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Radiolab podcast

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Radiolab

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·

  WNYC Studios  

Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world. The show is known for innovative sound design, smashing information into music. It is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser.

Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world. The show is known for innovative sound design, smashing information into music. It is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser.

 

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#150

Shrink

The definition of life is in flux, complexity is overrated, and humans are shrinking. Viruses are supposed to be sleek, pared-down, dead-eyed machines. But when one microbiologist stumbled upon a GIANT virus, hundreds of times bigger than any seen before, all that went out the window.  The discovery opened the door not only to a new cast of microscopic characters with names like Mimivirus, Mamavirus, and Megavirus, but also to basic questions: How did we miss these until now? Have they been around since the beginning? What if evolution could go … backwards? In this episode from 2015,  join former co-hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich as they grill Radiolab regular Carl Zimmer on these paradoxical viruses – they’re so big that they can get their own viruses! - and what they can tell us about the nature of life.  Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

24 Nov 2023

45 MINS

45:20

24 Nov 2023

#149

The Interstitium

In this episode we introduce you to a part of our bodies that was invisible to Western scientists until about five years ago; it’s called "the interstitium," a vast network of fluid channels inside the tissues around our organs that scientists have just begun to see, name, and understand. Along the way we look at how new technologies rub up against long-standing beliefs, and how millions of scientists and doctors failed to see what was right in front (and inside!) of their noses. We also find out how mapping the anatomy of this hidden infrastructure may help solve one of the fundamental mysteries of cancer, and perhaps provide a bridge between ancient and modern medicine.Special thanks to Aaron Wickenden, Jessica Clark, Mara Zepeda, Darryl Holliday, Dr. Amy Chang, Kate Sassoon, Guy Huntley, John Jacobson, Scotty G, and the Village Zendo EPISODE CREDITS -  Reported by - Lulu Miller and Jenn BrandelProduced by - Matt Kieltywith help from - Ekedi Fausther-Keeyswith mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Natalie Middletonand Edited by  - Alex Neason EPISODE CITATIONS - Articles: Check out reporter Jenn Brandel’s companion essay to this episode in Orion magazine, titled, [Invisible Landscapes] (https://orionmagazine.org/article/interstitium-scientific-discovery-anatomy)  ( [https://zpr.io/NKuxvYY84RvH] (https://zpr.io/NKuxvYY84RvH) ), which argues that the discovery of the interstitium could challenge established practices of compartmentalizing in science and society.Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

17 Nov 2023

55 MINS

55:07

17 Nov 2023

#148

Funky Hand Jive

Back when Robert was kid, he had a chance encounter with then President John F. Kennedy. The interaction began with a hello and ended with a handshake. And like many of us who have touched greatness, 14 year old Robert was left wondering if maybe some of Kennedy would stay with him. Back in 2017, when this episode first aired, Robert found himself still pondering that encounter and question. And so with the help of what was brand new science back then, and a helping hand from Neil Degrasse Tyson, he set out to satisfy this curiosity once and for all.EPISODE CREDITS:Produced by - Simon Adlerwith help from - [Only Human] (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/onlyhuman/episodes/handshake-experiment) : Amanda Aronczyk, Kenny Malone, Jillian Weinberger and Elaine Chen. EPISODE CITATIONS: Videos: [The Handshake Experiment] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCvBF32zgPA) ( [https://zpr.io/buzgQeJJLqvY] (https://zpr.io/buzgQeJJLqvY) )Books: Neil deGrasse Tyson's newest book is called " [Astrophysics for People in A Hurry] (https://youtu.be/BCvBF32zgPA?si=p5TvKL2vhHB1DsAR) ." ( [https://zpr.io/idRcrMu3Kj8c] (https://zpr.io/idRcrMu3Kj8c) ) Ed Yong, “ [I Contain Multitudes] (https://edyong.me/i-contain-multitudes) .” ( [https://zpr.io/ff5imFP3kA6s] (https://zpr.io/ff5imFP3kA6s) ) Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!   Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.   Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.   ... Read more

10 Nov 2023

27 MINS

27:36

10 Nov 2023

#147

Toy Soldiers

Back in February of 2022, anyone who knew anything thought the War in Ukraine would be over in a few weeks. Russia simply had more bodies to fight with and more steel to kill with.Fast-forward to today, however, and the war is anything but over. Ukraine has held and regained territory with shocking resilience. Stranger still, a small, cheap gadget that up until now was little more than a toy, has been central to their success.Today on Radiolab, we track the deployment of this weapon and wonder what happens when you have to look your enemy in the eye before you pull the trigger. Special thanks to Anna Kaliusna and her team for her footage from the frontline, Yulia Tarisuk for her help with all things Ukrainian language related. And Hanna Rose Shell for her helping us understand the history of camouflage. EPISODE CREDITS:Reported by - Simon AdlerProduced by - Simon AdlerOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Simon Adler and Jeremy Bloomwith mixing by - Jeremy BloomFact-checking by - Natalie Middletonand Edited by - Becca Bressler   EPISODE CITATIONS:AUDIO: [On the Media, “The Fog of War”] (https://link.chtbl.com/otmfogofwar?sid=radiolab) ( [https://zpr.io/8NKDM2xHWzRp] (https://zpr.io/8NKDM2xHWzRp) )Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.   ... Read more

