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Radiolab
Radiolab
WNYC Studios

Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might... more

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Episodes

How Stockholm Stuck

How an idea born in a Swedish bank wormed its way into all of our brains. In August of 1973, Jan-Erik... more

06 Dec 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
Less Than Kilogram

In today’s story, which originally aired in 2014, we meet a very special cylinder. It's the gold standard (or, in... more

29 Nov 2024 · 24 minutes
Science Vs: The Funniest Joke in the World

When he rounded them up, he had a 100. A few months ago, Wendy Zukerman invited our own Latif Nasser to... more

22 Nov 2024 · 42 minutes
Hello

It's tough to make small talk with a stranger—especially when that stranger doesn't speak your language. (And he has a... more

15 Nov 2024 · 46 minutes
The Ecstasy of an Open Brain

As we grow up, there are little windows of time when we can learn very, very fast, and very, very... more

08 Nov 2024 · 36 minutes
Haunted

Do you believe in ghosts? In an episode we first aired in 2014, we meet a man named Dennis Conrow, who... more

31 Oct 2024 · 30 minutes
The Unpopular Vote

The closest we ever came to abolishing the electoral college and why we probably never will.As the US Presidential Election... more

25 Oct 2024 · 59 minutes
Tweak the Vote

Is democracy fundamentally broken? Or does i just need a ... tweak? Back in 2018, when this episode first aired, there... more

18 Oct 2024 · 1 hour, 9 minutes
Why Don't Sex Scandals Matter Anymore?

Roosevelt, Kennedy, Eisenhower … they all got a pass. But today we peer back at the moment when poking into... more

11 Oct 2024 · 43 minutes
Terrestrials: Stumpisode

As dead as they seem, tree stumps are hubs of life and relationships. Co-host Lulu Miller is back with another... more

04 Oct 2024 · 32 minutes
Octomom

A mile under the ocean, we get to watch an octopus perform a heroic act of heart and determination. First aired... more

27 Sep 2024 · 33 minutes
A Little Pompeiian Fish Sauce Goes a Long Way

Today we follow a sleuth who has spent over a decade working to solve an epic mystery hiding in plain... more

20 Sep 2024 · 39 minutes
The Times They Are a-Changin'

With the help of paleontologist Neil Shubin, reporter Emily Graslie and the Field Museum's Paul Mayer we discover that our... more

13 Sep 2024 · 24 minutes
Shell Game

One man secretly hands off more and more of his life to an AI voice clone. Today, we feature veteran journalist... more

06 Sep 2024 · 53 minutes
Big Little Questions

Here at the show, we get A LOT of questions, tiny questions, big questions, weird questions, poop questions. Today, we’re... more

30 Aug 2024 · 52 minutes
Uneasy as ABC

How a plane crash in Nebraska gave us the modern ER. February 1976. A flight out of California turned catastrophic... more

23 Aug 2024 · 34 minutes
More Perfect: The Gun Show

In 2008, the Supreme Court stepped in to settle our fight over the Second Amendment’s meaning. They did. And they... more

16 Aug 2024 · 1 hour, 12 minutes
Up in Smoke

Wildfires, a mysterious outbreak, and a question – is there something in the smoke? Two scenes. In the first, a... more

09 Aug 2024 · 27 minutes
Sleep

Birds do it, bees do it...yet science still can't answer the basic question: why do we sleep? We had a question... more

02 Aug 2024 · 56 minutes
Terrestrials: The Trio

Look up in the sky! It is something that scientists thought could never happen. High above the banks of the Mississippi... more

26 Jul 2024 · 31 minutes
Lose Lose

This episode we look at a high profile sporting event where, thanks to a quirk in the tournament rules, the... more

19 Jul 2024 · 31 minutes
How to Save a Life

What would you do if someone’s heart stopped right in front of you? We get it… the world feels too bleak... more

12 Jul 2024 · 47 minutes
Happy Birthday, Good Dr. Sacks

Radiolab wishes Oliver Sacks a happy birthday. First aired back in 2013, we originally released this episode to celebrate the 80th... more

05 Jul 2024 · 23 minutes
The Alford Plea

A man finds himself forever caught between guilt and innocence. In 1995, a tragic fire in Pittsburgh set off a... more

28 Jun 2024 · 53 minutes
Birdie in the Cage

Can you fit the identity of a whole nation into a dance? Of course not. But we tried anyway. People have... more

21 Jun 2024 · 44 minutes
Aphantasia

What does it mean to see – and not see – in your mind? Close your eyes and imagine a red... more

