logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
1h 2m

Extra: Why Is 23andMe Going Under? (Upda...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
Five years ago, we published an episode about the boom in home DNA testing kits, focusing on the high-flying firm 23andMe and its C.E.O. Anne Wojcicki. Their flight has been extremely bumpy since then. This update includes an additional interview with the Wall Street Journal reporter who has been investigating the firm’s collapse. 
Up next
Apr 17
671. Why Has There Been So Little Progress on Alzheimer’s Disease?
One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle. SOURCES: Charles Piller, investigative journalist for Science, auth ... Show More
1h 1m
Apr 10
670. Beeconomics 101
How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host Steve Levitt activates his hive mind. SOURCES: Alex Sapoznik, historian, reader in late medieval history at King’s College London. Chris Hia ... Show More
55m 51s
Apr 8
Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System (Update)
Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. In this update of an episode from 2025, Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even ... Show More
1h 4m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
133. Pay Attention! (Your Body Will Thank You)
<p>Ellen Langer is a psychologist at Harvard who studies the mind-body connection. She’s published some of the most remarkable scientific findings Steve has ever encountered. Can we really improve our physical health by changing our mind?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE:</stron ... Show More
59m 30s
Oct 2023
165. Do "Generations" Mean Anything?
tail spinning
37m 29s
Apr 2024
129. How to Fix Medical Research
<p>Monica Bertagnolli went from a childhood on a cattle ranch to a career as a surgeon to a top post in the Biden administration. As director of the National Institutes of Health, she’s working to improve the way we find new treatments — despite regulatory constraints and tight b ... Show More
55m 43s
Feb 2024
184. Are You Doing Too Much?
tail spinning
40m 51s
Sep 2023
164. Do You Have Impostor Syndrome?
tail spinning
38m 43s
Mar 2024
188. Why Do Kids Today Get So Many A’s?
tail spinning
41m 41s
May 2024
132. Suleika Jaouad’s Survival Mechanisms
<p>Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with cancer at 22. She made her illness the subject of a <i>New York Times</i> column and a memoir, <i>Between Two Kingdoms.</i> She and Steve talk about what it means to live with a potentially fatal illness, how to talk to people who've gone thro ... Show More
1h 4m
Sep 2023
115. The Future of Therapy Is Psychedelic
<p>For 37 years, Rick Doblin has been pushing the F.D.A. to approve treating post-traumatic stress disorder with MDMA, better known as Ecstasy. He tells Steve why he persisted for so long, why he doesn’t like calling drug use “recreational,” and what he learned from his pet wolf. ... Show More
53m 5s
Nov 2022
If society is making us sick, how can we heal?
Sean Illing talks with Dr. Gabor Maté, a physician, speaker, and bestselling author who has written on subjects like addiction, stress, and attention deficit disorder. In Maté's new book, The Myth of Normal, he argues that the Western paradigm of health is fundamentally flawed in ... Show More
55m 55s
Jun 2024
201. Are You Dreaming Too Big?
tail spinning
41m 44s