03 Nov 2023

30 MINS

30:07

03 Nov 2023

#146

Border Trilogy Part 3: What Remains

While scouring the Sonoran Desert for objects left behind by migrants crossing into the United States, anthropologist Jason De León happened upon something he didn't expect to get left behind: a human arm, stripped of flesh. This macabre discovery sent him reeling, needing to know what exactly happened to the body, and how many migrants die that way in the wilderness. In researching border-crosser deaths in the Arizona desert, he noticed something surprising. Sometime in the late-1990s, the number of migrant deaths shot up dramatically and have stayed high since. Jason traced this increase to a Border Patrol policy still in effect, called “Prevention Through Deterrence.” First aired in 2018 and over three episodes, Radiolab investigates this policy, its surprising origins, and the people whose lives were changed forever because of it. Part 3: What Remains  The third episode in our Border Trilogy follows anthropologist Jason De León after he makes a grisly discovery in Arivaca, Arizona. In the middle of carrying out his pig experiments with his students, Jason finds the body of a 30-year-old female migrant. With the help of the medical examiner and some local humanitarian groups, Jason discovers her identity. Her name was Maricela. Jason then connects with her family, including her brother-in-law, who survived his own harrowing journey through Central America and the Arizona desert. With the human cost of Prevention Through Deterrence weighing on our minds, we try to parse what drives migrants like Maricela to cross through such deadly terrain, and what, if anything, could deter them. Special thanks to Carlo Albán, Sandra Lopez-Monsalve, Chava Gourarie, Lynn M. Morgan, Mike Wells and Tom Barry.CORRECTION: An earlier version of this episode, when it originally aired, incorrectly stated that a person's gender can be identified from bone remains. We've adjusted the audio to say that a person's sex can be identified from bone remains. CITATIONS: Books:Jason De Léon’s book [The Land of Open Graves] (https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520282759/the-land-of-open-graves) ( [https://zpr.io/vZbTarDzGQWK] (https://zpr.io/vZbTarDzGQWK) ) Timothy Dunn’s book [Blockading the Border and Human Rights] (https://utpress.utexas.edu/9780292723498/) ( [https://zpr.io/VTPWNJPusaCn] (https://zpr.io/VTPWNJPusaCn) )Joseph Nevin's book, [Operation Gatekeeper] (https://www.routledge.com/Operation-Gatekeeper-and-Beyond-The-War-On-Illegals-and-the-Remaking/Nevins/p/book/9780415996945) ( [https://zpr.io/UTnHFzRstAEw] (https://zpr.io/UTnHFzRstAEw) )Articles:Rubio-Goldsmith, Raquel, Melissa McCormick, Daniel Martinez, and Inez Duarte. 2006. “ [The ‘Funnel Effect’ & Recovered Bodies of Unauthorized Migrants Processed by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, 1990-2005.] (https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3040107) ” ( [https://zpr.io/R3wSpyVCXQhJ] (https://zpr.io/R3wSpyVCXQhJ) ) SSRN Electronic Journal.Check out more of Caitlin Dickerson's reporting for [The Atlantic] (https://www.theatlantic.com/author/caitlin-dickerson/) ( [https://zpr.io/GAfC2nfEaBeK] (https://zpr.io/GAfC2nfEaBeK) ). Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

27 Oct 2023

56 MINS

56:42

27 Oct 2023

#145

Border Trilogy Part 2: Hold the Line

While scouring the Sonoran Desert for objects left behind by migrants crossing into the United States, anthropologist Jason De León happened upon something he didn't expect to get left behind: a human arm, stripped of flesh. This macabre discovery sent him reeling, needing to know what exactly happened to the body, and how many migrants die that way in the wilderness.  In researching border-crosser deaths in the Arizona desert, he noticed something surprising. Sometime in the late-1990s, the number of migrant deaths shot up dramatically and have stayed high since. Jason traced this increase to a Border Patrol policy still in effect, called “Prevention Through Deterrence.” First aired in 2018 and over three episodes, Radiolab investigates this policy, its surprising origins, and the people whose lives were changed forever because of it. Part 2: Hold the Line After the showdown in court with Bowie High School, Border Patrol brings in a fresh face to head its dysfunctional El Paso Sector: Silvestre Reyes. The first Mexican-American to ever hold the position, Reyes knows something needs to change and has an idea how to do it. One Saturday night at midnight, with the element of surprise on his side, Reyes unveils ... Operation Blockade. It wins widespread support for the Border Patrol in El Paso, but sparks major protests across the Rio Grande. Soon after, he gets a phone call that catapults his little experiment onto the national stage, where it works so well that it diverts migrant crossing patterns along the entire U.S.-Mexico Border. Years later, in the Arizona desert, anthropologist Jason de León realizes that in order to accurately gauge how many migrants die crossing the desert, he must first understand how human bodies decompose in such an extreme environment. He sets up a macabre experiment, and what he finds is more drastic than anything he could have expected. Special thanks to Sherrie Kossoudji at the University of Michigan, Lynn M. Morgan, Cheryl Howard, Andrew Hansen, William Sabol, Donald B. White, Daniel Martinez, Michelle Mittelstadt at the Migration Policy Institute, Former Executive Assistant to the El Paso Mayor Mark Smith, Retired Assistant Border Patrol Sector Chief Clyde Benzenhoefer, Paul Anderson, Eric Robledo, Maggie Southard Gladstone and Kate Hall.CORRECTION: An earlier version of this piece, when the episode originally published in 2018, incorrectly stated that Silvestre Reyes's brother died in a car accident in 1968; it was actually his father who died in the accident.  We also omitted a detail about the 1997 GAO report that we quote, namely that it predicted that as deaths in the mountains and deserts might rise, deaths in other areas might also fall. The audio was adjusted accordingly. EPISODE CREDITS:  Reported by - Latif Nasser with help from - Tracie Hunte Produced by - Matt Kielty with help from - Bethel Habte, Latif Nasser EPISODE CITATIONS: Art: Jason de Leon's latest work is a global participatory art project called [Hostile Terrain 94] (https://hostileterrain94.wordpress.com/about/)  ( [https://zpr.io/dNEyVpAiNXjv] (https://zpr.io/dNEyVpAiNXjv) ), which will be exhibited at over 70 different locations around the world in 2020.  Read more about it [here] (https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/project-exploring-migrant-deaths-in-us-aims-to-go-global/)  ( [https://zpr.io/uwDfu9bXFriv] (https://zpr.io/uwDfu9bXFriv) ).     Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) .Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

20 Oct 2023

53 MINS

53:12

20 Oct 2023

#144

Border Trilogy Part 1: Hole in the Fence

While scouring the Sonoran Desert for objects left behind by migrants crossing into the United States, anthropologist Jason De León happened upon something he didn't expect to get left behind: a human arm, stripped of flesh. This macabre discovery sent him reeling, needing to know what exactly happened to the body, and how many migrants die that way in the wilderness. In researching border-crosser deaths in the Arizona desert, he noticed something surprising. Sometime in the late-1990s, the number of migrant deaths shot up dramatically and have stayed high since. Jason traced this increase to a Border Patrol policy still in effect, called “Prevention Through Deterrence.” In a series first aired back in 2018, over three episodes, Radiolab investigates this policy, its surprising origins, and the people whose lives were changed forever because of it.Part 1: Hole in the FenceWe begin one afternoon in May 1992, when a student named Albert stumbled in late for history class at Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas. His excuse: Border Patrol. Soon more stories of students getting stopped and harassed by Border Patrol started pouring in. So begins the unlikely story of how a handful of Mexican-American high schoolers in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country stood up to what is today the country’s largest federal law enforcement agency. They had no way of knowing at the time, but what would follow was a chain of events that would drastically change the US-Mexico border. Special thanks to Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe, Estela Reyes López, Barbara Hines, Lynn M. Morgan, Mallory Falk, Francesca Begos and Nancy Wiese from Hachette Book Group, Professor Michael Olivas at the University of Houston Law Center, and Josiah McC. Heyman at the Center for Interamerican and Border Studies. EPISODE CREDITS:  Reported by - Latif Nasser, Tracie HunteProduced by - Matt Kieltywith help from - Bethel Habte, Tracie Hunte, Latif NasserCITATIONSBooks:Jason De Léon’s book [The Land of Open Graves] (https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520282759/the-land-of-open-graves) ( [https://zpr.io/vZbTarDzGQWK] (https://zpr.io/vZbTarDzGQWK) ) Timothy Dunn’s book [Blockading the Border and Human Rights] (https://utpress.utexas.edu/9780292723498/) ( [https://zpr.io/VTPWNJPusaCn] (https://zpr.io/VTPWNJPusaCn) )Joseph Nevin's book, [Operation Gatekeeper] (https://www.routledge.com/Operation-Gatekeeper-and-Beyond-The-War-On-Illegals-and-the-Remaking/Nevins/p/book/9780415996945) ( [https://zpr.io/UTnHFzRstAEw] (https://zpr.io/UTnHFzRstAEw) )Articles:Rubio-Goldsmith, Raquel, Melissa McCormick, Daniel Martinez, and Inez Duarte. 2006. “ [The ‘Funnel Effect’ & Recovered Bodies of Unauthorized Migrants Processed by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, 1990-2005.] (https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3040107) ” SSRN Electronic Journal. ( [https://zpr.io/R3wSpyVCXQhJ] (https://zpr.io/R3wSpyVCXQhJ) )Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!   Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.   Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