14 Jun 2024 · 34 minutes
Argentine Invasion

From a suburban sidewalk in southern California, Jad and Robert witness the carnage of a gruesome turf war. Though the... more

31 May 2024 · 21 minutes
Mixtapes to the Moon

They promised to change you. They ended up changing all of us. On July 20, 1969 humanity watched as Neil Armstrong... more

24 May 2024 · 37 minutes
Lucy

Chimps. Bonobos. Humans. We're all great apes, but that doesn’t mean we’re one happy family. This episode, a mashup of content... more

17 May 2024 · 57 minutes
Selected Shorts

A selection of short flights of fact and fancy performed live on stage. Usually we tell true stories at this show,... more

10 May 2024 · 48 minutes
Memory and Forgetting

Remembering is a tricky, unstable business. This hour: a look behind the curtain of how memories are made...and forgotten. The act... more

26 Apr 2024 · 57 minutes
Small Potatoes

An ode to the small, the banal, the overlooked things that make up the fabric of our lives. Most of our... more

19 Apr 2024 · 59 minutes
The Distance of the Moon

In an episode we last featured on our Radiolab for Kids Feed back in 2020, and in honor of its... more

12 Apr 2024 · 40 minutes
The Moon Itself

There’s a total solar eclipse coming. On Monday, April 8, for a large swath of North America, the sun will... more

05 Apr 2024 · 49 minutes
Short Cuts: Drawn Onward

As a treat for the first palindrome date of the calendar year 2024, 4/2/24, (for those who use U.S. formatting... more

02 Apr 2024 · 13 minutes
Finding Emilie

This is a segment we first aired back in 2011. In it, we hear a story of a very different... more

22 Mar 2024 · 38 minutes
Throughline: Dare to Dissent

On today’s show, we’re excited to share an episode from our friends at the podcast Throughline. Sometimes, the most dangerous... more

15 Mar 2024 · 41 minutes
Staph Retreat

What happens when you combine an axe-wielding microbiologist and a disease-obsessed historian? A strange brew that's hard to resist, even... more

08 Mar 2024 · 31 minutes
Hold On

Two years ago, the United States did something amazing. In response to the mental health crisis the federal government launched... more

01 Mar 2024 · 47 minutes
G: The World's Smartest Animal

This episode begins with a rant. This rant, in particular, comes from Dan Engber - a science writer who loves... more

16 Feb 2024 · 50 minutes
Cheating Death

In this episode, Maria Paz Gutiérrez does battle against the one absolute truth of human existence and all life… death.... more

09 Feb 2024 · 41 minutes
G: Relative Genius

Albert Einstein asked that when he died, his body be cremated and his ashes be scattered in a secret location.... more

02 Feb 2024 · 1 hour, 14 minutes
Zoozve

As co-host Latif Nasser was putting his kid to bed one night, he noticed something weird on a solar system... more

26 Jan 2024 · 54 minutes
The Living Room

We're thrilled to present a piece from one of our favorite podcasts, Love + Radio (Nick van der Kolk and... more

19 Jan 2024 · 25 minutes
Our Little Stupid Bodies

Sometimes a seemingly silly question gets stuck in your craw and you can’t shake the feeling that something big lies... more

12 Jan 2024 · 55 minutes
Stochasticity

First aired way back in 2009, this episode is all about a wonderfully slippery and smarty-pants word for randomness, Stochasticity,... more

05 Jan 2024 · 51 minutes
Zeroworld

Karim Ani dedicated his life to math. He studied it in school, got a degree in math education, even founded... more

29 Dec 2023 · 33 minutes
Numbers

First aired back in 2009, this episode is all about one thing, or rather a collection of things. Whether you... more

22 Dec 2023 · 59 minutes
Death Interrupted

As a lifeguard, a paramedic, and then an ER doctor, Blair Bigham found his calling: saving lives. But when he... more

15 Dec 2023 · 24 minutes
A 4-Track Mind

In this short episode that first aired in 2011, a neurologist issues a dare to a ragtime piano player and... more

08 Dec 2023 · 21 minutes
Boy Man

Could puberty get any more awkward? Turns out, yes. Writer Patrick Burleigh started going through puberty as a toddler. He... more

01 Dec 2023 · 53 minutes
Shrink

The definition of life is in flux, complexity is overrated, and humans are shrinking. Viruses are supposed to be sleek, pared-down,... more

24 Nov 2023 · 48 minutes
The Interstitium

In this episode we introduce you to a part of our bodies that was invisible to Western scientists until about... more

