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In light of Jad’s recent birthday, we thought we’d share this video. It’s sort of like a video version of “Nancy Grows Up” from our Time episode.

What are the consequences when humans start playing with life? The human imagination has always dreamed up fantastic creatures, but now biotechnology is making it easier and easier for us to actually create forms of life that have never existed before. In this episode Radio Lab looks at the uneasy marriage between biology and engineering, […]

An examination of the power of mass media to create panic. In Radio Lab’s very first live hour, we take a deep dive into one of the most controversial moments in broadcasting history - Orson Welles’ 1938 radio play about Martians invading New Jersey. And we ask: Why did it fool people then? And why […]

For a disturbing, but thought-provoking video clip that investigates the brain-body connection, check out Jonah Lehrer’s blog for an entry he calls “The Poetry of Decapitated Dogs.” In our show “Where Am I?” we heard all sorts of stories about when the brain and body connection gets screwy… but we never thought to take it […]

Here’s the first installment of “Music Lab.” A place on the blog where Jad gets to play some of his favorite music and tell you why he likes it. Take a listen.

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We look at lies, liars, and lie catchers, and ask: can you lead a life without deception? In this episode, we consult a cast of characters, from pathological liars to lying snakes to drunken psychiatrists, to try and understand the dark trait of deception.

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amanda/ flickr

We all laugh. But why? If you look closely, you’ll find that humor has very little to do with it. In this episode, we explore the power of laughter to calm us, bond us to one another, or to spread… like a virus. Along the way, we tickle some rats, listen in on […]

Big and Small

Tuesday is Podcast Day. We’ve been getting some emails from some of you who are confused about the varying lengths of our podcasts… Some are long. Some are short. Fear not! There’s nothing wrong with your download. That’s the way it should be. Sometimes we podcast an entire hour-long episode. Sometimes we podcast […]

Imagine that you’re a composer. Imagine getting the commission to write a song that will allow family members to face the death of a loved one. Well, composer David Lang had to do just that when a hospital in Garches, France, asked him to write music for their morgue, or “Salle Des Departs.”
What do you […]

You’ve heard of the tortured artist. The tortured poet. Did you ever think about the tortured zoo director? It’s tough work being the steward of animals while at the same time being their captor. David Hancocks, a former zoo director, tells us about the paradoxes he encounters in the zoo world and his dream for […]