13 Oct 2023

52 MINS

52:45

13 Oct 2023

#143

The Secret to a Long Life

Producer Sindhu Gnanasambandan wants to know how she can live the longest feeling life possible. The answer leads her on a journey to make one week feel like two. And the journey leads her to a whole new answer.Special thanks to Jo Eidman, Nathan Peereboom, Kristin Lin, Stacey Reimann, Ash Sanders… and an extra special thanks to Jae Minard for editorial supportEPISODE CREDITSReported by - Sindhu GnanasambandanProduced by - Sindhu GnanasambandanOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloomwith mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Emily Kriegerand Edited by  - Pat Walters   Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) .   Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

06 Oct 2023

33 MINS

33:54

06 Oct 2023

#142

Poison Control

Originally aired in 2018, this episode features reporter Brena Farrell as a new mom. Her son gave her and her husband a scare -- prompting them to call Poison Control. For Brenna, the experience was so odd, and oddly comforting, that she decided to dive into the birth story of this invisible network of poison experts, and try to understand the evolving relationship we humans have with our poisonous planet. As we learn about how poison control has changed over the years, we end up wondering what a place devoted to data and human connection can tell us about ourselves in this cultural moment of anxiety and information-overload. Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.   ... Read more

29 Sep 2023

35 MINS

35:57

29 Sep 2023

#141

Smog Cloud Silver Lining

Summer 2023 was a pretty scary one for the planet. Global temperatures in June and July reached record highs. And over in the North Atlantic Sea, the water temperature spiked to off-the-chart levels. Some people figured that meant we were about to go over the edge, doomsday. In the face of this, Hank Green (a long time environmentalist and science educator behind SciShow, Crash Course, and more), took to social media to put things in context, to keep people focused on what we can do about climate change. In the process, he came across a couple studies that suggested a reduction in sulfurous smog from cargo ships may have accidentally warmed the waters. And while Hank saw a silver lining around those smog clouds, the story he told—about smog clouds and cooling waters and the problem of geoengineering—took us on a rollercoaster ride of hope and terror. Ultimately, we had to wrestle with the question of what we should be doing about climate change, or what we should even talk about.Special thanks to Dr. Colin Carson and Avishay Artsy. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Lulu Millerwith help from - Alyssa Jeong PerryProduction help from - Alyssa Jeong PerryOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloomwith mixing help from - Jeremy BloomFact-checking by - Natalie Middletonand Edited by  - N/A CITATIONS: Videos: [Sci Show] (https://www.youtube.com/@SciShow) ( [https://www.youtube.com/@SciShow] (https://www.youtube.com/@SciShow) ) [Crash Course] (https://www.youtube.com/crashcourse) (https://www.youtube.com/crashcourse)   Articles: [The article Hank came across] (https://www.science.org/content/article/changing-clouds-unforeseen-test-geoengineering-fueling-record-ocean-warmth) ( [https://zpr.io/zKYxWht3Nmy7] (https://zpr.io/zKYxWht3Nmy7) )   Books:  [Under a White Sky] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/) ( [https://zpr.io/zKYxWht3Nmy7] (https://zpr.io/zKYxWht3Nmy7) ): The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!   Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.   Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

22 Sep 2023

31 MINS

31:49

22 Sep 2023

#140

Driverless Dilemma

Most of us would sacrifice one person to save five. It’s a pretty straightforward bit of moral math. But if we have to actually kill that person ourselves, the math gets fuzzy. That’s the lesson of the classic Trolley Problem, a moral puzzle that fried our brains in an episode we did almost 20 years ago, then updated again in 2017. Historically, the questions posed by The Trolley Problem are great for thought experimentation and conversations at a certain kind of cocktail party. Now, new technologies are forcing that moral quandary out of our philosophy departments and onto our streets. So today, we revisit the Trolley Problem and wonder how a two-ton hunk of speeding metal will make moral calculations about life and death that still baffle its creators. Special thanks to Iyad Rahwan, Edmond Awad and Sydney Levine from the Moral Machine group at MIT. Also thanks to Fiery Cushman, Matthew DeBord, Sertac Karaman, Martine Powers, Xin Xiang, and Roborace for all of their help. Thanks to the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism students who collected the vox: Chelsea Donohue, Ivan Flores, David Gentile, Maite Hernandez, Claudia Irizarry-Aponte, Comice Johnson, Richard Loria, Nivian Malik, Avery Miles, Alexandra Semenova, Kalah Siegel, Mark Suleymanov, Andee Tagle, Shaydanay Urbani, Isvett Verde and Reece Williams. EPISODE CREDITS  Reported and produced by - Amanda Aronczyk and Bethel HabteOur newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

15 Sep 2023

41 MINS

41:20

15 Sep 2023

#139

Born This Way?

Today, the story of an idea. An idea that some people need, others reject, and one that will, ultimately, be hard to let go of. Special Thanks to Carl Zimmer, Eric Turkheimer, Andrea Ganna, Chandler Burr, Jacques Balthazart, Sean Mckeithan, Joe Osmundson, Jennifer Brier, Daniel Levine-Spound, Maddie Sofia, Elie Mystal, Heather Radke EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Matt KieltyProduced by - Matt KieltyOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Matt Kieltywith mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Diane Kelly EPISODE CITATIONS: Videos: Lisa Diamond - [Born This Way, TEDx] (https://psych.utah.edu/news/lisa-diamond-ted.php)  ( [https://zpr.io/WJedDGLVkTNF] (https://zpr.io/WJedDGLVkTNF) ) Books:  Joanna Wuest - [Born This Way: Science, Citizenship, and Inequality in the American LGBTQ+ Movement] (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo201362155.html)  ( [https://zpr.io/rYPwyhNHtgXe] (https://zpr.io/rYPwyhNHtgXe) ) Dean Hamer - [The Science of Desire: The Search for the Gay Gene and the Biology of Behavior] (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Science-of-Desire/Dean-Hamer/9780684804460)  ( [https://zpr.io/3FuKZyu2bgwE] (https://zpr.io/3FuKZyu2bgwE) ) Lisa Diamond - [Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Desire and Love] (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674032262)  ( [https://zpr.io/cj3ZSLC2xccJ] (https://zpr.io/cj3ZSLC2xccJ) ) Edward Stein - [The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation] (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-mismeasure-of-desire-9780195142440?cc=us&lang=en&)  ( [https://zpr.io/UQfdNtyE3RtQ] (https://zpr.io/UQfdNtyE3RtQ) ) Chandler Burr - [A Separate Creation: The Search for the Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation] (https://www.abebooks.com/9780786860814/Separate-Creation-Search-Biological-Origins-0786860812/plp)  ( [https://zpr.io/GKUDhyfNacUf] (https://zpr.io/GKUDhyfNacUf) ) Jacques Balthazart - [The Biology of Homosexuality] (https://academic.oup.com/book/9450)  ( [https://zpr.io/um6XMmpfkmQS] (https://zpr.io/um6XMmpfkmQS) ) Anne Fausto-Sterling - [Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality] (https://www.amazon.com/Sexing-Body-Politics-Construction-Sexuality/dp/0465077145)  ( [https://zpr.io/rWNrTYLeLZ3s] (https://zpr.io/rWNrTYLeLZ3s) ) Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) .   ... Read more

08 Sep 2023

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:35

08 Sep 2023

#138

Touch at a Distance

In this episode from 2007, we take you on a tour of language, music, and the properties of sound. We look at what sound does to our bodies, our brains, our feelings… and we go back to the reason we at Radiolab tell you stories the way we do.  First, we look at Diana Deutsch’s work on language and music, and how certain languages seem to promote musicality in humans. Then we meet Psychologist Anne Fernald and listen to parents as they talk to their babies across languages and cultures. Last, we go to 1913 Paris and sneak into the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s score of The Rite of Spring.  Check out Diana Deutsch's 'Audio Illusions' [here (https://deutsch.ucsd.edu/psychology/pages.php?i=201). ] (https://deutsch.ucsd.edu/psychology/pages.php?i=201) Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) Correction: An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated the dates of two performances of “Rite of Spring” and the time that passed between them. The performance that inspired rioting occurred on May 29th, 1913. The second performance that we discussed occurred in April of 1914. The audio has been adjusted to reflect this fact.<a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Correction: An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated that the “Rite of Spring” was used in the movie “Fantasia” during the part that featured mushrooms. It was in fact used during the part that featured dinosaurs. The audio has been adjusted to reflect this fact.<a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a> <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

01 Sep 2023

51 MINS

51:34

01 Sep 2023

#137

Rumble Strip: Finn and the Bell

A couple years ago, our producer Annie McEwen listened to an audio documentary that, she said, “tore my heart wide open.” That episode , [“Finn and the Bell,”] (https://www.rumblestripvermont.com/episodes/422) ( [https://zpr.io/TDjwQuXFDSz6] (https://zpr.io/TDjwQuXFDSz6) ) by independent producer Erica Heilman (maker of the podcast  Rumble Strip), went on to win some of the biggest awards in audio ( [including a Peabody] (https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/finn-and-the-bell/) , [https://zpr.io/tu4hwhKQ3TWN] (https://zpr.io/tu4hwhKQ3TWN) ), and the rest of the staff finally got around to listening, and it tore our hearts wide open, too. It’s a story about a death, but as so many of the best stories about death tend to be, it ends up mainly being about life, in this case, the life of a small town in far northern Vermont, the town where Erica lives and makes her show. We think you’ll like it. You can find more than 200 other episodes of Rumble Strip [here] (https://www.rumblestripvermont.com/) ( [https://zpr.io/dwGNnSFmAEFX] (https://zpr.io/dwGNnSFmAEFX) ). Erica’s episode about [The Civic Standard] (https://www.thecivicstandard.org/) ( [https://zpr.io/GJMP95QENFKq] (https://zpr.io/GJMP95QENFKq) ), the community organization started by Finn’s mom Tara Reese and her friend Rose Friedman, is [here] (https://www.rumblestripvermont.com/episodes/the-civic-standard) ( [https://zpr.io/9HL9mpZT4LTM] (https://zpr.io/9HL9mpZT4LTM) ). A follow-up episode to “Finn and the Bell” is [here] (https://www.rumblestripvermont.com/episodes/445) ( [https://zpr.io/ycxSU7ceDXNi] (https://zpr.io/ycxSU7ceDXNi) ). The episode Lulu mentions about the camp for people with and without disabilities is [here] (https://www.rumblestripvermont.com/episodes/2021/08/camp-zeno) ( [https://zpr.io/cnyyUWrfQJey] (https://zpr.io/cnyyUWrfQJey) ).Special thanks to Clare Dolan, Tobin Anderson, Amelia Meath and of course, Tara Reese 🥚. Rumble Strip is a member of Hub and Spoke, a collective of independent podcasts from around the country. EPISODE CREDITS  Reported by - Erica Heilman Produced by - Erica Heilman If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, there’s help available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-TALK. There’s also a live chat option  [on their website] (http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/) (http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/). Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

25 Aug 2023

38 MINS

38:28

25 Aug 2023

#136

The Wubi Effect

When we think of China today, we think of a technological superpower. From Huawei and 5G to TikTok and viral social media, China is stride for stride with the United States in the world of computing. However, China’s technological renaissance almost didn’t happen. And for one very basic reason: The Chinese language, with its 70,000 plus characters, couldn’t fit on a keyboard.  Today, we tell the story of Professor Wang Yongmin, a hard headed computer programmer who solved this puzzle and laid the foundation for the China we know today. Episode CreditsReported by - Simon AdlerProduced by - Simon AdlerTHE DETAILS TO SIMON ADLER’S LIVESHOW!For People in ChicagoSimon will be performing at the Chicago at the Frank Lloyd Wright Unity Temple on [Saturday, September 30th] (https://www.wbez.org/events/mixtapes-to-the-moon-how-the-cassette-changed-the-world-8pm-show/290) ( [https://zpr.io/jePmFHyKUqiM] (https://zpr.io/jePmFHyKUqiM) ).For People in BostonSimon performs at the WBUR City Space on [Friday, December 8th] (https://www.wbur.org/events/871959/radiolab-live-how-the-cassette-changed-the-world) ( [https://zpr.io/jePmFHyKUqiM] (https://zpr.io/jePmFHyKUqiM) ).   Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

18 Aug 2023

57 MINS

57:32

18 Aug 2023

#135

The Internet Dilemma

Matthew Herrick was sitting on his stoop in Harlem when something weird happened. Then, it happened again. And again. It happened so many times that it became an absolute nightmare—a nightmare that haunted his life daily and flipped it completely upside down. What stood between Matthew and help were 26 little words. These 26 words, known as Section 230, are the core of an Internet law that coats the tech industry in Teflon. No matter what happens, who gets hurt, or what harm is done, tech companies can’t be held responsible for the things that happen on their platforms. Section 230 affects the lives of an untold number of people like Matthew, and makes the Internet a far more ominous place for all of us. But also, in a strange twist, it’s what keeps the whole thing up and running in the first place. Why do we have this law? And more importantly, why can’t we just delete it? Special thanks to James Grimmelmann, Eric Goldman, Naomi Leeds, Jeff Kosseff, Carrie Goldberg, and Kashmir Hill. EPISODE CREDITSReported by - Rachael CusickProduced by - Rachael Cusick and Simon Adlerwith mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Natalie MiddletonEdited by - Pat Walters EPISODE CITATIONS: Articles:Kashmir Hill’s [story] (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/30/technology/change-my-google-results.html) introduced us to Section 230. Books: Jeff Kosseff’s book [The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet] (https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501714412/the-twenty-six-words-that-created-the-internet/) (https://zpr.io/8ara6vtQVTuK) is a fantastic biography of Section 230To read more about Carrie Goldberg’s work, [head to her website] (https://www.cagoldberglaw.com/)  (https://www.cagoldberglaw.com/) or check out her bookcheck out her book [Nobody's Victim] (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nobodys-victim-carrie-goldberg/1129997598) ( [https://zpr.io/Ra9mXtT9eNvb] (https://zpr.io/Ra9mXtT9eNvb) ). Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

11 Aug 2023

37 MINS

37:09

11 Aug 2023

#134

Right to be Forgotten

In online news, stories live forever. The tipsy photograph of you at the college football game? It’s there. That news article about the political rally you were marching at? It’s there. A charge for driving under the influence? That’s there, too. But what if... it wasn’t? Several years ago a group of journalists in Cleveland, Ohio, tried an experiment that had the potential to turn things upside down: they started unpublishing content they’d already published. Photographs, names, entire articles. Every month or so, they met to decide what content stayed, and what content went. In this episode from 2019, Senior Correspondent Molly Webster takes us inside the room where the editors decided who, or what, got to be deleted. And we talk about how the “right to be forgotten” has spread and grown in the years since. It’s a story about time and memory, mistakes and second chances, and society as we know it. Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John ... Read more

04 Aug 2023

54 MINS

54:18

04 Aug 2023

#133

Little Black Holes Everywhere

In 1908, on a sunny, clear, quiet morning in Siberia, witnesses recall seeing a blinding light streak across the sky, and then… the earth shook, a forest was flattened, fish were thrown from streams, and roofs were blown off houses. The “Tunguska event,” as it came to be known, was one of the largest extraterrestrial impact events in Earth’s history. But what kind of impact—what exactly struck the earth in the middle of Siberia?—is still up for debate. Producer Annie McEwen dives into one idea that suggests a culprit so mysterious, so powerful, so… tiny, you won’t believe your ears. And stranger still, it may be in you right now. Or, according to Senior Correspondent Molly Webster, it could be You.EPISODE CREDITS Reported by - Annie McEwen and Molly WebsterProduced by - Annie McEwen and Becca Bresslerwith help from - Matt KieltyOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloom, Annie McEwen, Matt KieltyMixing by - Jeremy Bloomwith dialogue mixing by - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Diane Kellyand edited by  - Alex Neason GUESTS [Matt O’Dowd] (https://www.mattodowd.space/) (https://www.mattodowd.space/)Special Thanks:  Special thanks to, Matthew E. Caplan, Brian Greene, Priyamvada Natarajan, Almog Yalinewich EPISODE CITATIONS Videos: Watch “ [PBS Space Time] (https://www.pbs.org/video/what-happens-if-a-black-hole-hits-earth-427p42/) ,” ( [https://zpr.io/GNhVAWDday49] (https://zpr.io/GNhVAWDday49) ) the groovy show and side-gig of physicist and episode guest Matt O’Dowd Articles: [Read more] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event)  ( [https://zpr.io/J4cKYG5uTgNf] (https://zpr.io/J4cKYG5uTgNf) ) about the Tunguska impact event! Check out [the paper] (https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.00033)  ( [https://zpr.io/vZxkKtGQczBL] (https://zpr.io/vZxkKtGQczBL) ), which considers the shape of the crater a primordial black hole would make, should it hit earth: “Crater Morphology of Primordial Black Hole Impacts”Curious to learn more about black holes possibly being dark matter? You can [in the paper (] (https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.08701) [https://zpr.io/sPpuSwhGFkDJ] (https://zpr.io/sPpuSwhGFkDJ) ), “Exploring the high-redshift PBH- ΛCDM Universe: early black hole seeding, the first stars and cosmic radiation backgrounds”   Books:  Get your glow on – Senior Correspondent Molly Webster has a new kids book, a fictional tale about a lonely [Little Black Hole (] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688213/little-black-hole-by-molly-webster-illustrated-by-alex-willmore/) [https://zpr.io/e8EKrM7YF32T] (https://zpr.io/e8EKrM7YF32T) ) Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

28 Jul 2023

34 MINS

34:52

28 Jul 2023

#132

The Right Stuff

Since the beginning of the space program, we’ve expected astronauts to be fully-abled athletic overachievers—one-part science geeks, two-part triathletes—a mix the writer Tom Wolfe called “the right stuff.” But what if, this whole time, we’ve had it wrong? In this episode from 2022, reporter Andrew Leland joins blind Linguistics Professor Sheri Wells-Jensen and a crew of 11 other disabled people. They embark on a mission to prove not just that they have what it takes to go to space, but that disability gives them an edge. On Mission AstroAccess, the crew members hop on an airplane to take a zero-gravity flight—the same NASA uses to train astronauts. With them, we learn that the challenges to making space accessible may not be the ones we thought. And Andrew, who is legally blind, confronts unexpected conclusions of his own. By the way, Andrew’s new book is out. In [The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/635964/the-country-of-the-blind-by-andrew-leland/)  ( [https://zpr.io/nLZ8H] (https://zpr.io/nLZ8H) ), Andrew recounts his transition from sighted to blind. Suspended between anxiety and anticipation, he also begins to explore the many facets of blindness as a culture. It’s well worth a read.  Read the article by Sheri Wells-Jensen, published in The Scientific American in 2018. “ [The Case for Disabled Astronaut] (https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-case-for-disabled-astronauts/) ” ( [https://zpr.io/nLZ8H] (https://zpr.io/nLZ8H) ).  This episode was reported by Andrew Leland and produced by María Paz Gutiérrez, Matt Kielty and Pat Walters. Jeremy Bloom contributed music and sound design. Production sound recording by Dan McCoy.Special thanks to William Pomerantz, Sheyna Gifford, Jim Vanderploeg, Tim Bailey, and Bill Barry Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.   Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

21 Jul 2023

41 MINS

41:02

21 Jul 2023

#131

The Fellowship of the Tree Rings

At a tree ring conference in the relatively treeless city of Tucson, Arizona, three scientists walk into a bar. The trio gets to talking, trying to explain a mysterious set of core samples from the Florida Keys. At some point, they come up with a harebrained idea: put the tree rings next to a seemingly unrelated dataset. Once they do, they notice something that no one has ever noticed before, a force of nature that helped shape modern human history and that is eerily similar to what’s happening on our planet right now. With help from pirates, astronomers and an 80-year-old bartender, this episode will change the way you look at the sun. (Warning: Do not look at the sun.)  Special thanks to Scott St George, Nathaniel Millett, Michael Charles Stambaugh, Justin Maxwell, Clay Tucker, Willem Klooster, Kevin Anchukaitis EPISODE CREDITS Reported by - Latif Nasserwith help from - Ekedi Fausther-Keeys and Maria Paz GutierrezProduced by - Maria Paz Gutierrez and Pat Walterswith help from - Ekedi Fausther-Keeys and Sachi MulkeyMixed by - Jeremy Bloomwith mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Natalie Middletonand Edited by  - Pat Walters CITATIONS: Books:  [Tree Story] (https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12044/tree-story) ( [https://zpr.io/ULX279uzgW9q] (https://zpr.io/ULX279uzgW9q) ) by Valerie Trouet [Sweetness and Power] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/322123/sweetness-and-power-by-sidney-w-mintz/) ( [https://zpr.io/cUEGqGGWMSaQ] (https://zpr.io/cUEGqGGWMSaQ) ) by Sidney Mintz Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) .   Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

14 Jul 2023

29 MINS

29:15

14 Jul 2023

#130

Man Against Horse

This is a story about your butt. It’s a story about how you got your butt, why you have your butt, and how your butt might be one of the most important and essential things for you being you, for being human.  In this episode from 2019, Reporter Heather Radke and Producer Matt Kielty talk to two researchers who followed the butt from our ancient beginnings through millions of years of evolution, all the way to today, out to a valley in Arizona, where our butts are put to the ultimate test.   Special thanks to Michelle Legro. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Heather Radke and Matt KieltyProduced by - Matt Kieltywith help from - Simon Adler and Rachael CusickOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Jeremy BloomFact-checking by - Dorie Chevlen   EPISODE CITATIONS: Books: [Butts] (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Butts/Heather-Radke/9781982135492) by Heather Radke Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

07 Jul 2023

56 MINS

56:33

07 Jul 2023

#129

The Cataclysm Sentence

Sad news for all of us: producer Rachael Cusick— who brought us soul-stirring stories rethinking [grief] (https://radiolab.org/podcast/queen-dying) (https://zpr.io/GZ6xEvpzsbHU) and [solitude] (https://radiolab.org/podcast/alone-enough) ( [https://zpr.io/eT5tAX6JtYra] (https://zpr.io/eT5tAX6JtYra) ), as well as colorful musings on [airplane farts] (https://radiolab.org/podcast/flight-christmas) ( [https://zpr.io/CNpgUijZiuZ4] (https://zpr.io/CNpgUijZiuZ4) ) and [belly flops] (https://radiolab.org/podcast/flop) ( [https://zpr.io/uZrEz27z63CB] (https://zpr.io/uZrEz27z63CB) ) and [Blueberry Earths] (https://radiolab.org/podcast/asking-friend) ( [https://zpr.io/EzxgtdTRGVzz] (https://zpr.io/EzxgtdTRGVzz) )— is leaving the show. So we thought it perfect timing to sit down with her and revisit another brainchild of hers, The Cataclysm Sentence, a collection of advice for The End. To explain: one day in 1961, the famous physicist Richard Feynman stepped in front of a Caltech lecture hall and posed this question to a group of undergraduate students: “If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence was passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words?” Now, Feynman had an answer to his own question—a good one. But his question got the entire team at Radiolab wondering, what did his sentence leave out? So we posed Feynman’s cataclysm question to some of our favorite writers, artists, historians, futurists—all kinds of great thinkers. We asked them “What’s the one sentence you would want to pass on to the next generation that would contain the most information in the fewest words?” What came back was an explosive collage of what it means to be alive right here and now, and what we want to say before we go. Featuring: Richard Feynman, physicist - [The Pleasure of Finding Things Out] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780465023950) ( [https://zpr.io/5KngTGibPVDw] (https://zpr.io/5KngTGibPVDw) ) Caitlin Doughty, mortician - [Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780393652703) ( [https://zpr.io/Wn4bQgHzDRDB] (https://zpr.io/Wn4bQgHzDRDB) ) Esperanza Spalding, musician - [12 Little Spells] (http://esperanzaspalding.limitedrun.com/) ( [https://zpr.io/KMjYrkwrz9dy] (https://zpr.io/KMjYrkwrz9dy) )  Cord Jefferson, writer - [Watchmen] (https://www.hbo.com/watchmen) ( [https://zpr.io/ruqKDQGy5Rv8] (https://zpr.io/ruqKDQGy5Rv8) )  Merrill Garbus, musician - [I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life] (https://tune-yards.com/#album) (https://zpr.io/HmrqFX8RKuFq) Jenny Odell, writer - [How to do Nothing] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781612197494) ( [https://zpr.io/JrUHu8dviFqc] (https://zpr.io/JrUHu8dviFqc) ) Maria Popova, writer - [Brainpickings] (https://www.brainpickings.org/) ( [https://zpr.io/vsHXphrqbHiN] (https://zpr.io/vsHXphrqbHiN) ) Alison Gopnik, developmental psychologist - [The Gardener and the Carpenter] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250132253) (https://zpr.io/ewtJpUYxpYqh) Rebecca Sugar, animator - [Steven Universe] (https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/steven-universe/index.html) ( [https://zpr.io/KTtSrdsBtXB7] (https://zpr.io/KTtSrdsBtXB7) ) Nicholson Baker, writer - [Substitute] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399160998) ( [https://zpr.io/QAh2d7J9QJf2] (https://zpr.io/QAh2d7J9QJf2) ) James Gleick, writer - [Time Travel] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307908797) ( [https://zpr.io/9CWX9q3KmZj8] (https://zpr.io/9CWX9q3KmZj8) ) Lady Pink, artist - [too many amazing works to pick just one] (http://www.ladypinknyc.com/) (https://zpr.io/FkJh6edDBgRL) Jenny Hollwell, writer - [Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780805091199) (https://zpr.io/MjP5UJb3mMYP) Jaron Lanier, futurist - [Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now] (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250239082) (https://zpr.io/bxWiHLhPyuEK) Missy Mazzoli, composer - [Proving Up] (https://missymazzoli.com/recordings/proving-up/) (https://zpr.io/hTwGcHGk93Ty)   Special Thanks to: Ella Frances Sanders, and her book, ["Eating the Sun"] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/567035/eating-the-sun-by-ella-frances-sanders/) (https://zpr.io/KSX6DruwRaYL), for inspiring this whole episode. Caltech for letting us use original audio of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. The entirety of the lectures are available to read for free online at [www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu] (https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/6f_iCmZnD2SoJp0CB8FL-?domain=feynmanlectures.caltech.edu) .All the musicians who helped make the Primordial Chord, including: [Siavash Kamkar] (https://www.instagram.com/siavash_kamkar/?hl=en) (https://zpr.io/2ZT46XsMRdhg), from Iran  [Koosha Pashangpour] (https://soundcloud.com/kooshkar) (https://zpr.io/etWDXuCctrzE), from Iran [Curtis MacDonald] (https://www.curtismacdonald.com/) (https://zpr.io/HQ8uskA44BUh), from Canada [Meade Bernard] (https://twitter.com/meadebernard) (https://zpr.io/gbxDPPzHFvme), from US [Barnaby Rea] (https://www.barnabyrea.com/) (https://zpr.io/9ULsQh5iGUPa), from UK [Liav Kerbel] (https://twitter.com/liavkerbel) (https://zpr.io/BA4DBwMhwZDU), from Belgium [Sam Crittenden] (https://twitter.com/tallsamtrombone) (https://zpr.io/EtQZmAk2XrCQ), from US [Saskia Lankhoorn] (https://www.saskialankhoorn.com/) (https://zpr.io/YiH6QWJreR7p), from Netherlands [Bryan Harris] (https://twitter.com/BryanEHarris) (https://zpr.io/HMiyy2TGcuwE), from US [Amelia Watkins] (http://www.wnyc.org/ameliawatkins.com) (https://zpr.io/6pWEw3y754me), from Canada [Claire James] (https://twitter.com/Claire_NoelleJ) (https://zpr.io/HFpHTUwkQ2ss), from US [Ilario Morciano] (http://www.larsenale.com/?p=83) (https://zpr.io/zXvM7cvnLHW6), from Italy [Matthias Kowalczyk] (https://www.facebook.com/public/Matthias-Kowalczyk) , from Germany (https://zpr.io/ANkRQMp6NtHR) [Solmaz Badri] (https://soundcloud.com/solmaz-badri) (https://zpr.io/MQ5VAaKieuyN), from IranAll the wonderful people we interviewed for sentences but weren’t able to fit in this episode, including: Daniel Abrahm, Julia Alvarez, Aimee Bender, Sandra Cisneros, Stanley Chen, Lewis Dartnell, Ann Druyan, Rose Eveleth, Ty Frank, Julia Galef, Ross Gay, Gary Green, Cesar Harada, Dolores Huerta, Robin Hunicke, Brittany Kamai, Priya Krishna, Ken Liu, Carmen Maria Machado, James Martin, Judith Matloff, Ryan McMahon, Hasan Minhaj, Lorrie Moore, Priya Natarajan, Larry Owens, Sunni Patterson, Amy Pearl, Alison Roman, Domee Shi, Will Shortz, Sam Stein, Sohaib Sultan, Kara Swisher, Jill Tarter, Olive Watkins, Reggie Watts, Deborah Waxman, Alex Wellerstein, Caveh Zahedi.EPISODE CREDITS Reported by - Rachael Cusick ( [https://www.rachaelcusick.com/] (https://www.rachaelcusick.com/) )Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

