© 2025 | Jefferson Public Radio
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
Listen | Discover | Engage a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Exchange Exemplar: Making No Bones About... Well, Bones

A display of a series of skeletons showing the evolution of humans at the Peabody Museum, New Haven, Conn., circa 1935.
Hulton Archive
/
Getty Images
A display of a series of skeletons showing the evolution of humans at the Peabody Museum, New Haven, Conn., circa 1935.

It's at the center of many a mystery movie: the discovery of old human remains. Mildly gruesome, but still fascinating.

That might have something to do with how seldom we see the many bones of the human body. There's a lot going on inside us that is best left in there.

But Riley Black, writing as Brian Switek, brings our bones into the light of day in the book Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone. It's a bit of history, a bit of culture (think Halloween), and a lot of fun. We replay our 2019 interview here.

Stay Connected
The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily news program focused on issues, people and events across Southern Oregon and Northern California. Natalie Golay is the program's senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Mike Green hosts the show.