41. Is Rainy Day Joint Pain All in Your ...

In the newest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network, host Zachary Crockett explores the hidden side of the things around us. This week: One creature’s trash is another’s cash. (Or, how one man found profit in pee.) 

A sneak peek at Bapu's new book, Random Acts of Medicine, available now from Doubleday, and an announcement about the show. 

Couples get divorced for all kinds of reasons. Is having kids one of them? Bapu talks about research that investigates what happens to parents who unexpectedly have twins. Plus, an announcement about the future of the show. 

Have you ever felt a little twinge or ache in your body, but you’re not sure where it came from? It might have been a growing pain! Just like a plant stretches toward the sun, your body might stretch too as you grow bigger. We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal about the science ... Show More

Est-ce que c’est vrai que se faire craquer les doigts est mauvais pour la santé ? Il y a les deux écoles dans ce débat : d'un côté les fervents défenseurs du craquement de doigts, et de l'autre ceux qui ne supportent pas ça et qui vous diront que vous risquez l'arthrite si vous c ... Show More

Why does a cold pool feel warmer the second time you dip your toes in? Why does a safecracker run his fingers over sandpaper? Why do Mediterranean cultures touch each other more than Scandinavian cultures? Would it be great -- or not so great -- if you were unable to feel physica ... Show More

The placebo effect is pretty freaky when you think about it: just believing that a harmless substance is a medicine can really produce measurable benefits. It sounds crazy, but the placebo effect is real, and its implications continue to fascinate scientists. So why does it appea ... Show More

How do we feel pain? What parts of the brain control our reaction to painful sensations? And how is stem cell technology revolutionising the search for better treatments for chronic pain? In this episode of How We’re Wired, join evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin as she u ... Show More

Imagine spending six months of every year living in total shade. That’s what life is like for residents of the Norwegian town of Rjukan, set so low in a valley that they see no direct sunshine at all from October to March. Marnie Chesterton heads there to hear about an ingenious ... Show More

What does water smell like? Did bipedal dinosaurs get back pain? Is my perception of time related to my heart rate? Does getting fresh air when you're sick actually doing anything? Are orange peels airtight? Why can't I smell ants? Why can't humans drink river water anymore? Debo ... Show More

In the face of our "post-truth" era of politics, it's hard to know what to believe. According to psychology research, whether we know it or not, most of us harbor false beliefs. Do you? 

If you are experiencing any joint pain – that aching shoulder pain, that piercing knee pain, that throbbing hip pain - listen in as we discuss how changing your eating could help your pain level go down. We understand joint pain is difficult to live with, so we want to give you s ... Show More

Il vous ait sans doute déjà arrivé de vous cogner le petit orteil dans le coin de la table ou du lit. A ce moment-là, une douleur intense a alors fait brutalement son apparition. Mais, hormis dans de rares cas de complication, cette douleur a progressivement diminué pour finir pa ... Show More