30 Jun 2023

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:01

30 Jun 2023

#128

Americanish

Given reporter Julia Longoria’s long love affair with the Supreme Court, it’s no surprise she’s become the new host of [More Perfect] (https://link.chtbl.com/MorePerfect?sid=radiolab) (https://zpr.io/4R9fMg9gJ96k), a show all about how the Supreme Court got to be so… supreme. This week, we talk to Julia about her journey to the host seat, and we highlight an episode she produced for Radiolab in 2019 about a specific case: González v. Williams.  In 1903 the U.S. Supreme Court refused to say that Isabel González was a citizen of the United States. Then again, they said, she wasn’t exactly an immigrant either. And they said that the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, Isabel’s home, was “foreign to the United States in a domestic sense.” Since then, the U.S. has cleared up at least some of the confusion about U.S. territories and the status of people born in them. But, more than a hundred years later, there is still a U.S. territory that has been left in limbo: American Samoa. It is the only place on Earth that is U.S. soil, but people who are born there are not automatically U.S. citizens. When we visit American Samoa, we discover that there are some pretty surprising reasons why many American Samoans prefer it that way.  EPISODE CREDITS  Reported by - Julia Longoria Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

23 Jun 2023

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:34

23 Jun 2023

#127

Beware the Sand Striker

Shipworms. Hairy Chested Yeti Crabs. Parasitic Barnacles in the cloaca of Greenland Sharks. These are the types of creatures Sabrina Imbler, a columnist at Defector, likes to write about. The stranger, the better. In this episode, Imbler discusses how they balance maintaining scientific rigor while also drawing inspiration and metaphor from the animal world. Then they read a stirring essay from their new book, [How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures] (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60769799/reviews?reviewFilters=%7B%22workId%22:%22kca://work/amzn1.gr.work.v3.V6ZrUqH01HWrDHt7%22,%22after%22:%22MjUxLDE2Nzg1MjkxNTg4ODY%22%7D) . It’s about the sand striker, one of the ocean’s most gruesome predators, and the various prey that surround it. In learning about the relationships between predator and prey lurking in the murky bottom, Imbler ends up unearthing new insights about predation in human society. The essay deals with sexual assault so listen with care. EPISODE CREDITS Reported by - Lulu Miller Produced by - Sindhu Gnanasambandan Original music and sound design contributed by - Alex Overington with mixing help from - Jeremy Bloom and Arianne Wack Fact-checking by - Natalie Middleton and Edited by  - Alex Neason and Pat Walters EPISODE CITATIONS Articles:“ [Creaturefector] (https://defector.com/category/animals/creaturefector) ” ( [https://zpr.io/3myWi4grgkGB] (https://zpr.io/3myWi4grgkGB) ) by Sabrina Imbler Books: [How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures] (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60769799/reviews?reviewFilters=%7B%22workId%22:%22kca://work/amzn1.gr.work.v3.V6ZrUqH01HWrDHt7%22,%22after%22:%22MjUxLDE2Nzg1MjkxNTg4ODY%22%7D) ( [https://zpr.io/agkRj7xyPG9T] (https://zpr.io/agkRj7xyPG9T) ) by Sabrina Imbler [Dyke (geology)] (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51352933-dyke?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12) ( [https://zpr.io/7kAtAKjdBqPa] (https://zpr.io/7kAtAKjdBqPa) ) by Sabrina Imbler Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

