Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Why men have nipples, and other 'Human Errors'

    The new book “Human Errors” looks at flaws in our bodies, why we have them, and what’s possibly in store for our future.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Jun 7, 2018 • 48m Listen

    The new book “Human Errors” looks at flaws in our bodies, why we have them, and what’s possibly in store for our future. We look at why humans have more colds than most other animals, how we can’t produce essential vitamins and minerals like other animals, why men have nipples, and more.

    Image "Human Errors" book cover courtesy of biology professor Nathan Lents.

    In this episode

    4 stories
    1. 0:00

      State gas tax turns into political football

      State Senator Josh Newman was recalled over his “yes” vote on raising the state gas tax.

      Read the story
      8 min
    2. 8:21

      Internet voting: The future, or a hacking vulnerability?

      Turnout was low for the California primary election, and 120,000 people in L.A. didn’t get their ballots. How can voting be made more efficient and more appealing? Many point to voting online, and by text. But what about hacking?

      Read the story
      8 min
    3. 16:32

      Why has the human body evolved to include errors?

      The new book “Human Errors” looks at flaws in our bodies, why we have them, and what’s possibly in store for our future.

      Read the story
      15 min
    4. 31:42

      The connection between food and brain health

      We go on diets for our bodies -- to lose weight or to feel better. We rarely think about what food does to our most complex organ: the brain. But the right diet may be able to prevent or slow the spread of Alzheimer's.

      Read the story
      15 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Amy Ta

      Digital News & Culture Editor

      News

    In this episode

    4 stories
    1. 0:008 min

      State gas tax turns into political football

    2. 8:218 min

      Internet voting: The future, or a hacking vulnerability?

    3. 16:3215 min

      Why has the human body evolved to include errors?

    4. 31:4215 min

      The connection between food and brain health

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand