Why is my friend late? How does nuclear fission work? What can I do to help my baby sleep through the night? We all feel the need to understand why certain things happen. Some researchers think the drive to explain the world is a basic human impulse, similar to thirst or hunger. This week on Hidden Brain, psychologist Tania Lombrozo discusses how explanations can lead to discovery, delight, and disaster. Then, Jonathan Rottenberg answers your questions about rethinking depression on Your Questions Answered.What are the mistakes most of us make when we try to resist a craving? We talk about that in our latest YouTube video. Check it out, and leave a comment letting us know what you think of the techniques we discuss for grappling with temptations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This ICYMI takes you back to October 1993, on the eve of a historic federal election. The ruling Progressive Conservatives were grappling with a leadership shakeup as Kim Campbell succeeded longtime Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The PCs were set to face off against the Liberal party led by Jean Chrétien, along with the NDP, Bloc Québécois and Reform parties. On the eve of election day, Checkup asked callers about how they planned to vote the next day. Here's an extended cut from that episode which aired October 25, 1993.
A majority of Albertans voted in favour of charging non-permanent residents a fee to access public services like healthcare. We hear what you had to say about this idea. Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney thinks this idea has merit. Dr. Annalee Coakley from the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic takes the opposing view. The Globe and Mail's André Picard will help explain what the response to this question tells us about our stretched healthcare system.
With layoffs and job market turbulence in the news, you may be wondering what it takes to get a new job or switch gears to a new industry entirely. We'll hear from a career coach about how to pivot a new career, while callers share their experiences and what it took for them find a new path.
This is an abbreviated version of Checkup's segment about making a major career switch. As layoffs make headlines, polling shows that many Canadian job seekers have already changed careers at least once. We hear from experts and callers about how to make the switch, and what it takes to find work in a new industry.
First aired back in 2020, this episode follows the story of an octopus living one mile under the ocean as she performs a heroic act of heart and determination.In 2007, Bruce Robison’s robot submarine stumbled across an octopus settling in to brood her eggs. It seemed like a small moment, but as he went back to visit her month after month, what began as a simple act of motherhood became a heroic feat that has never been equaled by any known species on Earth. This episode was reported and produced by Annie McEwen. If you need more ocean in your life, check out the incredible Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams (especially the jellies!): www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-camsSignup 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Writers, designers, actors, coders, musicians, thinkers — they’re all worried about being replaced by machines. But what if the A.I.s are actually here to help? (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES:Sean Astin, actor, president of SAG-AFTRA.Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired.Ethan Mollick, associate professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.Eline Van der Velden, founder and C.E.O. of Particle6. RESOURCES:Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, by Ethan Mollick (2026)."Apocalypse Now and Then," by Arundhati Roy (Equator, 2026)."Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Creativity and Diversity: An Empirical Study of Large Language Model-Generated Product Ideas," by Christian Terwiesch, Lennart Meincke, Karan Girotra, Ethan Mollick, Gideon Nave, and Karl Ulrich (Production and Operations Management, 2026)."Quiet, My Exoself," by Kevin Kelly (KK, 2026).Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI, by Ethan Mollick (2024)."The O-Ring Theory of Economic Development," by Michael Kremer (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1993). EXTRAS:"How to Poison the A.I. Machine," by Freakonomics Radio (2025)."The Curious, Brilliant, Vanishing Mr. Feynman," series by Freakonomics Radio (2024)."How to Think About A.I.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023)."103 Pieces of Advice That May or May Not Work," by Freakonomics Radio (2022). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.) SOURCES:Brendan Ballou, C.E.O. of the Public Integrity Project.Dan Glickberg, venture-capital investor.Hannah Howard, food writer.Sachin Khajuria, investor. RESOURCES:Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America, by Brendan Ballou (2023).Two and Twenty: How the Masters of Private Equity Always Win, by Sachin Khajuria (2022)."Local Journalism under Private Equity Ownership," by Michael Ewens, Arpit Gupta, and Sabrina T. Howell (NBER Working Paper, 2022).“Owner Incentives and Performance in Healthcare: Private Equity Investment in Nursing Homes,” by Atul Gupta, Sabrina T. Howell, Constantine Yannelis, and Abhinav Gupta (NBER Working Paper, 2021).“Leveraged Buyouts and Financial Distress,” by Brian Ayash and Mahdi Rastad (Finance Research Letters, 2021). EXTRAS:"Is This What a 'Good Billionaire' Looks Like?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026)."Is the Public Ready for Private Equity?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025)."Should You Trust Private Equity to Take Care of Your Dog?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023)."Do You Know Who Owns Your Vet?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023)."The Secret Life of a C.E.O.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Millions of us move through our days without getting enough sleep. We know that sleep deprivation can affect our physical health and our mood. But sleep researcher Chris Barnes says a chronic lack of good sleep can also affect how we make decisions and even what we value. He joins us to explore the forces that keep us from getting the rest we need, and offers practical strategies for getting better sleep. Later, psychologist Rachel Zoffness returns to answer your questions about the experience of pain, in our latest installment of "Your Questions Answered." Is your parenting style preventing your child from thriving? We explore this question — and share five practical parenting strategies we've featured on Hidden Brain — in our latest YouTube video. Check it out here, and share your parenting strategies with us in the comments! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This is an abbreviated version of Checkup's live special from Edmonton with CBC's West of Centre. Callers and experts weigh in on what the Alberta referendum means for the future of the province, and the country as a whole. Plus, campaigners who are for and against Alberta independence state their case.
On Monday, Albertans head to the polls in a major referendum. A yes vote gives the provincial government a mandate to ask if Alberta should officially separate from Canada. A no vote, according to premier Danielle Smith, settles the issue. But separatist leaders reject that. In this special co-production with West of Centre, we hear from callers and campaigners on both sides of the separatism debate, along with pollsters, political commentators and Premier Smith's chief of staff about where Alberta goes from here.