17 Nov 2023 · 57 minutes
Funky Hand Jive

Back when Robert was kid, he had a chance encounter with then President John F. Kennedy. The interaction began with... more

10 Nov 2023 · 30 minutes
Toy Soldiers

Back in February of 2022, anyone who knew anything thought the War in Ukraine would be over in a few... more

03 Nov 2023 · 32 minutes
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... more

27 Oct 2023 · 1 hour,
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... more

20 Oct 2023 · 53 minutes
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... more

13 Oct 2023 · 52 minutes
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... more

06 Oct 2023 · 33 minutes
Poison Control

Originally aired in 2018, this episode features reporter Brena Farrell as a new mom. Her son gave her and her... more

29 Sep 2023 · 35 minutes
Smog Cloud Silver Lining

Summer 2023 was a pretty scary one for the planet. Global temperatures in June and July reached record highs. And... more

22 Sep 2023 · 31 minutes
Driverless Dilemma

Most of us would sacrifice one person to save five. It’s a pretty straightforward bit of moral math. But if... more

15 Sep 2023 · 41 minutes
Born This Way?

Today, the story of an idea. An idea that some people need, others reject, and one that will, ultimately, be... more

08 Sep 2023 · 1 hour, 10 minutes
Touch at a Distance

In this episode from 2007, we take you on a tour of language, music, and the properties of sound. We... more

01 Sep 2023 · 51 minutes
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... more

25 Aug 2023 · 38 minutes
The Wubi Effect

When we think of China today, we think of a technological superpower. From Huawei and 5G to TikTok and viral... more

18 Aug 2023 · 57 minutes
The Internet Dilemma

Matthew Herrick was sitting on his stoop in Harlem when something weird happened. Then, it happened again. And again. It... more

11 Aug 2023 · 37 minutes
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... more

04 Aug 2023 · 54 minutes
Little Black Holes Everywhere

In 1908, on a sunny, clear, quiet morning in Siberia, witnesses recall seeing a blinding light streak across the sky,... more

28 Jul 2023 · 34 minutes
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... more

21 Jul 2023 · 41 minutes
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... more

14 Jul 2023 · 29 minutes
Man Against Horse

This is a story about your butt. It’s a story about how you got your butt, why you have your... more

07 Jul 2023 · 56 minutes
The Cataclysm Sentence

Sad news for all of us: producer Rachael Cusick— who brought us soul-stirring stories rethinking grief (https://zpr.io/GZ6xEvpzsbHU) and solitude (https://zpr.io/eT5tAX6JtYra),... more

30 Jun 2023 · 1 hour, 13 minutes
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

23 Jun 2023 · 1 hour, 13 minutes
Beware the Sand Striker

Shipworms. Hairy Chested Yeti Crabs. Parasitic Barnacles in the cloaca of Greenland Sharks. These are the types of creatures Sabrina... more

16 Jun 2023 · 29 minutes
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... more

09 Jun 2023 · 37 minutes
The Seagulls

In the 1970s, as LGBTQ+ people in the United States faced conservatives whose top argument was that homosexuality is “unnatural,”... more

02 Jun 2023 · 38 minutes
On the Edge

At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, one athlete pulled a move that, as far as we know, no one... more

26 May 2023 · 42 minutes
Family People

In 2021, editor Alex Neason's grandfather passed away. On his funeral program, she learned the name of his father for... more

19 May 2023 · 1 hour, 3 minutes
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... more

12 May 2023 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Ologies: Dark Matters

Testudinology. Enigmatology. Hagfishology. Raccoonology. Meteorology. Chronobiology. Chickenology. Delphinology. Bryology. Vampirology. Zymology. Echinology. Screamology. Melaninology. Dolorology.In this episode, we introduce you... more

05 May 2023 · 35 minutes
The Golden Rule

At first glance, Golden Balls was just like all the other game shows — quick-witted host, flashy set, suspenseful music.... more

28 Apr 2023 · 22 minutes
Corpse Demon

Heaven and hell, Judgement Day, monotheism — these ideas all came from one ancient Persian religion: Zoroastrianism. Also: Sky Burials.... more

21 Apr 2023 · 31 minutes
Abortion Pills, Take Two

Abortion pills — a combo of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol — are on notice: on April 7, 2023, a... more

14 Apr 2023 · 27 minutes
The Library of Alexandra

How much does knowledge cost? While that sounds like an abstract question, the answer is surprisingly specific: $3,096,988,440.00. That’s how... more

07 Apr 2023 · 43 minutes
The Good Samaritan

Tuesday afternoon, summer of 2017: Scotty Hatton and Scottie Wightman made a decision to help someone in need and both... more

