wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On this week’s podcast, we share an excerpt from Wordless Music on WNYC, a 4-part music program hosted by Jad, exploring the boundaries between classical and pop music. The series pairs rock and electronic musicians with more traditional chamber and new music performers, to create an entirely new concert experience. On this week’s selection, Jad […]

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Why do we play, an activity that is, by its definition, without an immediate objective? Does play serve an important purpose in humans and in other animals?
The science of play draws from the work of neuroscientists, evolutionary biologists, ethologists, and psychiatrists, among others, and many researchers are studying the appearance of play behaviors in […]

After hearing the War of the Worlds show, many listeners wrote to the Lab with their favorite media hoaxes. Here’s a sampling of some of the really good ones:
June, 2007: Czech artists hack a live national weather camera to show the blast of a mushroom cloud over the Bohemian countryside. Frantic audience members call the […]

Hey everyone, Jad here.
If you happen to have caught our “brain on love” podcast a while back, you may remember those groovy mini-jingles we made for the 3 different love chemicals (dopamine, norepinephrine, oxcytocin).
Those stings were the work of an amazingly talented musician by the name of Jen Scaturro. Her musician […]

“I’ve said for a long time now “humor isn’t funny”. What I mean is, most jokes, and things that make us laugh, are at the expense of others.”
–doggo
Read doggo’s full comment.

Here’s the second 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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Hello Jad here.
First off, thanks to everyone who sent me Starbucks cards for my birthday (what a nice surprise!)
And while we’re on the subject of ME, let me say a few words about about narcissism. Actually, no. What I’d really like to do is to play you a song […]

Gearheads, take note! The Bent Festival is in NYC all weekend long!
It’s a three day-long exploration of hardware hacking, DIY electronics, and circuit bending. Artists from around the globe perform music with their homemade or circuit bent instruments each night of the festival, teach workshops to adults and children alike, and create amazing, interactive art […]

Last month, a report came out detailing some of the ways in which expectations affect our responses to pain medications. And according to an article about this report in The Baltimore Sun, one factor that influences our expectations is price. The article goes on to explain that two groups of test volunteers were given placebos […]

Radiolab is coming to Washington, DC!

Sorry all- this event is SOLD OUT
On April 24th we’ll be coming to DC to share some of our stories of experimentation. We’re partnering with WAMU 88.5 to bring you a live event at the Koshland Science Museum.
As you probably know, our show is about… curiosity. We talk to […]