16 Jun 2023

29 MINS

29:20

16 Jun 2023

#126

Eye in the Sky

Ross McNutt has a superpower: he can zoom in on everyday life, then rewind and fast-forward to solve crimes in a shutter-flash. But should he? In 2004, when casualties in Iraq were rising due to roadside bombs, Ross McNutt and his team came up with an idea. With a small plane and a 44 megapixel camera, they figured out how to watch an entire city all at once, all day long. Whenever a bomb detonated, they could zoom into that spot and then, because this eye in the sky had been there all along, they could scroll back in time and see—literally see—who planted it. After the war, Ross McNutt retired from the Air Force, and brought this technology back home with him. Manoush Zomorodi and Alex Goldmark (from the podcast Note to Self) give us the lowdown on Ross’ unique brand of persistent surveillance, from Juarez, Mexico to Dayton, Ohio. Then, once we realize what we can do, we wonder whether we should. Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org"></a>Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

09 Jun 2023

37 MINS

37:42

09 Jun 2023

#125

The Seagulls

In the 1970s, as LGBTQ+ people in the United States faced conservatives whose top argument was that homosexuality is “unnatural,” a pair of young scientists discovered on a tiny island off the coast of California a colony of seagulls that included… a significant number of female homosexual couples making nests and raising chicks together. The article that followed upended the culture’s understanding of what’s natural and took the discourse on homosexuality in a whole new direction. In this episode, our co-Host Lulu Miller grapples with the impact of this and several other studies about animal queerness on her life as a queer person. Special thanks to the  [History is Gay] (https://www.historyisgaypodcast.com/)  (https://www.historyisgaypodcast.com/) podcast. EPISODE CREDITS Reported by - Lulu Millerwith help from - Sarah QariProduced by - Sarah QariOriginal sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloomwith mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Diane Kellyand Edited by - Becca Bressler Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.   Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.   ... Read more

02 Jun 2023

38 MINS

38:06

02 Jun 2023

#124

On the Edge

At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, one athlete pulled a move that, as far as we know, no one else had ever attempted. In this episode, first aired in the Spring of 2016, we tell you about Surya Bonaly. Surya was not your typical figure skater: she is black, she is athletic, and she didn’t seem to care about artistry. Her performances—punctuated by triple jumps and other power moves—thrilled audiences around the world. Yet commentators claimed she couldn’t skate and judges never gave her high marks. But Surya didn’t accept that criticism. Unlike her competitors—ice princesses who hid behind demure smiles—Surya made her feelings known.  Then, during her final Olympic performance, she attempted one jump that flew in the face of the establishment and marked her for life as a rebel. Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

26 May 2023

42 MINS

42:20

26 May 2023

#123

Family People

In 2021, editor Alex Neason's grandfather passed away. On his funeral program, she learned the name of his father for the first time: Wilson Howard. Not Neason. Howard. And when she asked her family why his last name was different from everybody else's, nobody had an answer. In this episode, we tag along as Alex searches for answers through swampy cemeteries, libraries, and archives in the heart of south Louisiana: who was her great grandfather, really? Is she supposed to be a Neason? Where did the name Neason come from, anyways? And is a name something whose weight you have to shed, or is it the only path forward into the future?Special thanks to, Cheryl Neason-Isidore, Karen Neason Dykes, Johari Neason, Keaun Neason, Kevin Neason, Anthony Neason, the late Clarence Neason Sr. and Anthony Neason, Clarence Neason Jr., Olivia Neason, Tori Neason, Orelia Amelia Jackson, Russell Gragg, Victor Yvellez, Asher Griffith, Devan Schwartz, Myrriah Gossett, Sabrina Thomas, Nancy Richard, Katie Neason, Amanda Hayden, Gabriel Lee, Paul Brandenburg, Justin Flynn, Mark Miller, Kenny Bentley, Jason Isaac, Irene Trudel, Bill Hyland, the staff members at the Orleans Parish, East Feliciana Parish, and Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court offices. Episode Credits:Reported by - Alex Neasonwith help from - Nicka Sewell-SmithProduced by - Annie McEwenwith help from - Andrew ViñalesMusic performed by - Jason Isaac, Paul Brandenburg, Justin Fynn, Mark Miller, and Kenny Bentleywith engineering and mixing help from - Arianne Wack and Irene TrudelFact-checking by - Emily KriegerEpisode Citations:Audio - You can listen to the episode of [La Brega] (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/la-brega/articles/boricua-en-la-luna-moons-distance)  ( [https://zpr.io/p5EcBJyU2dfJ] (https://zpr.io/p5EcBJyU2dfJ) ), in English and in Spanish.Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) .   Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

19 May 2023

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:47

19 May 2023

#122

The War on Our Shore

Foreign enemies have seldom brought war to U.S. soil… right? In this episode from 2017, we tell you strange stories of foreign enemies landing on our shore. From bombs floating across the country without a sound (or even a discussion), to Nazi prisoners of war leading placid lives in towns nationwide, listen to how war quietly wormed its way into the heartland of the United States. Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org   Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

12 May 2023

1 HR 01 MINS

1:01:08

12 May 2023

#121

Ologies: Dark Matters

Testudinology. Enigmatology. Hagfishology. Raccoonology. Meteorology. Chronobiology. Chickenology. Delphinology. Bryology. Vampirology. Zymology. Echinology. Screamology. Melaninology. Dolorology.In this episode, we introduce you to one of our all-time favorite science podcasts. Ologies. A show that’s a kindred spirit to ours, but also… very different. In each episode, Host [Alie Ward] (http://www.alieward.com) interviews a brilliant, charming ologist, and wanders with them deep into their research, quirky facts they’ve learned throughout their career and their personal motivations for studying what they study. “It’s all over the map,” she says. And we love it. To give you a taste of the show, we’re playing her ep on scotohylology, the study of dark matter, with UC-Riverside [theoretical particle physicist Flip Tanedo] (https://particle.ucr.edu/#:~:text=Flip%20Tanedo%20is%20an%20associate,our%20fundamental%20understanding%20of%20nature.) (https://zpr.io/FJWL4NtH5Wsi). If you like it, you can find more than 300 more episodes of Ologies at [ologies.com] (http://ologies.com) .Episode CreditsReported by - Alie WardProduced by - Pat Walterswith mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Diane KellyOur newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. [Sign up] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) ( [https://radiolab.org/newsletter] (https://radiolab.org/newsletter) )!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of [The Lab] (http://members.radiolab.org) (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on [Instagram] (http://instagram.com/radiolab) , [Twitter] (http://twitter.com/radiolab) and [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/radiolab) @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [radiolab@wnyc.org] (mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org) . Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ... Read more

05 May 2023

35 MINS

35:41

05 May 2023