explores our relationship to the sky and how it has influenced religion and then in turn - science. He writes, 'one of my goals. . is to humanize science, to argue that our scientific ideas are very much a product of the cultural and emotional environment where they originate'. Gleiser is Professor of Natural Philosophy and professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College.

Journalist Jon Cohen writes for Science Magazine. He just got back from the 14th International AIDS conference where he reported on the AIDS vaccine and anti-HIV drug therapies. His article "Designer Bugs" in the July/August edition of The Atlantic Monthly is about how scientists have the ability to create synthetic viruses in the lab, like mousepox and polio, and the controversies and dangers this presents.

David Kertzer is the author of The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism (Knopf). In the book he focuses on the time period from Napoleon to Hitler, and how "traditional" Catholic forms of dealing with Jews became transformed into modern anti-Semitism. Kertzer is Paul Dupee, Jr. University Professor of Social Science and a professor of anthropology and Italian Studies at Brown University.

Leo Litwak is a retired San Francisco State University professor of English. He's the author of the new memoir, The Medic: Life and Death in the Last Days of World War II (Penguin Books). Litwak was a 19-year-old medic. One reviewer writes, "[A] book that should be given to every schoolboy in the country at the age of 13... the Medic teaches us so much, makes clear that sometimes the monsters in war are not only the enemy."

Professor of Islamic law at the University of California at Los Angeles Khaled Abou El Fadl. He's the author of a number of books, including Conference of the Books: The Search for Beauty in Islam (University Press of America), a collection of essays about the problems and challenges that confront Muslims in the contemporary world.

Bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley. He came to fame late in life when his music was featured on the triple-platinum soundtrack of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? Stanley sings and plays banjo. He won two Grammys this year for his performance of "O Death" on the O Brother record. At age 75, Stanley has just released a self-titled CD and continues to tour. He's recorded over 170 albums in total, and has been performing continuously since 1946.

Actor Tony Shalhoub plays the obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in the USA Network series Monk. His films include, The Man Who Wasn't There, Spy Kids, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Men in Black and Men in Black II, Big Night, Barton Fink and Honeymoon in Vegas.

Actress Catherine Keener was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Being John Malkovich. She starred in the independent films The Real Blonde, Walking and Talking, Living in Oblivion and Lovely and Amazing.

Writer/director Nicole Holofcener. Her new film Lovely and Amazing is a comedy about the insecurities that many women have about their appearance. It stars Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethyn and Dermot Mulroney. Holofcener also wrote the screenplay for the film Walking and Talking.