31 Mar 2023 · 1 hour, 11 minutes
Alone Enough

Cat Jaffee didn’t necessarily think of herself as someone who loved being alone. But then, the pandemic hit. And she... more

24 Mar 2023 · 43 minutes
Apologetical

How do you fix a word that’s broken? A word we need when we bump into someone on the street,... more

17 Mar 2023 · 55 minutes
Buttons Not Buttons

Tiny buttons have such a hold on us. They can be portals to power, freedom, and destruction. Today, with the... more

10 Mar 2023 · 27 minutes
Crabs All the Way Down

This week we examine one of nature's most humble creations: crabs. Turns out when you look closely at these little... more

03 Mar 2023 · 25 minutes
The Trust Engineers

First aired in 2015, this is an episode about social media, and how, when we talk online, things can quickly... more

24 Feb 2023 · 30 minutes
Golden Goose

After years of being publicly shamed for “fleecing” the taxpayers with their frivolous and obscure studies, scientists decided to hit... more

17 Feb 2023 · 45 minutes
Bliss

In this deep cut from 2012, we are searching for platonic ideals longing for completion, engaged in epic quests for... more

10 Feb 2023 · 51 minutes
Ukraine: The Handoff

We continue the story of a covert smuggling operation to bring abortion pills into Ukraine, shortly after the Russian invasion.... more

03 Feb 2023 · 32 minutes
Birthstory

You know the drill — all it takes is one sperm, one egg, and blammo — you’ve got yourself a... more

27 Jan 2023 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Ukraine: Under the Counter

In the weeks following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a young doctor in Germany sees that abortion pills are urgently... more

20 Jan 2023 · 42 minutes
Games

In this episode, first aired in 2011, we talk about the meaning of a good game — whether it's a... more

13 Jan 2023 · 55 minutes
Universe In Verse

For a special New Year’s treat, we take a tour through the history of the universe with the help of…... more

06 Jan 2023 · 32 minutes
New Normal

This episode —first released in 2009 and then again in 2015, with an update — asks, what is “normal”? Maybe... more

30 Dec 2022 · 1 hour, 8 minutes
The Flight Before Christmas

At any given moment, nearly 500,000 people are crammed together in a metal tube, hurtling through the air. In this... more

23 Dec 2022 · 43 minutes
Null and Void

This episode, first aired in 2017, has Reporter Tracie Hunte and Editor Soren Wheeler exploring a hidden power in the... more

16 Dec 2022 · 1 hour,
The Middle of Everything Ever

After graduating from high school, without a clear plan for what to do next, Laura Andrews started asking herself a... more

09 Dec 2022 · 28 minutes
The Ashes on the Lawn

A global pandemic. Thousands dying. A passive government. An afflicted group fueled by grief and anger. In this episode, first... more

02 Dec 2022 · 55 minutes
More Perfect: The Political Thicket

When U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren was asked at the end of his career, “What was the most... more

25 Nov 2022 · 46 minutes
What's Up Doc?

Mel Blanc was known as “the man of 1,000 voices,” but, to hear his son tell it, the actual number... more

18 Nov 2022 · 22 minutes
Butt Stuff

Why do we have a butt? Well, it’s not just for the convenience of a portable seat cushion. This week,... more

11 Nov 2022 · 35 minutes
Guts

This hour, we dive into the messy mystery in the middle of us. What's going on down there? And what... more

04 Nov 2022 · 54 minutes
The Weather Report

Meteorologists are as common as the clouds these days. Rolling onto the airwaves at morning, noon and night they tell... more

28 Oct 2022 · 52 minutes
Black Box

In this episode, first aired in 2014, we examine three very different kinds of black boxes — spaces where we... more

21 Oct 2022 · 1 hour, 6 minutes
No-Touch Abortion

When the Dobbs decision went down, ER doctor Avir Mitra started to prepare for the worst — botched, at-home abortions... more

14 Oct 2022 · 26 minutes
The Theater of David Byrne's Mind

It all started when the rockstar David Byrne did a Freaky-Friday-like body-swap with a Barbie Doll. That’s what inspired him... more

07 Oct 2022 · 43 minutes
Playing God

When people are dying and you can only save some, how do you choose? Maybe you save the youngest. Or... more

30 Sep 2022 · 58 minutes
Terrestrials: The Mastermind

Lulu Miller, intrepid host and fearless mother of two, went off on her own and put together a little something... more

23 Sep 2022 · 29 minutes
Quicksaaaand!

For many of us, quicksand was once a real fear — it held a vise grip on our imaginations, from... more

