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by 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.
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- Today1h 3m
Oliver Sipple
One morning, Oliver Sipple went out for a walk. A couple hours later, to his own surprise, he saved the life of the President of the United States. In a story we reported back in 2017, we explain how in the days that followed, Sipple’s split-second act of heroism turned into a rationale for making his personal life into political opportunity. What happens next makes us wonder what a moment, or a movement, or a whole society can demand of one person. And how much is too much? Through newly unearthed archival tape, we hear Sipple himself grapple with some of the most vexing topics of his day and ours - privacy, identity, the freedom of the press - not to mention the bonds of family and friendship. Special thanks to Jerry Pritikin, Michael Yamashita, Stan Smith, Duffy Jennings; Ann Dolan, Megan Filly and Ginale Harris at the Superior Court of San Francisco; Leah Gracik, Karyn Hunt, Jesse Hamlin, The San Francisco Bay Area Television Archive, Mike Amico, Jennifer Vanasco and Joey Plaster.EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Reported by Latif Nasser and Tracie Hunte Produced by - Produced by Matt Kielty, Annie McEwen, Latif Nasser and Tracie Hunte. Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (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 Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks agonarrative36 min6-min read
This American Roach
This Radiolab episode follows reporter Alex Neason as she confronts her deep-seated fear and disgust toward cockroaches, embarking on a journey that evolves from personal phobia into a profound exploration of history, race, class, and the human tendency to vilify animals we label as 'pests.' What begins as a quest to overcome a visceral reaction becomes a reckoning with how societal failures shape our relationship with nature.
- 2 weeks agonarrative1h 11m6-min read
Worth
This Radiolab episode, originally from 2014 and resurfaced for its enduring relevance, explores the moral, economic, and emotional challenges of assigning monetary value to life, death, and nature. It asks how society decides what is worth paying for — whether a cancer drug, a drone strike condolence payment, or the services of an ecosystem — and reveals how these valuations shape policy, ethics, and human dignity.
- 3 weeks agonarrative46 min5-min read
Your Friendly Neighborhood Hookworms
Two decades after Radiolab’s original episode on hookworms, new clinical research reveals these once-reviled parasites may offer therapeutic benefits for autoimmune and metabolic diseases, challenging long-held assumptions about hygiene and health. The episode revisits the historical eradication of hookworm in the American South and explores how modern science is reconsidering its role in human immunity.
- 4 weeks agonarrative1h 6m6-min read
The Bad Show
This episode of Radiolab, titled 'The Bad Show,' explores the nature of human evil by examining real and psychological cases of violence, from Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments to Fritz Haber’s morally ambiguous scientific legacy and the confessions of serial killer Gary Ridgeway. It challenges listeners to reconsider what makes someone 'bad' and whether evil stems from obedience, ideology, or incomprehensible personal motives.
- May 1, 2026narrative42 min7-min read
What is a Pig Worth?
This Radiolab episode follows animal rights activist Wayne Hsiung’s 2017 direct action at a Smithfield Foods pig farm, where he and his group, Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), rescued two ailing piglets, Lily and Lizzie. His subsequent trial in Utah becomes a legal and moral crucible, forcing jurors to confront the unsettling question: what is the value of an animal in the eyes of the law? The case ends in acquittal, not because the law changed, but because the jury was forced to reckon with the dissonance between economic value and moral worth.
- Apr 24, 2026conversational19 min3-min read
Forests on Forests
This Radiolab episode explores the hidden world of forest canopies, revealing that trees host entire ecosystems high above the ground, complete with soil, plants, animals, and even aquatic creatures — a realm as rich and complex as the forest floor. Ecologist Nalini Nadkarni’s pioneering work in the 1980s uncovered canopy soils teeming with life, while later research by Karina Mifune showed these aerial soils are nutrient-rich, offering trees a vital resource during times of scarcity below.
- Apr 17, 2026narrative51 min3-min read
The Resistance of a Cow
There’s something rotten in the cows of Denmark. And Minnesota. And Wisconsin. And Idaho. What could cause a previously thriving herd of majestic dairy cattle to stop drinking water and start drinking … urine? A Danish farmer calls a special investigator, who takes one look at his farm and nopes the heck out of there, refusing to return, citing “bad energy” coming from something nearby … a big building covered in Viking runes. It’s not magic. It’s an invisible force that’s far more common. And yet deeply mysterious. This episode plunges producers Matt Kielty and Simon Adler knee-deep in a decades-old dairy farm controversy, rooted in a fundamental suspicion of the invisible streams of electrons that keep our world humming. Special thanks to Dr. Liz Brock EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Matt Kielty and Simon Adler with help from - Clara Grunnet and Rebecca Rand Produced by - Matt Kielty with help from - Maria Paz Gutierrez Original music from - Jeremy Bloom and Matt Kielty Sound design contributed by - Jeremy Bloom Mixed by - Jeremy Bloom Fact-checking by - Angely Mercado and Sophie Samiee and Edited by - Pat Walters EPISODE CITATIONS: Books - The Great Energy Transition: America from 1876 to 1929 (https://zpr.io/3PStsDgidpj5), by David Nye Powering American Farms: The Overlooked Origins of Rural Electrification (https://zpr.io/GdQ4pMCy4DAV), by Richard Hirsch Beyond the Barn – Dodging Cow Patties for 50 Years by a Country Vet (https://zpr.io/S8qS9HLEQBJe), by Don Sanders a memoir about his long career. Signup for our newsletter!! 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 Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Hi Radiolab listeners, we want to hear from you! Take this podcast survey and let us know how you feel about the show. It only takes about 20 minutes and your feedback will help us make our podcast better! There are no wrong answers, we want your honest takes. You can help out by taking the survey here (www.radiolab.org/survey).
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About Radiolab
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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