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.
Throughout human history, there’s been one element we’ve always associated with death. Just the smell of it is an alarm bell that says, “something here is dangerous.” But what if our noses have been wrong all along?In this episode of our series Viscera: Gripping Tales of the Human Body, we take you to a live performance in Boston where we reveal how this much-maligned element might be better understood as the smell of life.LATERAL CUTS:Want to see a Viscera show? Join us for Radiolab Presents: Viscera, live in New York City on Thursday, November 5th. All about the sometimes freaky world of organ transplants, with special guest Mary Roach discussing her upcoming book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy. Get your tickets at wnyc.org/events.EPISODE CREDITS:Reported by - Avir Mitra and Matt Kieltywith help from - Mona MadgavkarProduced by - Mona Madgavkar and Matt Kieltywith mixing help from - Jeremy BloomFact-checking by - Rachel Grossand Edited by - Pat WaltersLiveshow production support - Natalia Ramirez, Sarah Sandbach, Maia Appleby Melamed, and Jeremy Bloom.EPISODE CITATIONS:Videos - Watch the video of Radiolab Presents: Viscera live at WBUR CitySpace (https://zpr.io/PZF3BqnbKKJD)Articles - A possible chemical explanation for the events associated with the death of Gloria Ramirez at Riverside General Hospital (https://zpr.io/sbjXYcPenGSH), the paper explaining Livermore Lab’s hypothesis.Books - The Great Secret (https://zpr.io/PGCmihSFBHj4), by Jennet Conant about the birth of chemotherapy in the laboratory of war. 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
David Rubenstein, a product of the old bipartisan D.C., made his fortune in private equity. He’s been spending it on “patriotic philanthropy” and institutions like the Kennedy Center, where Trump fired him as chairman. Now he wonders if the center can hold. SOURCES:David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chairman of the Carlyle Group, principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles. RESOURCES:Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports, by David M. Rubenstein (2026).The American Experiment: Dialogues on a Dream, by David M. Rubenstein (2021).The American Story: Conversations With Master Historians, by David M. Rubenstein (2019).Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis (2003). EXTRAS:"The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted," by Freakonomics Radio (2025)."The Secret Life of a C.E.O.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018)."Extra: David Rubenstein Full Interview," by Freakonomics Radio (2018)."The Longest Long Shot," by Freakonomics Radio (2016). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We often imagine that feelings of unhappiness come from outside us — in our circumstances or the difficult people in our lives. But what if the forces that erode our happiness come from within? Psychologist George Loewenstein joins us to explore why our minds nudge us toward the negative, even when we want to feel positive. He also offers ways to better understand these forces and lessen their power over us. And on Your Questions Answered, psychologist Alison Ledgerwood returns to respond to your questions about our tendency to focus on the negative. What if your emotions aren't reactions to the world, but predictions that your brain is making? We discuss this mind-bending idea on our YouTube channel. Check it out, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of our upcoming videos! 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 segment on adult kids getting financial support from their parents. Some are getting help paying the bills, while others are living with their parents to save money in a tight housing market. We hear from experts and callers on how their navigating these family dynamics and how it impacts their relationships.