16 Sep 2022 · 16 minutes
40,000 Recipes for Murder

Two scientists realize that the very same AI technology they have developed to discover medicines for rare diseases can also... more

09 Sep 2022 · 30 minutes
Rodney v. Death

In the fall of 2004, Jeanna Giese checked into the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin with a set of puzzling symptoms...... more

02 Sep 2022 · 33 minutes
Gigaverse

A pizzeria owner in Kansas realizes that DoorDash is hijacking his pizzas. A Lyft driver conquers the streets of San... more

26 Aug 2022 · 49 minutes
9-Volt Nirvana

Learn a new language faster than ever! Leave doubt in the dust! Be a better sniper! Could you do all... more

19 Aug 2022 · 26 minutes
Infinities

In August 2018, Boen Wang was at a work retreat for a new job. Surrounded by mosquitoes and swampland in... more

12 Aug 2022 · 41 minutes
Escape

This episode originally aired in 2012. An all-star lineup of producers — Pat Walters, Lynn Levy, and Sean Cole — bring... more

05 Aug 2022 · 1 hour, 7 minutes
The Humpback and the Killer

Killer whales — orcas — eat all sorts of animals, including humpback calves. But one day, biologists saw a group... more

29 Jul 2022 · 35 minutes
You v. You

This episode, originally aired more than a decade ago, attempts to answer one question: how do you win against your... more

22 Jul 2022 · 26 minutes
The Gatekeeper

This week, Reporter Peter Smith and Senior Producer Matt Kielty tell the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that... more

15 Jul 2022 · 49 minutes
Baby Blue Blood Drive

This is an episode that first aired in 2018 and then again in the thick of the pandemic in 2020.... more

08 Jul 2022 · 51 minutes
My Thymus, Myself

Today, we go to a spot that may be one of the most philosophical places in the universe: the thymus,... more

01 Jul 2022 · 28 minutes
Galápagos

As our co-Hosts Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser are out this week, we are re-sharing the perfect episode to start... more

24 Jun 2022 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
No Special Duty

Since the massacre that took the lives of 19 schoolchildren in Uvalde, Texas, people across the world began to ask... more

17 Jun 2022 · 46 minutes
Neanderthal's Revenge

A few months ago, co-Host Latif Nasser, who was otherwise healthy, saw blood in his poop. It was the start... more

10 Jun 2022 · 26 minutes
Origin Stories

We’re all in a tizzy here at Radiolab on account of our 20-year anniversary. And, as one does upon passing a... more

03 Jun 2022 · 43 minutes
Radiolab After Dark

Back in 2002, Jad Abumrad started Radiolab as a live radio show. He DJ’d out into the ether and 20... more

27 May 2022 · 58 minutes
La Mancha Screwjob

All the world’s a stage. Or, sometimes it feels that way, especially these days. In this episode, originally aired in... more

20 May 2022 · 58 minutes
Frailmales

This week, we bring you two stories about little guys trying to do big big things. First, self-proclaimed animal grinch producer... more

13 May 2022 · 35 minutes
Debatable

In competitive debate future presidents, supreme court justices, and titans of industry pummel each other with logic and rhetoric.  Unclasp your... more

06 May 2022 · 1 hour,
Hello, My Name Is

As a species, we’re obsessed with names. They’re one of the first labels we get as kids. We name and... more

29 Apr 2022 · 1 hour, 12 minutes
The Other Latif: Cuba-ish

Almost exactly twenty years ago, detainee 244 got transferred to Guantanamo Bay. Captured by American forces at the battle Tora Bora five months previous,... more

22 Apr 2022 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
NULL

A one-word magical spell. Several years back, that’s exactly what Joseph Tartaro thought he’d discovered. It was a spell that,... more

15 Apr 2022 · 19 minutes
In the Dust of This Planet

Horror, fashion, and the end of the world … In this episode, first aired in 2014, but maybe even more... more

08 Apr 2022 · 29 minutes
Inheritance

Once a kid is born, their genetic fate is pretty much sealed. Or is it? In this episode, originally aired in... more

01 Apr 2022 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
The Right Stuff

Since the beginning of the space program, we’ve always expected astronauts to be fully abled athletic overachievers who are one-part... more

25 Mar 2022 · 40 minutes
Stress

Stress can give your body a boost - raising adrenaline levels, pumping blood to the muscles, heightening our senses. And... more

18 Mar 2022 · 57 minutes
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Description

Stress can give your body a boost - raising adrenaline levels, pumping blood to the muscles, heightening our senses. And those sudden... more