An Astronaut, a Catalan, and Two Linguis...

We are about to tape new episodes of Tell Me Something I Don’t Know. You’ll be able to hear them later this year in the Freakonomics Radio podcast feed. Details in this short announcement. 

In this special call-in episode: why some Peruvians eat cats; why operas need repetiteurs; and why we should get rid of prisons. Michael Smerconish (CNN) is co-host; AJ Jacobs (It’s All Relative) checks the facts. 

This week, we work on our survival skills: in the desert, on the tundra, and growing food in abandoned warehouses. Actress Sas Goldberg is co-host; A.J. Jacobs (author of It’s All Relative) is live fact-checker. 

NASA insists they aren’t stranded. But eight weeks after their original return date, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are still on board the International Space Station. In this episode, we explain why Boeing’s Starliner – and private space travel writ large - is under ... Show More

Why are Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore staying onboard the International Space Station much longer than planned? Richard Luscombe reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus 

What's it like living underwater for two weeks? What's the trickiest part of training to be an astronaut? What are the most memorable sights you see from space? Several extreme questions, all of which can be answered by one man: Major Tim Peake.After a childhood packed with outdo ... Show More

Mike Massimino, serving as a NASA astronaut until 2014, has a slew of accomplishments: the first human to tweet from space, the last astronaut to work inside the Hubble Telescope and the speculated inspiration for George Clooney’s role in “Gravity.” He’s now out with a book, titl ... Show More

It’s a dream for many children, but what does it actually take to become an astronaut? Science correspondent Hannah Devlin tells Ian Sample about her trip on a zero gravity flight with the European Space Agency (Esa). Back on solid ground she also got to speak to Rosemary Coogan, ... Show More

Bloomberg’s Loren Grush explains how two astronauts got stuck on the International Space Station and astronaut Cady Coleman tells us why she is jealous of them.This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Matt Collette, engineered by Patric ... Show More

Brains On is a non-profit public radio program. There are lots of ways to support the show:Support the podcast with donation | Subscribe to Smarty Pass for ad-free episodes and bonus content | Buy our book and merch | Come to our live shows | Get the newsletter for parents | Find ... Show More

Why are Mindy and Guy Raz filling out job applications? And what does that have to do with astronauts?! We've got the questions AND the answers on today's galactic round of Two Whats?! And A Wow! We're challenging you to find the facts from the fiction about astronauts! See Priva ... Show More

Dr Karl and Dr Rhod are joined by Alastair Reynolds, a sci fi author and former European Space Agency scientist. Topics under the spotlight are: the science of toenails, how being in space affects astronauts and what's the good of multi-vitamins?