The U.S. has fallen into polarized, partisan, political bickering. Online, liberals and conservatives seem to despise each other. But nobody seems to stop to ask: How did we get our liberal and conservative views in the first place? We formed our opinions by carefully weighing the issues and thoughtfully choosing a stance, right? Well, no; turns out over hal ... Show More
Dec 2023
Grand Finale: A Pop Song is Born
In the days of old, creating a song required a composer, a lyricist, an arranger, a recording engineer, a band or orchestra. Today, in the pop world, a single person often handles those jobs in a single studio. In this extraordinary episode, you’ll hear two-time Grammy winner Oak ... Show More
52m 25s
Oct 2023
How Does Google Maps Do It?
Every month, over a billion people open their phones and fire up Google Maps. Its original function—offering driving directions, with real-time traffic tracking—was disruptive enough in 2008, when most people had to pay $10 a month for traffic data. But since that time, it’s beco ... Show More
32m 43s
Oct 2024
Comment une simple boîte en acier a changé l’économie mondiale ?
<p>Aujourd'hui, 90 % des marchandises que nous utilisons ont voyagé dans un conteneur maritime. Le t-shirt que vous portez, votre téléphone, et même votre cafetière ont probablement traversé des milliers de kilomètres dans ces boîtes métalliques standardisées, rendant possible le ... Show More
6m 3s
Jun 2022
The Philadelphia Experiment - The truth about invisibility, teleportation and time travel
The Philadelphia Experiment. It was October 1943. The day the US Navy mastered time travel, teleportation, and invisibility. Actually, they didn't master anything. The experiment had disastrous consequences for the crew of the USS Eldridge. In the summer of 1943, two years after ... Show More
15m 6s
Jan 2025
The Mystery of The Confederate Sub
Submarines are the silent hunters of the deep. From the large nuclear-powered boats of today’s navies, to the German U-Boats of the First and Second World Wars, these machines hidden beneath the waves can change the course of history. In the United States, the first submersible w ... Show More
35m 18s
Jul 2025
The Nothing Behind Everything
<p>This week, two conversations from the archives about parts of the world that are imperceptible to us, verging on almost unthinkable. We start with a moment of uncertainty in physics. Inspired by an essay written by physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, called <a href="https:// ... Show More
32m 54s