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IAN Unplugged 2609 022826 Jay, Gautam & Kapil play I Think I Know This with Zaina, Soha & Saniya

March 2, 2026·54 min·4 clips
Zaina, a neuroscience researcher at Texas Medical Center, explains that Parkinson's disease is detectable via protein misfolding in cerebral spinal fluid up to 20 years before any clinical symptoms appear.
1. Indo-American News Radio's Unplugged segment features a current affairs quiz with three young women from SIA (South Asian Youth Alliance), a youth arm of the Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston, hosted by Jawahar with co-hosts Gautam Sinha and Kapil Sharma. 2. Contestants are Zaina, a neuroscience researcher at Texas Medical Center; Soha, a 16-year-old high school sophomore studying online at Texas Connections Academy; and Sanya, a University of Texas at Austin finance graduate now working at Ernst and Young as a consultant on collateralized loan obligations. 3. The episode's through-line is the intersection of current events with three generations of South Asian women navigating professional identity — a scientist, a student, and a recent graduate — all part of a community youth organization being revived. 4. Mohamed Khan, SIA's founder, calls in to explain the organization's three pillars: professional leadership and networking, civic engagement through volunteerism, and cultural connection; he notes SIA is open to any age or background and is actively recruiting ages 16 to 22. 5. Zaina describes her research in Parkinson's diagnostics at Texas Medical Center's lab run by Dr. Claudio Soto, where she has helped develop a spinal fluid test that detects alpha-synuclein protein misfolding up to 20 years before clinical symptoms manifest. 6. Zaina confirms her lab collaborates with the Michael J. Fox Foundation on grants and media projects, and current treatment is L-DOPA replacement therapy which slows but does not stop disease progression. 7. Host Jawahar asks about AlphaFold, Google Brain's protein-folding simulation, and whether it could apply to Parkinson's diagnostics — a question that is cut short before Zaina can answer in order to start the quiz. 8. Sanya explains that CLOs at EY involve auditing bank behavior around structured financial instruments to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, and Jawahar immediately connects this to current economic warning signs he says 'seem to be coming up right now.' 9. In the quiz's first round, Zaina correctly identifies that Trump broke his own record for the longest State of the Union address at 1 hour 47 minutes — the previous record holder was Bill Clinton at 1 hour 28 minutes in 2000; the shortest average was Richard Nixon at 36 minutes. 10. Soha, 16, does not know who the Beatles are and incorrectly guesses Ringo Starr for a question about the Paul McCartney documentary 'Man on the Run'; the hosts defend her by noting that the Beatles broke up before she was born. 11. Sanya correctly identifies Prince Andrew as the high-profile arrest connected to Jeffrey Epstein, noting he had been stripped of his title and noting a Reuters photograph of his return home after arrest. 12. The quiz covers El Mencho's death, the Pentagon's ultimatum to Anthropic over refusal to allow its AI model to be used for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons, the FCC's Pledge America campaign requiring broadcasters to open with the national anthem, and a New Zealand arson case where a judge reduced a sentence discount from 10% to 5% because the defendant used AI to write her apology letter. 13. Zaina goes six-for-six, correctly identifying Flavor Flav as the celebrity who stepped in to host the US women's Olympic hockey team after Trump only invited the men's team to the White House; she did not need the multiple-choice options. 14. Zaina also correctly identifies Nazgul — a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog named after the Lord of the Rings ring-wraiths — as the dog that disrupted the Olympic cross-country ski race, sparking a side discussion about her Lord of the Rings fandom. 15. Soha correctly identifies T. Rex as walking like a chicken based on new lower-leg anatomy and fossil track analysis, and paleontologist Steve Brissett of the University of Edinburgh is quoted describing it as 'an eight-ton chicken clucking about in the barnyard.' 16. The Anthropic question reveals that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic a Friday deadline to drop its restrictions on AI use for domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, which Anthropic missed; the hosts note the Pentagon was busy attacking Iran during the same period. 17. Final scores: Zaina 6 points, Soha 3 points, Sanya 4 points; Zaina wins the $25 gift card. 18. The quiz format is conversational and frequently interrupted by hosts adding commentary, historical context, and jokes; contestants are treated as guests rather than competitors, and the tone is warm and community-oriented throughout. 19. South Asian diaspora members in Houston interested in community youth organizations, current events quizzes, or science and finance career stories will find the episode most engaging. 20. Listeners expecting focused news analysis or a polished quiz format without extended interruptions and tangents may find the loose structure frustrating.

As heard by us

A boisterous Saturday quiz on Masala 98.7 FM where community chatter keeps the current-affairs game moving.

Indo-American News Unplugged uses its Saturday slot on Masala 98.7 FM for a brisk current-affairs quiz, and the mix of hosts, a phone-in guest, and contestants gives it an easy, talky rhythm.

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Why you'd press play

You want a Saturday Texas radio quiz that turns current affairs into a lively, local back-and-forth.

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