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
Aug 2023
CeCe Moore Cracks Cold Cases with Genealogy
Genealogy has been around a while. So has DNA evidence. But what if you combined the two? What if you could use DNA from a crime scene, compare the unknown killer’s genetics with public databases of other people’s DNA, figure out who his relatives are, and thereby determine his i ... Show More
45m 44s
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
54m 25s
Oct 2024
Comment une simple boîte en acier a changé l’économie mondiale ?
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 co ... Show More
6m 3s
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 25
The Nothing Behind Everything
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 The Accidental Unive ... Show More
32m 54s