Podcast · 102 episodes
Radiolab
by WNYC Studios · English
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.
Latest episodes
Grass ApesRadiolab explores “grass” as an overlooked force shaping human life—its ecology, defenses, and deep cultural/biological impact—framed by listener reactions in NYC parks and a conversation with…25 Sep 2026 · 22 min
The Sweetest ThingThe episode explores what “the sweetest thing” really means, moving from lab rankings of sweeteners to how sweetness is perceived by smell, sight, sound, and brain circuitry; it also speculates about…18 Sep 2026 · 31 min
23 Weeks 6 DaysA Radiolab revisit of a Tampa Bay Times story about Kelly Benham and Tom French, who conceived a child after years of infertility treatment and then faced a 23-week-6-day premature birth.11 Sep 2026 · 1 h 3 min
All episodes
Grass ApesRadiolab explores “grass” as an overlooked force shaping human life—its ecology, defenses, and deep cultural/biological impact—framed by listener reactions in NYC parks and a conversation with…25 Sep 2026 · 22 min · 11 chapters
The Sweetest ThingThe episode explores what “the sweetest thing” really means, moving from lab rankings of sweeteners to how sweetness is perceived by smell, sight, sound, and brain circuitry; it also speculates about…18 Sep 2026 · 31 min · 9 chapters
23 Weeks 6 DaysA Radiolab revisit of a Tampa Bay Times story about Kelly Benham and Tom French, who conceived a child after years of infertility treatment and then faced a 23-week-6-day premature birth.11 Sep 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 28 chapters
60 WordsHow a single 60-word sentence in the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) became the legal foundation for the U.S.4 Sep 2026 · 58 min · 19 chapters
Dolly Parton's America: Sad Ass SongsRadio Lab’s “Dolly Parton’s America: Sad Ass Songs” revisits Dolly Parton’s early songwriting to argue that her “joke” persona masked serious, often dark storytelling about women’s lives, then traces…28 Aug 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 18 chapters
Patient ZeroEpisode “Patient Zero” (Radiolab, originally 2011) links outbreak origins to the idea of a single “first cause,” then challenges it with evidence.21 Aug 2026 · 52 min · 27 chapters
Nigel and the Real GannetMana Island’s conservation effort to restore seabirds, centered on Nigel, a lone gannet that bonded with a concrete decoy and later died after “real” gannets arrived but ignored him.14 Aug 2026 · 26 min · 9 chapters
Red HerringCold War-era Swedish submarine scares. In 1981 and throughout the 1980s, Sweden repeatedly detected “Soviet submarines” near its coast and even inside harbors, using hydrophones and periscope reports.7 Aug 2026 · 36 min · 13 chapters
The Shoe ThrowerIraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaydi’s 2008 shoe-throwing protest at U.S. President George W.31 Jul 2026 · 1 h 17 min · 25 chapters
Return of Alpha GalA sudden “red meat allergy” is traced to alpha-galactose (alpha-gal), a sugar that causes delayed anaphylaxis after Lone Star tick bites; the episode also updates on genetically modified “GalSafe”…24 Jul 2026 · 57 min · 21 chapters
Neither Confirm Nor DenyThe “Glomar response” phrase “neither confirm nor deny,” created by the CIA to handle FOIA requests about secret programs; how it protects national security by refusing to acknowledge whether records…17 Jul 2026 · 29 min · 9 chapters
The Holy ShiverRadiolab explores goosebumps—“holy shiver” / frisson / aesthetic chills—why they happen, what they might mean, and whether they can be scientifically induced and used therapeutically.10 Jul 2026 · 38 min · 10 chapters
Atomic ArtifactsCold War “doomsday planning” and a secret U.S. government project to preserve America after a nuclear attack—what artifacts to save, and what they reveal about national identity.3 Jul 2026 · 41 min · 18 chapters
The GondolierAlex Hay, a transgender man, becomes the first woman gondolier in Venice in global headlines, but says the story was repeatedly hijacked by others’ assumptions.26 Jun 2026 · 1 h 13 min · 28 chapters
This is Your Brain on HormonesHormones change brain connectivity and hippocampal structure over time, challenging the idea that brain state is static and that “female variability” is uniquely high.19 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 16 chapters
Bonus: Wild Animal Dads from TerrestrialsFatherhood across species, framed for Father’s Day in Terrestrials/Radiolab, arguing that “dad” roles are more flexible than human stereotypes.18 Jun 2026 · 36 min · 15 chapters
On the Media: American EmergencyRadiolab plays excerpts from On the Media’s four-episode series “American Emergency” about FEMA—how it was created, why it became distrusted, and what its future may be.12 Jun 2026 · 56 min · 21 chapters
Oliver SippleThe 1975 San Francisco assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford by Sarah Jane Moore, and how Oliver Sipple—an ex-Marine standing nearby—grabbed Moore’s gun arm, deflecting the shot.5 Jun 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 26 chapters
This American RoachA fear-of-cockroaches journey that turns into a broader argument about why humans label animals “pests,” linking disgust to class, racism, and social failure.29 May 2026 · 37 min · 13 chapters
Worth“Worth” explores how to assign prices to things that feel priceless, focusing on healthcare drug pricing, the ethics of rationing, and the monetary value of repairing harm after war; it also briefly…22 May 2026 · 1 h 12 min · 31 chapters
Your Friendly Neighborhood HookwormsA 2009 Radiolab “Parasites” hookworm segment is revisited with a 20-years-later update on whether hookworms (and their proteins) could help treat immune and metabolic diseases, especially autoimmune…15 May 2026 · 46 min · 24 chapters
The Bad ShowRadiolab’s “The Bad Show” explores what “badness” is and whether people are fundamentally different from the rest of us.8 May 2026 · 1 h 7 min · 30 chapters
What is a Pig Worth?A Radiolab investigation into “value” in animal-law and criminal court, sparked by animal rescuer Wayne Chung’s theft trial after he and Direct Action Everywhere broke into Smithfield Foods’ Circle…1 May 2026 · 43 min · 19 chapters
Forests on ForestsThe “other half” of forest networks—how life and soil exist in tree canopies, and how canopy soils can feed trees when forest-floor nutrients are scarce.24 Apr 2026 · 20 min · 6 chapters